{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_40556/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_40556","id":"gutenberg_40556","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40556","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Theology"],"text":"Transcriber's note:\n\nText enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).\n\nText enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).\n\nSmall capital text has been replaced with all capitals.\n\nVariations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained\nexcept in obvious cases of typographical error.\n\n\n\n\n  MISCELLANEOUS\n  WRITINGS\n\n  of C.H.M.\n\n\n  The\n  Lord's Coming\n\n\n  _Miscellaneous Writings of_\n  C. H. MACKINTOSH\n\n\n  _Volume II_\n\n\n  LOIZEAUX BROTHERS\n  _New York_\n\n\n  FIRST EDITION 1898\n  TENTH PRINTING 1960\n\n\n  LOIZEAUX BROTHERS, INC., PUBLISHERS\n\n  _A Nonprofit Organization, Devoted to the Lord's Work\n  and to the Spread of His Truth_\n\n  19 WEST 21ST STREET, NEW YORK 10, N. Y.\n\n  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                Pages\n\n  \"GOD FOR US\"                                   1-23\n\n  \"WHO LOVED ME\"--_Poem_\n\n  THE CALL OF GOD; OR, REFLECTIONS ON THE\n  CHARACTERS OF ABRAHAM AND LOT                  3-60\n\n  \"THOU AND THY HOUSE;\" OR, THE CHRISTIAN\n  AT HOME                                        3-48\n\n  DISCIPLESHIP IN AN EVIL DAY                    3-22\n\n  SIN IN THE FLESH AND SIN ON THE CONSCIENCE      1-8\n\n  GOD'S WAY AND HOW TO FIND IT                   3-16\n\n  THE UNEQUAL YOKE                               5-38\n\n  GIDEON AND HIS COMPANIONS                      3-56\n\n  MY BELOVED--_Poem_\n\n  ETERNAL PUNISHMENT                              2-8\n\n  PAPERS ON THE LORD'S COMING                   3-111\n\n_The original numbering of these writings has been retained. Many of\nthe above may be had separately in pamphlet form._\n\n\n\n\n\"GOD FOR US\"\n\n(ROMANS VIII. 31.)\n\n\nHow much is wrapped up in these few words, \"God for us!\" They form one\nof those marvelous chains of three links so frequently found in\nScripture. We have \"God\" linked on to \"us\" by that precious little\nword \"for.\" This secures every thing, for time and eternity. There is\nnot a single thing within the entire range of a creature's necessities\nthat are not included in the brief but comprehensive sentence which\nforms the heading of this paper. If God be for us, then it follows, of\nnecessity--blessed necessity--that neither our sins, nor our\niniquities, nor our guilt, nor our ruined nature, nor Satan, nor the\nworld, nor any other creature can possibly stand in the way of our\npresent peace and our everlasting felicity and glory. God can dispose\nof all--has disposed of them, in such a way as to illustrate His own\nglory, and magnify His holy name, throughout the wide universe,\nforever and ever. All praise and adoration be to the eternal Trinity!\n\nIt may be, however, that the reader feels disposed, at the very\noutset, to inquire how he is to know his place amongst the \"us\" of our\nprecious thesis. This, truly, is a most momentous question. Our\neternal weal or woe hangs upon the answer. How, then, are we to know\nthat God is for us? In reply to this most weighty question, we shall\nseek, by God's grace, to furnish the reader with five substantial\nproofs that God is for us, in all our need, our guilt, our misery,\nand our danger--for us, spite of all that we are, and all that we have\ndone--for us, although there is no reason whatever, so far as we are\nconcerned, why He should be for us, but every reason why He should be\nagainst us.\n\nThe first grand proof which we shall adduce is--\n\n\nTHE GIFT OF HIS SON.\n\n\"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting\nlife.\" (John iii. 16.)\n\nNow, we are glad, for various reasons, to commence our series of\nproofs with these memorable words. In the first place, they meet a\ndifficulty which may suggest itself to the mind of an anxious\nreader--a difficulty based upon the fact that the sentence culled from\nRom. viii. 31 evidently applies primarily to believers, and only to\nsuch, as does the entire epistle and every one of the epistles.\n\nBut, blessed be God, no such difficulty can be started in reference to\nthe all-embracing, and encouraging words of Him who spake as never man\nspake. When we have from the lips of our blessed Lord Himself, the\neternal Son of God, such words as these, \"God so loved _the world_,\"\nwe have no ground whatever for questioning their application to each\nand all who come under the comprehensive word \"world.\" Before any one\ncan prove that the free love of God does not apply to him, he must\nfirst prove that he does not form a part of the world, but that he\nbelongs to some other sphere of being. If indeed, our Lord had said,\n\"God so loved a certain portion of the world,\" call it what you\nplease, then verily it would be absolutely necessary to prove that we\nbelong to that particular portion or class, ere we could attempt to\napply His words to ourselves. If He had said that God so loved the\npredestinated, the elect, or the called, then we must seek to know our\nplace amongst the number of such, before we can take home to ourselves\nthe precious assurance of the love of God, as proved by the gift of\nHis Son.\n\nBut our Lord used no such qualifying clause. He is addressing one who,\nfrom his earliest days, had been trained and accustomed to take a very\nlimited view indeed of the favor and goodness of God. Nicodemus had\nbeen taught to consider that the rich tide of Jehovah's goodness,\nloving-kindness, and tender mercy could only flow within the narrow\ninclosure of the Jewish system and the Jewish nation. The thought of\nits rolling forth to the wide wide world had never, we may safely\nassert, penetrated the mind of one trained amid the contracting\ninfluences of the legal system. Hence, therefore, it must have sounded\npassing strange in his ear, to hear \"a teacher come from God\" giving\nutterance to the great fact that God loved not merely the Jewish\nnation, nor yet some special portion of the human race, but \"the\nworld.\" No doubt, such a statement would add not a little to the\namazement felt by this master in Israel at being told that he himself,\nwith all His religious advantages, needed to be born again in order to\nsee or enter the kingdom of God.\n\nDo we then deny or call in question the grand truth of predestination,\nelection, or effectual calling? God forbid. We hold these things as\namongst the fundamental principles of true Christianity. We believe in\nthe eternal counsels and purposes of our God--His unsearchable\ndecrees--His electing love--His sovereign mercy.\n\nBut do any or all of these things interfere, in the smallest degree,\nwith the gracious activities of the divine nature, or the outgoings of\nGod's love towards a lost world? In no wise. God is love. That is His\nblessed nature, and this nature must express itself toward all. The\nmistake lies in supposing that because God has His purposes, His\ncounsels, His decrees--because He is sovereign in His grace and\nmercy--because He has chosen from all eternity a people for His own\npraise and glory--because the names of the redeemed, all the redeemed,\nwere written down in the book of the slain Lamb, before the foundation\nof the world--that therefore God cannot be said to love all\nmankind--to love the world--and, moreover that the glad tidings of\nGod's full and free salvation ought not to be proclaimed in the ears\nof every creature under heaven.\n\nThe simple fact is that the two lines, though so perfectly distinct,\nare laid down with equal clearness, in the word of God; neither\ninterferes, in the smallest degree, with the other, but both together\ngo to make up the beauteous harmony of divine truth and to set forth\nthe glorious unity of the divine nature.\n\nNow, it is with the activities of the divine nature and the outgoings\nof divine love that the preacher of the gospel has specially to do. He\nis not to be cramped, crippled, or confined in his blessed work, by\nany reference to God's secret decrees or purposes, though fully aware\nof the existence of such. His mission is to the world--the wide wide\nworld. His theme is salvation--a salvation as full as the heart of\nGod, as permanent as the throne of God--as free as the air--free to\nall without any exception, limitation, or condition whatsoever. The\nbasis of his work is the atoning death of Christ which has removed all\nbarriers out of the way, and opened up the floodgates in order that\nthe mighty tide of divine love may roll forth, in all its fulness,\nrichness and blessedness, to a lost and guilty world.\n\nAnd here, we may add, lies the ground of man's responsibility in\nreference to the gospel of God. If, indeed, it be true that God so\nloved the world as to give His only begotten Son--if \"the\nrighteousness of God is unto all\" (Rom. iii. 22)--if it be God's\ngracious will that \"all should be saved and come to the knowledge of\nthe truth\" (1 Tim. ii. 4)--if He is \"not willing that any should\nperish but that all should come to repentance\" (2 Pet. iii. 9)--then\nverily is every man who hears this glorious gospel laid under the most\nsolemn responsibility to believe it and be saved. No one can honestly\nand truthfully turn round and say, \"I longed to be saved, but could\nnot, because I was not one of the elect. I longed to flee from the\nwrath to come but was prevented by the insuperable barrier of the\ndivine decree which irresistibly consigned me to an everlasting hell.\"\n\nThere is not, within the covers of the volume of God, in the entire\nrange of His dealings with His creatures, in the aspect of His\ncharacter, or in the enactments of His moral government, the very\nfaintest shadow of a foundation for such an objection. Every man is\nleft without excuse. God can say to all who have rejected His gospel,\n\"I would, but ye would not.\" There is absolutely no such thing as\nreprobation in the word of God, meaning thereby the consignment on\nGod's part, of any number of His creatures to everlasting damnation.\nEverlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt.\nxxv.) Men _will_ rush into it. \"Vessels of wrath\" are fitted, not by\nGod, but by themselves, \"to destruction.\" (Rom. ix.) Everyone who gets\nto heaven will have to thank God for it. Everyone who finds himself in\nhell will have to blame himself for it.\n\nFurthermore, we have ever to remember that the sinner has nothing to\ndo with God's unpublished decrees. What does he--what can he--know\nabout such? Nothing whatever. But he has to do with God's published\nlove--His proffered mercy--His free salvation--His glorious gospel. We\nmay fearlessly assert that so long as these glowing and glorious words\nshine in the record of God, \"_Whosoever will_ let him take of the\nwater of life _freely_,\" (Rev. xxii. 17) it is impossible for any son\nor daughter of Adam to say, \"I longed to be saved, but could not. I\nthirsted for the living water, but could not reach it. The well was\ndeep and I had nothing to draw with.\" Ah, no! such language will never\nbe used, such an objection will never be urged by anyone in all the\nranks of the lost. When men pass into eternity they will see with\nawful clearness what they now affect to think is so obscure and\nperplexing, namely, the perfect compatibility of God's electing\nsovereign grace and the free offer of salvation to all--the fullest\nharmony between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.\n\nWe fondly trust the reader sees these things, even now. It is of the\nvery last possible importance to maintain the balance of truth in the\nsoul--to allow the beams of divine revelation to act, with full power,\non the heart and conscience, unimpeded by the murky atmosphere of mere\nhuman theology. There is imminent danger in taking up a certain number\nof abstract truths and forming them into a system. We want the\nadjusting power of _all truth_. The growth and practical\nsanctification of the soul are promoted, not by some truth, but by\n_the_ truth, in all its fullness, as embodied in the person of Christ,\nand set forth by the eternal Spirit in the holy scriptures. We must\nget rid completely of all our own preconceived notions--all merely\ntheological views and opinions--and come like a little child, to the\nfeet of Jesus to be taught by His Spirit, from out His holy word. Thus\nonly shall we find rest from conflicting dogmas. Thus shall all the\nheavy clouds and mists of human opinion be rolled away, and our\nenfranchised souls shall bask in the clear sunlight of a full divine\nrevelation.\n\nWe shall now proceed with our proofs.\n\nThe second fact which we shall adduce to prove that God is for us will\nbe found in\n\nTHE DEATH OF HIS SON.\n\nAnd, for our present purpose, it is only necessary for us to take up\none feature in the atoning death of Christ, but that one feature is a\ncardinal one. We refer to the marvellous fact set forth by the Holy\nGhost in the prophet Isaiah, \"It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him. He\nhath put Him to grief.\" (Chapter liii.)\n\nOur blessed Lord might have come into this world of sin and sorrow. He\nmight have become a man. He might have been baptized in the\nJordan--anointed by the Holy Ghost--tempted of Satan in the\nwilderness. He might have gone about doing good. He might have lived\nand labored, wept and prayed, and, at the close, gone back to heaven\nagain, thus leaving us involved in deeper gloom than ever. He might,\nlike the priest or the Levite, in the parable, have come and looked\nupon us in our wounds and misery, passed by on the other side and\nreturned alone to the place from whence He came.\n\nAnd what if He had? what, reader, but the flames of an everlasting\nhell for thee and me? For, be it well remembered, that all the living\nlabors of the Son of God--His amazing ministry--His days of toil and\nHis nights of prayer--His tears, His sighs, His groans--the whole of\nHis life-work, from the manger up to, but short of, the cross, could\nnot have blotted out one speck of guilt from a human conscience.\n\"Without shedding of blood is no remission.\" No doubt, the eternal Son\nhad to become a man that He might die; but incarnation could not\ncancel guilt. Indeed, the life of Christ, as a man on this earth, only\nproved the human race more guilty still. \"If I had not come and spoken\nto them, they had not had sin.\" The light that shone in His blessed\nways only revealed the moral darkness of man--of Israel--of the world.\nHence, therefore, had He merely come and lived and labored here for\nthree-and-thirty years, and gone back to heaven, our guilt and moral\ndarkness would have been fully proved but no atonement made. \"It is\nthe blood that maketh atonement for the soul.\" \"Without shedding of\nblood is no remission,\" (Heb. ix. 22.)\n\nThis is a grand foundation-truth of Christianity, and must be\nconstantly affirmed, and tenaciously held. There is immense moral\npower in it. If it be true that all the life-labors of the Son of\nGod--His tears, His prayers, His groans, His sighs--if all these\nthings put together could not cancel one single speck of guilt; then,\nindeed, may we not lawfully inquire what possible value can there be\nin our works--our tears--our prayers--our religious services--our\nordinances, sacraments and ceremonies--the whole range of religious\nactivity and moral reform? Can such things avail to cancel our sins\nand give us a righteousness before God? The thought is perfectly\nmonstrous. If any or all of these things could avail, then why the\nsacrificial, atoning death of Christ? Why that ineffable and\ninestimable sacrifice, if aught else would have done?\n\nBut, it will perhaps be said that, although none of these things could\navail _without_ the death of Christ, yet they must be added to it. For\nwhat? To make that peerless death--that precious blood--that priceless\nsacrifice of full avail? Is that it? Shall the rubbish of human\ndoings, human righteousness, be flung into the scale to make the\nsacrifice of Christ of full avail in the judgment of God? The bare\nthought is positive and absolute blasphemy.\n\nBut are there not to be good works? Yes, verily; but what are they?\nAre they the pious doings, the religious efforts, the moral activities\nof unregenerate, unconverted, unbelieving nature? Nay. What then? What\nare the Christian's good works? They are _life-works_, not dead works.\nThey are the precious fruits of life possessed--the life of Christ in\nthe true believer. There is not anything beneath the canopy of heaven\nwhich God can accept as a good work save the fruit of the grace of\nChrist in the believer. The very feeblest expression of the life of\nChrist, in the daily history of a Christian, is fragrant and precious\nto God. But the most splendid and gigantic labors of an unbeliever\nare, in God's account, but \"dead works.\"\n\nAll this, however, is a digression from our main line, to which we\nmust now return.\n\nWe have said that, for our present purpose, we shall merely refer to\none special point in the death of Christ, and that is the fact that it\npleased Jehovah to bruise Him. Herein lies the striking and\nsoul-subduing proof that God is for us. \"He spared not his own Son,\nbut delivered him up for us all.\" He not merely _gave_ Him but\n_bruised_ Him, and that for us. That spotless, holy, perfect One--the\nonly perfect Man that ever trod this earth--the One who ever did the\nthings which pleased His Father--whose whole life from the manger to\nthe tree was one continued sweet odor ascending to the throne and to\nthe heart of God--whose every movement, every word, every look, every\nthought was well-pleasing to God--whose one grand object, from first\nto last, was to glorify God and finish His work--this blessed One was\ndelivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God--was\nnailed to the cursed tree, and there endured the righteous wrath of a\nsin-hating God; and all this because God was for us--even _us_.\n\nWhat marvellous and matchless grace is here! The Just One bruised for\nthe unjust--the sinless, spotless, holy Jesus, bruised by the hand of\nInfinite Justice in order that guilty rebels might be saved; and not\nonly saved but brought into the position and relationship of\nsons--sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty--heirs of God and\njoint-heirs with Christ.\n\nThis surely is grace--rich, free, sovereign grace--grace abounding to\nthe very chief of sinners--grace reigning, through righteousness, unto\neternal life, by Jesus Christ. Who would not trust this grace? Who can\nlook at the cross, and doubt that God is for the sinner--for any\nsinner--for him--for the reader of these lines? Who would not confide\nin that love that shines in the cross? Who can look at the cross and\nnot see that God willeth not the death of any sinner? Why did He not\nallow us to perish in our guilt--to descend into that everlasting hell\nwhich we so richly deserved because of our sins? Why give His\nOnly-begotten Son? Why bruise Him on that shameful cross? Why hide His\nface from the only perfect Man that ever lived--that Man His own\nEternal Son? Why all this, reader? Surely it was because God is for\nus, spite of all our guilt and sinful rebellion. Yes, blessed be His\nName, He is for the poor self-destroyed, hell-deserving sinner, be he\nwho or what he may; and each one whose eye scans these lines is now\nentreated to come and confide in the love that gave Jesus from the\nbosom and bruised Him on the cross.\n\nOh! beloved reader, do come, just now. Delay not! Waver not! Reason\nnot! Listen not to Satan! Listen not to the suggestions and imaginings\nof your own heart; but listen to that word which assures you that God\nis for you, and to that love which shines forth in the gift and the\ndeath of His Son.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIn pursuing what we may truly call the golden chain of evidence in\nproof that God is for us, we have dwelt upon the two precious facts of\nthe gift and the death of His Son. We have traveled from the bosom to\nthe cross, along that mysterious and marvelous path which is marked by\nthe footprints of divine and everlasting love. We have seen the\nblessed One not only giving His only begotten Son from His bosom, but\nactually bruising Him for us--making His spotless soul an offering for\nsin--bringing Him down into the dust of death--making Him to be sin\nfor us--judging Him in our stead--thus affording the most unanswerable\nevidence of the fact that He is for us, that His heart is toward us,\nthat He earnestly desires our salvation, seeing that He hath not\nwithheld His Son, His only Son from us, but delivered Him up for us\nall.\n\nWe shall now proceed to our third proof, which is furnished by\n\nTHE RAISING OF HIS SON.\n\nAnd in speaking of the glorious fact of resurrection, we must confine\nourselves to the one point therein, namely, the proof which it\nfurnishes of God's being friendly to us. A passage or two of Scripture\nwill suffice to unfold and establish this special point.\n\nIn Romans iv., the inspired apostle introduces God to our hearts as\nthe One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He is speaking of\nAbraham who, He tells us, \"against hope believed in hope, that he\nmight become the father of many nations, according to that which was\nspoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he\nconsidered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred\nyears old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not\nat the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith,\ngiving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had\npromised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to\nhim for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that\nit was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed,\nif we believe on Him that\"--what? That gave His Son? Nay. That bruised\nHis Son upon the cross? Nay. What then? \"That raised up Jesus our Lord\nfrom the dead\"--the very same \"who was delivered for our offences, and\nwas raised again for our justification.\"\n\nAnxious reader, weigh this great fact. What was it that brought the\nprecious Saviour to the cross? What brought Him down to the dust of\ndeath? Was it not our offences? Truly so. \"He was delivered for our\noffences.\" He was nailed to the cursed tree for us. He represented us\non the cross. He was our Substitute, in all the full value and deep\nsignificance of that word. He took our place and was treated, in every\nrespect, as we deserve to be treated. The hand of infinite justice\ndealt with our sins--all our sins, at the cross. Jesus made Himself\nresponsible for all our offences, our iniquities, our transgressions,\nour liabilities, all that was or ever could be against us; He--blessed\nbe His peerless and adorable name!--made Himself answerable for all,\nand died in our stead, under the full weight of our sins. He died, the\njust for the unjust.\n\nWhere is He now? The heart bounds with ineffable joy and holy triumph\nat the thought of the answer. Where is the blessed One who hung on\nyonder cross, and lay in yonder tomb? He is at the right hand of God,\ncrowned with glory and honor. Who set Him there? Who put the crown\nupon His blessed brow? God Himself. The One who gave Him, and the One\nwho bruised Him is the One who raised Him, and it is in Him we are to\nbelieve if we are to be counted righteous. This is the special point\nbefore the apostle's mind. Righteousness shall be imputed to us if we\nbelieve on God as the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.\n\nMark the vital link. Seize the all-important connection. The selfsame\nOne who hung upon the cross, charged with all our offences, is now on\nthe throne without them. How did He get there? Was it in virtue of His\neternal Godhead? No: for on that ground He was always there. He was\nGod over all blessed forever. Was it in virtue of His eternal\nSonship? Nay; for He was ever there on that ground also.[1] Therefore,\nit could, in no wise, meet our need as guilty sinners, charged with\ninnumerable offences, to be told that the eternal Son of the Father\nhad taken His seat at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens,\ninasmuch as that place ever belonged to Him--yea, the very deepest and\ntenderest place in the bosom of the Father.\n\n  [1] We rejoice in every opportunity for the setting forth of Christ's\n  eternal Sonship. We hold it to be an integral and essentially\n  necessary part of the Christian faith.\n\nBut, further, we may inquire, was it as the spotless, sinless, perfect\nMan that our adorable Lord took His seat on the throne? Nay; as such,\nHe could, at any moment, between the manger and the cross, have taken\nHis place there.\n\nTo what conclusion, then, are we absolutely shut up, in this matter?\nTo that most precious, that tranquilizing conclusion, that the\nselfsame One who was delivered for our offences, bruised for our\niniquities, judged in our stead, is now in heaven; that the One who\nrepresented us on the cross, is now on the throne; that the One who\nstood charged with all our guilt, is now crowned with glory and honor;\nthat, so perfectly, so absolutely and completely, has He disposed of\nthe entire question of our sins, that infinite justice has raised Him\nfrom the dead, and placed a diadem of glory upon His sacred brow.\n\nReader, dost thou understand this? Dost thou see its bearing upon\nthyself? Dost thou believe in the One who raised up Jesus our Lord\nfrom the dead? Dost thou see that, in so doing, He has declared\nHimself friendly to thee? And dost thou believe that, in raising up\nJesus, He set forth His infinite satisfaction in the great work of\natonement, and furnished thee with a receipt in full for all thy\ndebts--a receipt for the \"ten thousand talents.\"\n\nHere lies the gist, marrow, and substance of this magnificent argument\nof Romans iv. If the Man who was delivered for our offences is now in\nheaven,--in heaven, too, by the hand and act of God Himself; then,\nmost surely, our offences are all gone, and we stand justified from\nall things, as free from every charge of guilt, and every breath of\ncondemnation, as the blessed One Himself. It cannot possibly be\notherwise, if we believe on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the\ndead. It is utterly impossible for a charge to be brought against the\nbeliever in the God of resurrection, for the simplest of all reasons\nthat the One whom He raised was the One whom He bruised for the\nbeliever's sins. Why did He raise Him? Because the sins for which He\nbruised Him were all put away, and put away forever. The Lord Jesus,\n_having undertaken our cause, and made Himself answerable for us in\nevery way_, could not be where He now is, if a single jot or tittle of\nour guilt remained. But, on the other hand, being where He now is, and\nbeing there by God's own act, it is impossible--utterly\nimpossible--for any question to be raised as to the full and complete\njustification and perfect righteousness of the soul that believes in\nHim. Thus, the moment that any one believes in God, in the special\ncharacter of the raiser of Jesus, he is counted perfectly righteous\nbefore Him. This is most marvellous, but divinely and eternally true.\nMay the reader feel its power, sweetness, and tranquilizing virtue!\nYea, may the eternal Spirit give him the blessed sense of it, deep\ndown in his heart! Then, indeed shall he have perfect peace in his\nsoul; then, too, shall he understand how that, in raising, as well as\nin bruising and giving His Son, God has declared and proved Himself to\nbe for us.\n\nWe had intended to bring under the special notice of the reader\nHebrews xiii. 20, but we must allow him to dwell upon that lovely\npassage for himself, while we proceed to exhibit our fourth proof that\nGod is for us, which will be found in\n\nTHE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST.\n\nHere, too, we must confine ourselves to one point in that most\nglorious event, and that is the form in which that august witness, the\neternal Spirit, descended.\n\nLet the reader turn to the second chapter of the Acts. \"And when the\nday of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one\nplace. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing\nmighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And\nthere appeared unto them _cloven tongues_, like as of fire, and it sat\nupon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and\nbegan to speak with _other tongues_, as the Spirit gave them\nutterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men,\n_out of every nation under heaven_. Now, when this was noised abroad,\nthe multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every\nman heard them speak _in his own language_. And they were all amazed\nand marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which\nspeak Galileans? And how hear we _every man in our own tongue wherein\nwe were born_? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in\nMesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,\nPhrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about\nCyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and\nArabians, we do hear them speak _in our tongues_, the wonderful works\nof God.\"\n\nHere then we mark one special fact--a fact of deepest interest--three\ntimes referred to in the foregoing quotation. It is this, the Holy\nGhost came down to speak to every man \"in his own dialect\"--not the\ndialect in which he was _educated_ merely, but \"_in which he was\nborn_\"--the very dialect in which his mother first whispered into his\ninfant ears, the sweet and tender accents of a mother's love. Such was\nthe medium, such the vehicle which the divine Messenger adopted for\nthe blessed purpose of making known to man that God was for us. He did\nnot speak to the Hebrew in Greek, or to the Greek in Latin. He spoke\nto each one in the language which he understood, in the plain\nvernacular--the mother tongue. If there was any peculiarity in that\nmother tongue, any idiom, any provincialism in the dialect of each,\nthe blessed Spirit would make use of it for the purpose of reaching\nthe heart with the sweet story of grace.\n\nContrast with this the giving of the law from Mount Sinai. There\nJehovah confined Himself absolutely to one language. If persons had\nbeen gathered there \"from every nation under heaven,\" they would not\nhave understood a single syllable. The law--the ten words--the record\nof _man's duty_ to God and to his neighbor was sedulously wrapped up\nin one tongue. But when \"_the wonderful works of God_\" were to be\npublished--when the blessed story of love was to be told out--when the\nheart of God towards poor guilty sinners was to be revealed, was one\nlanguage enough? No! \"Every nation under heaven\" must hear, and hear,\ntoo, in their own mother tongue.\n\nReader, is not this a telling fact? It will perhaps be said that those\nwho heard Peter and the rest on the day of Pentecost, were Jews. Well,\nthat in no wise robs our fact of its charm, its sweetness, and its\npower. Our fact is that when the eternal Spirit descended from heaven,\nto tell of the resurrection of Christ, to tell of accomplished\nredemption--to publish the glad tidings of salvation--to preach\nrepentance and remission of sins--He did not confine Himself to one\nlanguage, but spoke in every dialect under heaven!\n\nAnd why? Because He desired to make man understand what He had to say\nto him--He desired to reach his heart with the sweet tidings of\nredeeming love--the soul-stirring message of full remission of sins.\nWhen the law was to be given--when Jehovah had to speak to man about\nhis duty--when He had to address him in such terms as, \"Thou shalt do\nthis, and thou shalt not do that,\" He confined Himself to one solitary\nlanguage. But when He would unfold the precious secret of His\nlove--when He would prove to man that He was for him, He, blessed\nforever be His name, took care to speak in every language under\nheaven, so that every man might hear, in his own dialect wherein he\nwas born, the wonderful works of God.[2]\n\n  [2] The reader will note with interest a fact alluded to elsewhere,\n  that in Genesis xi. divers tongues were given as a judgment upon man's\n  pride. In Acts ii. divers tongues were given in grace to meet man's\n  need. And in Revelation vii. the various tongues are all found united\n  in one song of praise to God and to the Lamb. Such are some of the\n  wonderful works of God. May we praise Him with all our ransomed\n  powers! May our hearts adore Him!\n\nThus, then, in our series of proofs--our golden chain of evidence, we\nhave traveled from the bosom of God to the cross of Christ, and from\nthat precious cross back to the throne--we have marked the giving, the\nbruising, and the raising of the Son; we have seen the very heart of\nGod told out in deep and marvelous love, and tender compassion toward\nguilty perishing sinners. Moreover, we have marked the descent of the\neternal Spirit, from the throne of God--His mission to this world to\nannounce to every creature under heaven the glad tidings of a full,\nfree, and everlasting salvation, through the blood of the Lamb, and to\nannounce these tidings not in an unknown tongue, but in the very\ntongue wherein each was born.\n\nWhat more remains? Is there yet another link to be added to the chain?\nYes; there is\n\nTHE POSSESSION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.\n\nIt may perhaps be said that our fifth proof is involved in our fourth,\ninasmuch as the fact of my possessing a copy of the Bible in my mother\ntongue is, in reality, the Holy Ghost speaking to me in the language\nin which I was born.\n\nTrue; but still, so far as the reader is concerned, the fact that God\nhas put into his hand or within his reach the sacred volume--the\ninestimable boon, the holy Scriptures--is an additional proof that He\nis for him. For why were we not left in ignorance and total darkness?\nWhy was the divine book put into our hands? Why, each one may say, for\nhimself and herself, was I thus favored? Why was I not left to live\nand die in heathen blindness? Why was the heavenly lamp allowed to\ncast its precious beams on me--even me?\n\nAh! beloved reader, the answer is, \"Because God is for thee.\" Yes, for\nthee, notwithstanding all thy many sins--for thee, spite of all thy\nforgetfulness, ingratitude and rebellion--for thee, although as thou\nvery well knowest, thou canst not shew a single reason why He should\nnot be against thee. He gave His Son from His bosom, bruised Him on\nthe cross, raised Him from the dead, sent down the Holy Ghost, put\ninto your very hands His blessed book, all to shew you that He is for\nyou, that His heart is toward you, that He earnestly desires your\nsalvation.\n\nAnd mark, we pray thee, thou canst not say, nor wilt thou ever dare to\nsay, \"I could not understand the Bible; it was beyond me; it was full\nof abstruse mysteries which I could not fathom; of difficulties which\nI could not solve; of discrepancies which I could not reconcile. And\nwhen I turned to those who professed to be Christians, I found them\nsplit up into almost innumerable sects, and divided into almost\nendless schools of doctrine. And, not only so, but I saw such utter\nhollowness, such gross inconsistency, such flagrant contradiction\nbetween profession and practice, that I was forced to abandon the\nwhole subject of religion with a mingled feeling of perplexity,\ncontempt, and disgust.\"\n\nThese objections will not stand in the judgment, nor keep thee out of\nthe lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Remember this. Yes,\nponder it deeply. Let not the devil, let not thine own heart deceive\nthee. What does Abraham say to the rich man, in Luke xvi.? \"They have\nMoses and the prophets, _let them hear them_.\" Why does the rich man\nnot reply, \"They cannot understand them?\" He dare not.\n\nNo, reader; a child can understand the holy Scriptures, which are able\nto make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\nThere is not one beneath the canopy of God's heaven, who possesses a\ncopy of the holy Scriptures, who is not solemnly responsible before\nGod for the use he makes of them. If professing Christians were split\nup into ten thousand times as many sects as they are; if they were ten\nthousand times as inconsistent as they are; if schools and doctors of\ndivinity were ten thousand times more conflicting than they are--still\nthe word to each possessor of the Bible is, \"You have Moses and the\nprophets, and the New Testament, hear them.\"\n\nOh! that we could persuade the unconverted, the unawakened, the\nunbelieving reader to think of these things, to think of them now, to\nponder them, in the very hidden depths of his moral being, to give\nthem his heart's undivided attention, ere it be too late. We\ncontemplate, with ever-deepening horror, the condition of a lost soul\nin hell--of one opening his eyes, in that place of endless torment, to\nthe tremendous fact that God is against him and against him forever;\nthat all hope is gone; that nothing can ever bridge the chasm that\nseparates the region of the lost from the heaven of the redeemed; that\n\"there is a great gulf _fixed_.\"\n\nWe cannot proceed. The thought is really overpowering. The heart is\ncrushed by the appalling contemplation. Dear, dear reader, do let us\nentreat of thee, ere we lay down the pen, to turn, this very hour, to\na dear loving Saviour who stands with open arms and open bosom to\nreceive all who come to Him, and who assures thee that \"him that\ncometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.\" Do come and trust in God's\nfaithful word and Christ's finished work.\n\nHere lies the precious secret of the whole matter. Look away from\nself, look straight to Jesus, confide simply in Him, and in what He\nhas done for thee on the cross, and all thy sins shall be blotted out,\ndivine righteousness shall be thine, eternal life, sonship, an\nindwelling Spirit, an all-prevailing Advocate, a bright home in the\nheavens, a portion in Christ's eternal glory--yes, reader, if thou\nwilt but believe in Jesus all shall be thine--Himself the best of all.\n\nMay the Holy Ghost lead thee, this moment, to the feet of Jesus, and\nenable thee to cry out, in holy triumph, \"If God be for us, who can be\nagainst us?\" God grant it for Jesus Christ's sake!\n\n                                                            C. H. M.\n\n\n\n\n                    \"WHO LOVED ME\"\n\n                  =Galatians ii. 20.=\n\n\n    Three little sunbeams, gilding all I see.\n    Three little chords, each full of melody.\n    Three little leaves, balm for my agony.\n\n                       =\"WHO\"=\n\n    _He_ loved me, the Father's only Son.\n    He gave Himself, the precious, spotless One.\n    He shed His blood, and thus the work was done.\n\n                      =\"LOVED\"=\n\n    He _loved_--not merely pitied. Here I rest.\n    Sorrow may come, I to His heart am pressed.\n    What should I fear while sheltered in His breast?\n\n                        =\"ME\"=\n\n    Wonder of wonders, Jesus loved _me_;\n    A wretch--lost--ruined--sunk in misery.\n    He sought me, found me, raised me, set me free.\n\n    My soul the order of the words approve:\n    _Christ first, me last, nothing between_ but LOVE.\n    Lord keep _me_ always _down, Thyself above_.\n\n    Trusting to Thee, not struggling restlessly,\n    So shall I gain the victory.\n    \"I--yet not _I_, but Christ, who loved me.\"\n\n                                            H. W.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CALL OF GOD\n\nGEN CHAPTER XII\n\n\nIn a day of such widely extended profession as the present, it is\nspecially important that Christians should be deeply impressed with\nthe necessity of realizing _personally the call of God_, without which\nthere can be no permanency or steadiness in the Christian course.\n\nIt is a comparatively easy thing to make a profession at a time when\nprofession prevails; but it is never easy to walk by faith--it is\nnever easy to give up present things, in the hope of \"good things to\ncome.\" Nothing but that mighty principle which the apostle denominates\n\"_the substance_ of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen\"\n(Heb. xi. 1), can ever enable a man to persevere in a course which in\na world where all is wrong--all out of order, must be thorny and\ndifficult. We must feel \"_persuaded_\" of something yet to\ncome--something worth waiting for--something that will reward all the\ntoil of a pilgrim's protracted course, ere we rise up out of the\ncircumstances of nature and the world, to \"run with patience the race\nthat is set before us.\" (Heb. xii. 1.)\n\nAll this is fully exemplified in Abraham, and the exemplification\nreceives additional force from the contrast exhibited in the character\nof Lot and others who are introduced in the course of the narrative.\n\nIn the seventh of Acts, we have the following words which bear\ndirectly upon the subject before us. \"The God of glory appeared unto\nour father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in\nCharran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country and from thy\nkindred, and come into the land that _I shall show thee_.\" (Vers. 1,\n2.) Here then we are presented with the first dawning of that light\nwhich attracted Abraham out of the darkness of \"Ur, of the Chaldees,\"\nand which shining in upon his wearisome path, from time to time, gave\nfresh vigor to his soul, as he journeyed in quest of \"that city which\nhath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.\" \"The God of glory\"\ncaused Abraham to see, in the light of His character, the true\ncondition of things in Ur, and further, to believe, as some one has\nobserved, _a report concerning future glory and inheritance_, and he\ntherefore hesitates not, but instantly girds himself up for the\njourney.\n\nHowever, upon a close comparison of the opening of the seventh of\nActs, with the first verse of this twelfth chapter of Genesis, we get\nan important principle. From the time that God appeared unto Abraham,\nuntil he finally gets up into the land of Canaan, an event occurs\ninvolving much deep instruction to us. I allude to the death of\nAbraham's father, as we read in Acts vii. \"From thence, _when his\nfather_ was dead, He removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell.\"\n(Ver. 4.) This will enable us to understand the force of the\nexpression in Gen. xii., \"The Lord _had_ said unto Abram,\" etc. (Ver.\n1.) From both these passages, it would plainly appear the movement\nmade by Terah and his family, recorded in Gen. x. 31, was the result\nof a revelation made by \"the God of glory\" to Abram, but it would not\nappear that _Terah_ had received any such revelation from God. He is\npresented to us rather as a hindrance to Abram than any thing else,\nfor until he died, Abram did not come into the land of Canaan--his\ndivinely appointed destination.\n\nNow, this circumstance, trivial as it may seem to a cursory reader,\nconfirms in the strongest manner the statement already advanced,\nnamely, that unless the call of God--the revelation from \"the God of\nglory\" be _personally realized_, there can be no permanency or\nsteadiness in the Christian course. Had Terah realized that call, he\nwould neither have been a clog to Abram in his path of faith, nor yet\nwould he have dropped off, like a mere child of nature, ere reaching\nthe future land of promise. We get the same principle illustrated in\nLaban afterward in Gen. xxiv. Laban, as some one has well observed,\nwas fully alive to the value of the gold and silver jewels which the\nservant of Abraham had brought with him, but he had no heart to value\n_the report_ concerning future things, which dropped from his lips. In\nother words, he did not receive a revelation from \"the God of glory,\"\nand as a consequence, he remained, as the same writer has observed,\n\"_a thorough man of the world_.\"\n\nIn the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, we are taught the same truth.\nThere were other persons with him when he was struck to the ground by\nthe lustre of the glory of the Lord Jesus; these persons \"saw indeed\nthe light\"--they witnessed many of the external circumstances which\nhad arrested the furious zealot; but as he himself states, \"_they\nheard not the voice of Him that spake_ TO ME.\" (Acts xxii. 9.) Here is\nthe grand point. The voice must speak \"_to me_\"--\"the God of glory\"\nmust appear \"to me,\" ere I can take the place of a pilgrim and\nstranger in the world, and perseveringly, \"run the race that is set\nbefore me.\" It is not _national faith_, nor _family faith_, but\n_personal faith_ that will constitute us real witnesses for God in the\nworld.\n\nBut when Abram was released from the clog which he had experienced in\nthe person of his father, he was enabled to enter with vigor and\ndecision upon the path of faith--a path which \"flesh and blood\" can\nnever tread--a thorny path beset with difficulties from first to last,\nin which God alone can sustain the soul. \"And Abram passed through the\nland unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. _And the\nCanaanite was then in the land._ And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and\nsaid, Unto thy seed will I give this land: _and there builded he an\naltar unto the Lord who appeared unto him_.\" (Gen. xii. 6, 7.) Here\nAbram at once takes his stand as _a worshiper_, in the face of \"the\nCanaanite.\" The altar marks him as one who, having been delivered from\nthe idols of Ur of the Chaldees, had been taught to bow before the\naltar of the one true God, \"who made heaven and earth.\" In the\nfollowing verse, we get the second grand feature in the character of\nthe man of faith, namely, \"_the tent_,\" denoting strangership in the\nworld. \"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a\n_strange_ _country, dwelling in tabernacles_ with Isaac and Jacob,\n_the heirs_ with him of the same _promise_.\" (Heb. xi. 9.)\n\nWe shall have occasion to notice more fully, as we proceed, these two\nimportant points in the life of Abraham, and shall therefore rest\nsatisfied for the present with establishing the fact that the tent and\nthe altar do most clearly present him to us as a _stranger_ and a\n_worshiper_, and that as such, he was a man entirely separated from\nthe course of this evil world.\n\nScarcely had Abram entered upon his course, when he had to encounter\none of those difficulties which have a special tendency to test the\ngenuineness of faith, both as to its quality and its object. \"And\nthere was a famine in the land.\" The difficulty meets him in the very\nplace into which the Lord had called him. Now, it is no easy matter\nwhen we perceive trial and sorrow, privation and difficulty awaiting\nus, while walking in \"the strait and narrow way,\" still to\npersevere--still to pursue the onward path, and especially if we\nobserve within our reach, as Abram did, an entire exemption from the\nparticular trial under which we may be smarting. The men of this world\n\"are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued as other\nmen.\" This feeling is still further increased by the entire absence of\nevery thing, as far as sight is concerned, which could act as a\nconfirmation of our hope. Abram had not so much as to set his foot\nupon--famine was raging around him on every side, _save in Egypt_.\nCould he only find himself _there_, he would be able to live in ease\nand abundance.\n\nHere, however, the man of faith must pursue the path of simple\nobedience. God had said, \"Get thee out of thy country ... unto a land\nthat I will show thee.\" Abram may, it is true, afterward discover that\nobedience to this command will involve his abiding in a land where\nnothing but starvation, apparently, awaits him. But even though it\nshould be so, God had not in any way qualified the command. No, the\nword was simple and definite: \"Into a land that _I_ will show thee.\"\nThis should have been as true and as binding upon Abram when famine\nreigned around him, as when peace and abundance prevailed. Famine\nshould not, therefore, have induced him to leave the land, neither\nshould abundance have induced him to remain. The influential words\nwere, \"I will show thee.\"\n\nBut Abram leaves this land--he succumbs, for the moment, to the heavy\ntrial, and bends his footsteps down to Egypt, leaving behind him his\ntent and altar. There he obtained ease and luxury; he escaped, no\ndoubt, the formidable trial under which he had suffered in the land of\npromise; but he lost, for the time being, his worship and\nstrangership,--things which should ever be dearest to the heart of a\npilgrim.\n\nThere is nothing in Egypt for Abram to feed upon as a spiritual man;\nit might, and doubtless did, afford abundance for him as a natural\nman, but that was all. Egypt would give nothing to Abram unless he\nsacrificed his character both as a stranger and as a worshiper of God.\nIt is needless to observe that it is exactly so at this very hour.\nThere is plenty in the world upon which our old nature could feed most\nluxuriously. There are the rich delights \"of the flesh and of the\nmind,\" and abundant means of gratifying the desires of the heart, but\nwhat of all these, if the enjoyment thereof leads, as it must\nnecessarily do, right out of the path of faith--the path of simple\nobedience.\n\nHere then is the question for the Christian: which shall I have, the\ngold and silver, the flocks and herds--the present ease and affluence\nof Egypt, or the tent and altar of \"the land of promise\"? Which shall\nI have: the carnal ease and delight of the world, or a peaceful holy\nwalk with God _here_, and eternal blessedness and glory hereafter? We\ncannot have both, for, \"if _any man_ love the world, the love of the\nFather is not in him.\"\n\nBut, we may ask, why was it that Abram had to experience famine and\ntrial in the land of promise? Why did he not find a home and plenty\nthere? Simply because \"the Canaanite and Perizzite dwelt then in the\nland.\" (Chap. xiii. 7.) The land had not as yet been fitted up to be\nthe residence of God's redeemed ones. Abram's faith might have enabled\nhim to penetrate through the long and dreary period which should\nintervene ere the promise could be consummated; but that very\nprinciple of faith it was that made him \"a pilgrim and a stranger.\" He\ncould wait for God's time, and until then remain without \"so much as\nto set his foot on.\" (Acts vii. 5.) So should it be now.\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nThis beautiful chapter shows us the man of faith recovering himself,\nthrough the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God, who never allows\nsuch to wander far, or tarry long away. The gold and silver, the\nflocks and herds of Egypt, could not long prove a satisfying portion\nfor Abram, while deprived of his tent and his altar, and he therefore\nonce more, in the renewed energy of faith rises, as it were, from the\ndust of Egypt, and retraces his steps to the land of promise. Happy\nrecovery! Certain evidence of a fixed and honest purpose to serve the\nLord. \"The ship may be tossed by the waves and the winds, but _the\nmagnet still points to the north_.\"\n\nBut some expressions in the opening of this chapter confirm most fully\na thought already expressed, namely, that Abram gained nothing, \"as\nbefore God,\" by his visit to Egypt. Thus, for example, \"Abram went on\nhis journeys ... unto the place where his tent had been _at the\nbeginning_, unto the place of the altar which he had made there _at\nthe first_.\" (Vers. 3, 4.) The words \"beginning,\" and \"at the first,\"\nprove that Abram had made no progress while in Egypt, but that, while\nthere, all his time was, as it were, lost. No doubt he learnt a\nwholesome lesson, and it is well when by our failures we learn to\ndistrust our own hearts, and dread the pernicious influence of the\nworld. Abram learnt that there could be no tent or altar in Egypt. It\nis only faith that can enable a man to raise an altar or erect a tent,\nbut in Egypt all is sight and not faith, and hence, the moment Abram\nset his foot there he ceased to show forth the genuine fruits of\nfaith--yea, the very principle which led him to leave the land of\npromise, led him, at the same time, to relinquish his character as a\nstranger and a worshiper.\n\nHow forcibly are we here reminded of a proposal made long after this,\nby a king of Egypt, to Abraham's seed. \"And Pharaoh called for Moses\nand Aaron, and said: Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.\" (Ex.\nviii. 25.) Thus, it would seem ever to have been the design of the\nenemy to get the people of God, the holy seed, to defile themselves by\nworshiping or sacrificing to God, _in the world_; i. e., to make their\ncharacter, as worshipers of God, accord with that of men of the\nworld--men holding a place in society where Christ is an outcast;\nthus, of course, declaring that there is no difference between the\nreligion of the world and the religion of God--a truly fearful\ndelusion, calculated to lead many souls out of the way of truth and\nholiness.\n\nIt is most sad to hear, at times, those who surely ought to know\nbetter, in order, as they say, to manifest a _liberal spirit_,\nspeaking of the religion of the world in all its multiplied forms, as\nif it were all right; or, as if it were a matter of total indifference\nwhether we remained in communion with error or not. Oh, let us not be\ndeceived! God's principle of separation is as strong and as binding\nto-day as it was in the days of Abram or Moses. \"Come out from among\nthem, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing,\" must hold\ngood as long as the \"unclean thing\" exists; nor can any outward form\nalter the character--the true essential character of \"the unclean\nthing\" so as to make it \"a clean thing.\"\n\nMoses, then, was not liberal, in the above acceptation of the word,\nfor he at once refused to countenance the religion of the world. \"It\nis not meet so to do.\" Memorable words! Would that there were more\namongst us who, when invited to countenance the religion of the world,\nwould reply, \"It is not meet so to do.\" Abram could not worship in\nEgypt, neither could his seed.\n\nBut Abram had more difficulties than one to encounter in his course.\nThe path which every man of faith is called to tread lies between two\ndangerous extremes. One is the temptation to return to the world; the\nother, to strive with brethren by the way. Abram had just recovered\nhimself from the effects of the former, and we have now to behold him\nbuffeting the latter.\n\nThe moment Abram emerged from Egypt, he appeared in a special manner\nto move under a new responsibility, namely, responsibility to his\nbrother to walk with him in harmony. While in Egypt, this\nresponsibility stood quite in the shade. The institutions--laws--\nhabits--luxury and ease of Egypt, would in an eminent degree tend to\ndo away with every such feeling. All these things would have had the\neffect of erecting barriers around each individual tending to prevent\nhim from recognizing the fact that he was his \"brother's keeper.\" Nor\nis it otherwise now. So long as we continue in the world--the\nreligious world, as it is termed--we shall find ourselves completely\nrelieved from the difficult task of being our \"brother's keeper.\"\nThose who advocate a continuance therein may deny this fact, but it is\nall in vain, for Scripture and experience alike demonstrate it. Abram\nand Lot _did not strive in Egypt_, and a religious establishment\npresents this attraction at least--and it is by no means a feeble\none--it effectually prevents _brotherly collision_; and, of course,\nwhere there is no collision there can be no strife--no dispute; where\ncollision takes place, there must be either grace to enable us to walk\nin unity of mind, or strife and contention. But Egypt saps the very\nsprings of grace by leading us out of a place of simple dependence\nupon the Lord, (for dependence ever genders grace and forbearance) and\nbecause she does so, she, at the same time, teaches us, or attempts at\nleast to teach us, that we do not need grace, by leading us into a\nsphere in which responsibility to brethren is never realized, thus the\nneed is not felt; weakness is mistaken for strength, folly for wisdom.\n\nWhen the Christian at first starts on his course, he fondly dreams of\nnothing but perfection in his fellow Christians; but in this he soon\nfinds himself mistaken, for we have all our infirmities, and as the\napostle states, \"In many things we offend all.\" But why, we may ask,\nwas there such a speedy development of infirmity upon their coming up\nout of Egypt? Because they were now called to walk in the power of a\nnaked principle, without any of the props or barriers of Egypt. They\nwere called to walk by faith, and \"faith worketh by love.\"\n\nNow \"the Canaanite,\" etc., \"was then in the land.\" This should have\nacted as a hindrance to any strife between \"_brethren_,\" for the\nCanaanite cannot understand anything about the infirmities of\nbelievers, and he therefore puts all their failure down to some defect\nin the principle professed.\n\nBut in every strife between brethren, there must be fault somewhere.\nIn the contention between Paul and Barnabas there was fault somewhere.\nNor can we be at any loss to decide where it lay. Barnabas wished to\ntake _his relative_ with him, but this relative had before proved\nhimself unfit, or at least unwilling, to \"endure hardness,\" therefore\nit could not have been with a single eye to the Lord's work that\nBarnabas desired his company. The Lord Himself, too, at once takes\nPaul's side of the question by providing him with a dear son and\nfellow-laborer, in the person of Timothy, with whom he had \"none\nlike-minded.\"\n\nSo it is exactly in the case before us. We can have no hesitation in\nasserting that Lot was the man in error here. Lot does not appear to\nhave fully got rid of the spirit of the world, and where there is this\nspirit predominating in any one he will ever find the path of faith\ntoo strait for him to walk in, and so it was, \"They could not dwell\ntogether.\"\n\nIf, then, it be asked on what grounds one would pronounce Lot to have\nbeen in the wrong? The answer is, first, Lot's subsequent conduct;\nand, second, the Lord's dealings with Abram, \"after that Lot was\nseparated from him.\"\n\nWhat then did Lot do? \"_He lifted up his eyes._\" This is ever our mode\nof acting when not under the direct power of faith. Whenever we lift\nup our eyes without divine direction, we are sure to go wrong. I say,\nwithout divine direction, for we find the Lord afterwards directing\nAbram to lift up his eyes, but then that was totally different from\nLot's act, which was simply the suggestion of mere human wisdom and\nforesight. Human wisdom and foresight, however, can never assist our\nprogress as men of faith--no, quite the reverse; human wisdom will\never suggest things which, if acted upon, will lead us right athwart\nthe path of a man of faith. Therefore Lot, in lifting up his eyes,\ncould not penetrate beyond the \"things that are seen and temporal.\"\nSuch was the utmost bound of his range of vision. The things on which\nhis eyes rested were those with which he had been conversant while in\nEgypt, as we read, \"He beheld all the plain of Jordan that it was well\nwatered every where ... _like the land of Egypt_.\" (10.) Here we\nobserve that Lot had never been really detached in heart and affection\nfrom Egypt--he had never learnt the vanity and unsatisfactoriness of\nall her resources in the light of a better order of things--he had\nnever contrasted her with that \"_city which hath foundations_, whose\nbuilder and maker is God\"--in a word, he \"having put his hand to the\nplow,\" was now beginning \"to look back,\" and thus to prove himself\n\"unfit for the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\nThere is a striking notice of all this afforded in the opening verse\nof this chapter, \"Abram went up out of Egypt and _Lot with him_.\" Here\nwe get the secret of Lot's after instability. He appears to have gone\nup rather _with Abram_ than _with God_, and the consequence was that,\nwhen he parted with Abram, he had nothing to lean upon. He had been\nhitherto moving under Abram's protection and guidance instead of being\ndirectly before the Lord, and therefore when he lost Abram he went\nastray.\n\nNow then is the moment for Abram to \"lift up his eyes,\" at the Lord's\ncommand, and oh, what a different range of vision was his! While Lot\ncould not penetrate beyond the narrow limits of the present scene,\nAbram was enabled to survey the length and breadth of God's\ninheritance. He soars on the strong and rapid pinion of faith, and is,\nas it were, lost in the unbounded beneficence of God; while Lot, the\nman walking by sight, is well-nigh lost in the deep gulf of Sodom's\ncorruption.\n\nLet us then, ere we enter upon the next chapter, take a view of the\ndifferent circumstances of these two men who had started together.\n\"Lot lifted up his eyes,\" and the prospect on which they rested was,\nas might be expected, such as suited his natural desires,\n\"well-watered plains,\" which, however fair in man's view, were\nnevertheless, in the sight of the Lord, filled with exceeding\nwickedness. (Comp. vers. 10 and 14.) Abram, on the contrary, had\nallowed his eye to wander over the length and breadth of the\n_promised_ inheritance--uninfluenced by all else, he viewed the\nportion which God was _reserving_ for him and his seed, and took up\nhis position accordingly.\n\nThus do we find Lot in the unhallowed region of Sodom; and Abram--the\npilgrim and stranger, with his tent and altar--\"in the plain of Mamre,\nwhich is in Hebron.\"\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nHere we have a very minute account of a battle fought by \"four kings\nwith five,\" and we may ask, What connection had this strife between\n\"the potsherds of the earth,\" with the history of the people of God?\nWith Abram indeed none, in one sense, for _he_ was outside it all.\n_His tent_ marked him as a stranger to all these things--it marked him\nas one to whom the battle of \"four kings with five\" would be a matter\nof very trivial moment. And then his altar marked him as one whose\npursuits were quite of another character, even a heavenly. His tent\nshowed him to be a stranger on earth--his altar showed him to be at\nhome in heaven. Happy man! Happy pilgrim! who could thus from his high\nelevation, even the lofty watch-tower of faith, look down, as a\npasser-by, upon the battle fields of an evil world. It mattered not to\nAbram whether the laurel of victory were about to wreath the brow of\nthe king of Sodom, or of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; his portion was\nnot in danger through their strife, because he had it in that place\n\"where thieves _do not_ break through and steal.\"\n\nBut, though it was the happy lot of Abram to have his being and his\nportion in a place where wars could have no influence, yet such was\nnot the case with his more worldly-minded brother. His position was\nsuch as to place him in the midst of the strife, and consequently the\nissue of this battle could not fail to be of the deepest moment to\nhim. If the child of God will stoop so low as to mix himself up with\nthe world, he must calculate upon being made a participator in its\nconvulsions, and woe be to that man who shall have his portion in the\nworld in that day (now fast approaching) when all things shall be\nshaken by the mighty hand of God in judgment.\n\nI would here observe that what has ever made the history of nations\nand the movements of mighty kings and conquerors, matters of interest\nto the Holy Spirit, has been the connection of such things with the\nhistory of the people of God. Beyond this they possessed nothing of\nmoment to Him. He could find no pleasure in dwelling upon the abstract\nhistory of man. The busy strife and tumult of nations--the fierce\ncontests of ungodly tyrants grasping after power--the movements of\narmies, could not attract the notice of the Spirit of peace;\nnevertheless, when such things became, in the least degree, connected\nwith the history of a \"righteous soul,\" the Holy Ghost can be most\nminute in detailing the circumstances of a battle, as is observable in\nthe case under consideration.\n\nWhat then were the results of this contest to Lot? Ruin to him and his\nfamily. He was made prisoner and all his goods were taken. (Ver. 12.)\nHe had laid up treasure for himself upon earth, and the thieves had\nbroken through; and thus, while Abram was above it all, in the\npower--the separating power of communion with God, _he_ found himself\na prisoner and a beggar. He had sown to the flesh, and of the flesh he\nmust now \"reap corruption.\"\n\nBut this was just the moment for Abram to show himself in the powerful\nactivities of love. He had, as above observed, hitherto surveyed with\ncalm indifference these movements of \"kings and their armies,\" but the\nvery same faith which had made him indifferent about the strifes of\nmen, made him quick to take cognizance of a _brother_ in distress.\nFaith not only purifies the heart from worldly and carnal desires, but\nit also \"works by love,\" as is powerfully shown in Abram's case, for\n\"when Abram saw that _his brother_ was taken captive he armed his\ntrained servants,\" etc. (Ver. 14.)\n\nNow, it is to be observed that it is in the hour of distress and\ndifficulty that the relationship _of brother_ gets the prominent\nplace. In days of unruffled peace, Lot might be known to Abram as \"his\nbrother's son,\" but now he was in sorrow, and therefore the claims of\nbrotherhood act, and act powerfully and effectually.\n\nWe are now called to witness a deeply interesting scene. Abram himself\nis about to meet a temptation--a temptation at once repulsed indeed by\nthe power of God in him, but nevertheless, a temptation. The king of\nSodom was about to come forth to display his treasures before the eye\nof Abram, and he had by nature a heart to value those treasures.\n\nThat man knows not his own heart who could say that the world does not\npresent many--very many attractions to the natural heart. There is a\nspecies of misanthropy which looks like elevation above the world, but\nwhich, after all, is not it. The Cynic philosopher Diogenes, when he\ntold Alexander to get out of his sunshine, was as proud and as worldly\na man as Alexander himself. The only true and real way in which to be\nseparated from, and elevated above, the world, is by the knowledge of\nheavenly things, and Abram was led, through the mercy of God, into\nthat knowledge.\n\nBut the victory obtained by Abram, was not owing to any power in\nhimself. He had, as I have observed, a heart to value the things which\nthe enemy had to give him; and, therefore, if he triumphed, it was\nthrough the operation of a power outside himself. In all this\ntransaction, the One who had watched over His dear servant during the\ndark season of his sojourn in Egypt, and who, moreover, had, by that\nvery sojourn, taught him a lesson as to the true character of the\nworld, was now closely observing his ways, and making preparations for\nhis relief; He was cognizant of the movements and designs of the\nenemy, from first to last, and He therefore prepares to supply a\nheavenly antidote to nullify his poison.\n\nIt is particularly worthy of observation that between the time at\nwhich the king of Sodom went forth to meet Abram, and that wherein he\nmade the proposal to him with reference to \"the persons and the\ngoods,\" there is a remarkable character introduced, namely,\nMelchizedek. This stranger, commissioned by God, was on his way to\nfortify Abram's heart at the very moment when the enemy was on his way\nto attack (Comp. ver. 17, 18, and 21). Now, why did not, \"the priest\nof the Most High God\" come to meet Abram before? Because this was the\nvery moment in which Abram most needed the strength which he had to\nbring. The enemy was about to display his gilded bait before the eye\nof the man of God, and therefore is Melchizedek at hand to display in\nhis view the divine realities of the kingdom. He was about to feed and\nstrengthen his soul with the \"bread,\" and cheer him with the \"wine,\"\nof the kingdom, in order that, \"in the strength of that meat\" he might\nmount above the influence of all the allurements of the world. From\nall this we may learn that it is communion with the joys and glories\nof the kingdom that can alone cause the heart to reject the pollutions\nof the world.\n\nReader, upon what are _you_ now feeding? What constitutes your\nhabitual food? Is it \"the bread and wine\" which the Lord provides, or\n\"the goods\" of Sodom? Are your ears open to the pernicious suggestions\nof the _King of Sodom_, or to the heavenly communications of the _King\nof Salem_? The Lord grant that our hearts may ever choose that in\nwhich He delights.\n\nBut to proceed, Melchizedek leads Abram's soul into present communion\nwith \"THE MOST HIGH GOD, THE POSSESSOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,\" and thus\ncompletes the wondrous contrast between \"the King of Sodom\" and \"the\nMost High God, possessor of heaven and earth,\"--\"the goods of Sodom\"\nand the extensive possessions of heaven and earth. Blessed contrast,\nwhich faith ever draws! It is needless to say that Abram at once\nrejects the offer of the King of Sodom. The bread and wine, and the\nbenediction of \"the priest of the Most High God,\" had raised Abram to\nsuch a height that he could, in one comprehensive glance, take in the\nvast possessions of heaven and earth, and further, look down from\nthence upon the despicable proposal of the King of Sodom and reject\nit. Melchizedek had just said, \"the Most High God, the possessor of\nheaven and earth,\" and Abram had laid hold on these words and made use\nof them in his reply to the adversary. \"I have lifted up my hand,\"\nsaid he, \"to the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and\nearth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and\nthat I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,\nI have made Abram rich\" (vers. 22, 23).\n\nAbram appears to breathe the very atmosphere of the presence of Him,\n\"who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out\nheaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a\nmeasure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a\nbalance, in whose sight the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are\ncounted as the small dust of the balance. Behold! he taketh up the\nisles as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,\nnor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering. All nations\nbefore Him are as nothing, and they are counted to Him as less than\nnothing and vanity.\" (Isa. xl. 12, 15-18.)\n\nAnd surely, we may say, it was only thus that Abram could triumph; and\nlet no one who moves not, in some measure, in the same sphere, affect\nto despise the world--nothing can be more truly vain. There must be\nthe experimental acquaintance with _the_ better thing--the fondly\ncherished hope of \"_good things to come_\"--ere we can obtain full\nvictory over present things, and our own worldly desires. \"Ye took\njoyfully the spoiling of your goods, _knowing in yourselves_ that ye\nhave in _heaven a better and an enduring substance_\" (Heb. x. 34). If\nwe are really waiting for the manifestation of the glory, we shall be\nfound standing apart from everything which will be judged in that day:\nand it is written, \"Yet once more, I shake not the earth only but also\nheaven; and this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those\nthings that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things\nwhich cannot be shaken may remain\" (Heb. xii. 26, 27).\n\nWe have, in the last verse of our truly interesting chapter, a happy\nfeature in the character of the true man of faith. Abram would not\nforce others to walk according to his elevated standard. Although _he_\nmight be able to reject, in the most unreserved manner, the offers of\nthe king of Sodom, yet _others_ might not be able to do so, and\ntherefore he says, with regard to \"Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, _let them_\ntake _their portion_.\" Our walk should ever be \"according as God hath\ndealt to every man the measure of faith\" (Rom. xii. 3). We have seen,\nin our own day, many persons led, at the outset, to give up a variety\nof worldly things, and afterwards plunge still deeper into those\nthings; and why? Because they acted through mere excitement or human\ninfluence, and were not able to say with Abram, \"_I have lift up my\nhand unto the Lord_.\"\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nIn the opening verse of this chapter, we have a principle fraught with\ncomfort and encouragement to us--a principle eminently calculated to\ncall out into full exercise a spirit of true devotedness to the Lord.\nWe observe here, the Lord's grace in acknowledging and accepting the\nsacrifice laid upon His altar--the willing offering of the devoted\nheart of His servant. Our God is never slow in owning such things, nor\nin rewarding them a hundredfold. Abram had just been manifesting a\nspirit of self-denial in refusing the attractive offers of the King\nof Sodom. He had refused to be enriched from such a source, and had\ntaken \"the Most High God\" for his portion and his reward, therefore\nthe Lord comes forth to confirm the soul of his servant with these\nwords, \"Fear not, Abram, I AM thy shield, and thy exceeding great\nreward.\" \"God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labor of love\"\n(Heb. vi. 10). A similar principle is presented to us in chapter xiii.\nwhere Abram is seen giving way to Lot, in the matter of choosing the\nland. Abram's whole anxiety in that matter was about the Lord's honor,\nas maintained in the harmonious walk of \"_brethren_\" before the\n\"Canaanite and the Perizzite.\" \"Let there be no strife,\" says he,\n\"between me and thee ... _for we be brethren_.\" Nor did Abram desire\nto suppress the strife, by _exacting concessions_ from Lot. No; he was\nwilling to concede everything himself--to surrender every claim--to\nsacrifice every advantage, provided the strife were suppressed. \"Is\nnot the _whole land_ before thee?\" _Take_ what you please--possess\nyourself of the fairest spot in all the region round about. Here, as\nsome one has observed, is the liberality--the unselfishness of faith.\nWhat was land to Abram in comparison with the Lord's glory? Nothing.\nHe could give up anything, or everything, for that. How then does the\nLord meet this self-sacrifice on the part of His servant? Just as He\ndoes in this xv. chapter, by coming in, in the plenitude of His\ngoodness, to make it up to him a hundredfold. \"Lift up _now_ thine\neyes ... for _all the land which thou seest_ to thee will I give it,\nand to thy seed after thee\" (xiii. 14, 15). How truly gracious it is\nof the Lord to enable His servant to make a sacrifice for Him, and\nthen reward that sacrifice by a vast increase of blessing. Such are\nHis ways--His ever adorable ways.\n\nWe are now called to trace in Abram the development of a feature\nwhich, in a special manner, demonstrates the high order of his\ncommunion with God. After all God's revelations and promises to him,\nhis soul still breathes after an object without which all besides was\ndefective. True, he had surveyed, with the eye of faith, the promised\ninheritance--the magnificent gift of divine benevolence; yet,\nnotwithstanding all this, was there a great desideratum--a mighty\nblank. He sighed for a SON. A son _alone_ could render complete, in\nAbram's estimation, all his previous privileges. \"And Abram said, Lord\nGod, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and _the steward\nof my house is this Eliezer of Damascus_. And Abram said, Behold to me\nthou hast given no seed: and lo, _one born in my house_ is mine heir\"\n(vers. 2, 3). Now, we have, in tracing the path of this remarkable\nman, beheld him, at times, displaying some very noble features of\ncharacter. His generosity--his high elevation of mind--his\npilgrim-like habits--all these things denote a man of the very highest\norder; yet I hesitate not to say, that we find him, in the passage\njust quoted, exhibiting a temper of soul, more in harmony with the\nmind of heaven than anything we have met hitherto. Abram desired to\nhave his house enlivened by the cry of a child. He had been long\nenough conversant with the spirit of bondage breathed by \"the steward\nof his house,\" but the titles of _lord_ and _master_, though all very\ngood in their place, could not satisfy the heart of Abram, for Abram\nhad been taught of God, and God ever instructs His children in those\nthings which He loves, and which He exhibits in His dealings with\nthem. And I would just observe, in connection with this, that we see\nin the case of the prodigal in Luke xv., the development of a\nprinciple very much in connection with what we have been saying. He\nsays, in the very midst of all his misery \"I will arise and go unto my\nFather, and will say unto him, _Father_.\" Here we have a fine feature\nin the character of this poor wanderer. He had such a sense of the\ngrace of him against whom he had sinned, that he could yet say\n\"_Father_\" notwithstanding his long course of rebellion and folly.\n\nBut let us observe with what accuracy Abram lays hold of the great\nprinciple afterwards brought out by the Spirit in Romans viii. \"_If\nchildren, then heirs._\" Abram felt that sonship and heirship were\ninseparably connected, so much so, that without the former the latter\ncould not be. This is the meaning of his question, \"Lord God, what\nwilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house\nis this Eliezer of Damascus?\" Abram rightly judged that to have \"_no\nseed_\" was to have _no inheritance_, for the word is, not if _stewards\nor servants_, then heirs, but \"if _children_, then heirs\" (Rom. viii.\n17).\n\nHow very important it is that we should ever bear in mind, that all\nour present privileges and future prospects stand connected with our\ncharacter as \"_sons_.\" It may be all well and very valuable, in its\nright place, to realize our responsibility to act as \"faithful and\nwise stewards,\" in the absence of our Master; still the most ample\nprivileges--the highest enjoyments--the brightest glories, which\nbelong to us through the grace and mercy of our God, stand intimately\nconnected with our character and place as \"_sons_.\" (Comp. John i. 12;\nRom. viii. 14, 19; 1 John iii. 1, 2; Eph. i. 5; v. 1; Heb. xii. 5.)\n\nIn the vision presented to us in the close of our chapter, and which\nwas granted to Abram as an answer to his question, \"Lord God, whereby\nshall I know that I shall inherit it?\" we have a further illustration\nof the teaching of Romans viii. Abram is taught by the vision, that\nthe _inheritance_ was only to be reached through _suffering_--that\n_the heirs_ must pass through _the furnace_, previous to their\nentering upon the enjoyment of that which God was reserving for them;\nand I doubt not that, were we more deeply and experimentally taught in\nthe divine life, we should more fully apprehend the moral fitness of\nsuch training. Suffering then, is not connected, in this chapter, with\n_sonship_, but with _heirship_; and so we are taught in Romans viii.\n\"If children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ,\nif so be that _we suffer_ with Him, that we may be also _glorified_\ntogether.\" Again, we must, \"through much _tribulation_, enter into the\nkingdom of God\" (Acts xiv. 22). The Lord Jesus Himself, likewise,\nstands as the great illustration of the principle upon which we are\ndwelling. He occupied the place and enjoyed the favor of a Son from\nbefore all worlds, (Prov. viii.) yet ere He could lay His hand upon\nthe inheritance He must pass through suffering. He had a baptism to be\nbaptized with, and was straitened (\u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c7\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2) until it was\naccomplished. So also when He remembered that \"a corn of wheat must\nfall into the ground and die,\" or else abide _alone_, His soul was\n\"_troubled_.\" Now, we are to \"know Him in the fellowship of His\nsufferings,\" before we can know Him in the fellowship of His glory;\nhence it is that the palmed multitude mentioned in Revelation vii. had\nto pass through \"great tribulation\" (\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u03bc\u03b5\u03b3\u03b1\u03bb\u03b7\u03c2 \u03b8\u03bb\u03b9\u03c8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2) ere\nthey reached their peaceful, heavenly home. Passages of Scripture might\nbe multiplied in proof of this point, but I will merely refer to the\nfollowing, viz.--Phil. i. 29; 1 Thess. iii. 4; 2 Thess. i. 5; 1 Tim.\niv. 10; 2 Tim. ii. 12; 1 Peter v. 10.\n\nBut, in this remarkable vision, there are two points which, as they\nappear prominently in the whole of Israel's after history, deserve to\nbe particularly noticed. I allude to \"the smoking furnace, and the\nburning lamp.\" (ver. 17.) It has been well observed, by a recent\nwriter, that Israel's history might be summed up in these two words,\n\"the furnace and the lamp.\" Egypt was a trying furnace to the seed of\nAbraham. There the fire burned fiercely, but it was soon followed by\n\"the burning lamp\" of God's own deliverance. The cry of the suffering\nseed had come up into the ears of Jehovah. He had heard their\ngroanings and seen their afflictions, and had come down to display\nabove their heads \"the lamp\" of salvation. \"I am come down to deliver\nthem,\" said He to Moses. Satan might take delight in kindling the\nfurnace, and in adding to its intensity, but the blessed God, on the\nother hand, ever delighted in letting the rays of His lamp fall upon\nthe dark path of His suffering heirs. So, when Jehovah had, in the\nfaithfulness of His love, brought them into the land of Canaan, they\nagain and again, kindled a furnace by their sins and iniquities; He,\nas frequently, raised up deliverers in the persons of the judges which\nwere as so many lamps of deliverance to them. Further, when by their\naggravated rebellion, they were plunged into the furnace kindled at\nBabylon, even there we observe the glimmerings of \"the burning lamp,\"\nand finally it shone out for their full deliverance, in the decree of\nCyrus.\n\nNow, the Lord was constantly reminding the children of Israel of the\nabove truth. He says to them, \"But the Lord hath taken you, and\nbrought you forth out of the _iron furnace_.\" (Deut. iv. 20; 1 Kings\nviii. 51.) Again, \"Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of\nthis covenant, which I commanded your fathers, in the day that I\nbrought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from _the iron furnace_.\"\n(Jer. xi. 3, 4.)\n\nFinally, we may ask, are the seed of Abraham now suffering in the\nfurnace, or are they enjoying the lamp of God?--for they must be\nexperiencing either the one or the other--the furnace, assuredly. They\nare scattered over the face of the earth as a proverb and a byword, a\nreproach and a hissing among all the nations of the earth. Thus are\nthey in the iron furnace. But, as it has ever been, \"the burning lamp\"\nwill assuredly follow \"the smoking furnace,\" for \"all Israel shall be\nsaved; as it is written, there shall come out of Sion _the Deliverer_,\nand shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.\" (Isa. lix. 20; Rom. xi.\n26.)\n\nThus we see how that Israel's eventful history has all along stood\nconnected with the smoking furnace and the burning lamp, here seen in\nvision by Abram. They are either presented to us in the furnace of\naffliction, through their own sin, or enjoying the fruits of God's\nsalvation; and even at this moment, when, as has been already\nobserved, they are manifestly in the furnace, we can witness the\nfulfillment of God's promise, so often repeated, \"And unto his son\nwill I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a _lamp_\n(margin) always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen\nMe to put My name there.\" (1 Kings xi. 36; xv. 14; 2 Kings viii. 19;\nPsalm cxxxii. 17.) If it be asked where does this lamp shine now? Not\non earth, for Jerusalem, the place of its earthly display, is \"trodden\ndown of the Gentiles,\" but the eye of faith can behold it shining with\nundimmed lustre \"in the true tabernacle,\" where it will continue to\nshine \"until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;\" and then, when\nthe furnace, seen in this chapter by Israel's great progenitor, shall\nhave been heated to the very highest degree of intensity, when the\nblood of Israel's tribes shall flow like water round the walls of\nJerusalem, even then, shall the blessed lamp come forth from the place\nwhere it now shines, and cast its cheering rays upon the dark path of\nthe oppressed and sorrowing remnant, bringing to mind those\noft-illustrated words, \"O ISRAEL, THOU HAST DESTROYED THYSELF; BUT IN\nME IS THY HELP.\"[3]\n\n  [3] I would refer the reader to the following scriptures in\n  confirmation of what has been above advanced on the subject of \"the\n  lamp.\"--Ex. xxvii. 20; 2 Sam. xxii. 29; Ps. cxix. 105; Prov. vi. 23;\n  xiii. 9; Isa. lxii. 1.\n\n\nCHAPTERS XVI., XVII.\n\nThese two chapters give us an account of Abram's effort to obtain the\npromised seed by hearkening to the voice of his wife, and also of\nGod's mode of teaching him the unprofitableness of such an appeal to\nthe mere energy of nature as that which his effort involved.\n\nAt the very opening of Abram's course we find his faith put to the\ntest in the matter of the famine, but here we find him tried in quite\nanother way, a way moreover, which involved a far higher exercise of\nfaith and spiritual power. \"His own body now dead and the deadness of\nSarah's womb;\" although, in the main, \"he considered them not,\" must\nhave acted upon his mind to a considerable extent.\n\nNow, as in the case of the famine already alluded to, Egypt was at\nhand, holding out a refuge from anxiety as to present supply, so here,\n\"_an Egyptian maid_,\"--one of those maid-servants, doubtless, which\nAbram had gotten during his sojourn in that evil place--was presented\nto him as a relief in the time of anxiety touching the promised seed.\n\"_Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai._\"\n\nBut why introduce the element of bondage into his house? Why did not\nAbram's mind shrink from the thought of \"the bondwoman and her son\" as\nmuch as it had shrunk from the thought of \"the steward of his house?\"\nMight not the question, \"Lord, what wilt thou give me,\" be asked in\nconnection with one as well as the other? Surely it was as much\nopposed to the divine economy to grant the inheritance to the seed of\n\"_a bondwoman_,\" as to a \"_servant_.\" In either case it would be an\nallowance of the claims of nature, which cannot be.\n\nThe principles involved in this act of Abram's are fully laid open to\nus in the inspired commentary given in the Epistle to the Galatians.\nThere we read, \"Abram had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other\nby a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the\nflesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an\nallegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the Mount\nSinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is\nMount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is\nin bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free,\nwhich is the mother of us all.\" (chap. iv. 22-26.)\n\nThe churches of Galatia had been led away from the simplicity and\nliberty of Christ and had returned to \"_the flesh_.\" They were\nbeginning to substitute religious ceremonies for the energies of the\nSpirit of Christ. Hence it is that the Apostle, in the course of his\nreasoning with them on their unhappy movement, refers to the matter\nrecorded in our chapters, and the way in which he expounds it to them\nrenders it unnecessary to dwell longer upon it. This step of Abram's\nonly \"gendered to bondage;\" it introduced an unhealthy and an unhappy\nelement into his house which, as we shall see when we proceed further\nwith our subject, he had to expel ere he could reach the highest point\nof elevation in his course.\n\nIn chapter xvii. we have God's remedy presented to us, and most\nconsolatory it is to observe how the Blessed One at once comes in in\norder to lead back His servant to the _simple_ yet _difficult_\nposition of faith in Himself--simple, because therein we have but _one\nobject_ with which to be occupied--difficult, because therein we have\nto contend against the workings of \"an evil heart of unbelief,\"\nleading us to \"depart from the living God.\"\n\n\"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to\nAbram and said unto him, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD; _walk before_ ME, _and\nbe thou perfect_.\" Here was at once the effectual cure for all\nimpatient anxiety. \"_I am Almighty_\"--I can quicken the dead--I can\ncall those things that be not as though they were--I can, if needs be,\nraise up of stones, children unto you--no flesh shall glory in My\npresence. \"I am Almighty, walk before Me and be thou perfect.\"\n\nIt is perhaps one of the finest principles with which the mind can be\noccupied, that our God desires that He may ever be learnt, in the\nvariety of His perfections, by the need of His people. We have already\nmet a striking illustration of this important principle, in the matter\nof Abram's conflict with the king of Sodom, in chapter xiv. There,\nwhen Abram was tempted by the offers of the enemy, he found relief in\nthe apprehension of God's character as \"the Most High God, the\npossessor of heaven and earth.\" The character of the communion into\nwhich Melchizedek led the soul of Abram was suited to the\ncircumstances in which he stood. So is it exactly in this 17th\nchapter. Communion with God as \"the Almighty\" was the sole remedy for\nimpatient anxiety as to the fulfillment of any promise.\n\nNow, when once the Lord exhibits Himself in His character of\n\"Almighty,\" there can be no obstacle whatsoever to the outflow of His\ngrace; for, when almighty power and almighty grace combine in behalf\nof the sinner, faith may count upon a rich and an abundant harvest.\n\nThe promises, therefore, with which this chapter abounds are just such\nas we might have expected. \"I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I\nwill make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I\nwill establish my covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee\nin their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto\nthee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy\nseed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of\nCanaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.\"\n(xvii. 6-8.) Surely these are promises which _almighty grace_ alone\ncould utter, _almighty power_ alone fulfill.\n\nThe above promises stand connected with \"the covenant of circumcision\"\nwhich is specially important as looked at in connection with Abram's\neffort to obtain the seed otherwise than by the operations of God's\nown hand. It would be profitable to dwell for a little upon the\ndoctrine of this covenant of circumcision but my design in taking up\nthis history, is not by any means to handle it in a doctrinal way, but\nrather to draw from it some of those valuable principles of a\ndecidedly practical tendency with which it so richly abounds; and\ntherefore I pass rapidly over chapters xvi., xvii. which contain a\nmine of precious doctrinal truth quite sufficient to occupy a separate\ntreatise.[4]\n\n  [4] I would observe here that the doctrine of the Epistle to the\n  Galatians stands intimately connected with chap. xvi., xvii., and I\n  might add, the important doctrine of Israel's future restoration. We\n  also get the doctrine of justification by faith fully illustrated in\n  chap. xv.\n\nEre closing my observations on this section of our narrative, I would\nadd that it is _faith_ alone which can enable one to listen, as\nAbraham here does, to the promises of Almighty God, and when faith\nlistens, God will surely continue to speak. Abram here gets his name\nchanged to Abraham, and the Lord unfolds to him the future greatness\nand number of his seed, while Abraham hearkens in the unquestioning\nsilence of faith. But when the \"Almighty God\" goes on to say with\nreference to Sarai, \"As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her\nname Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and\ngive thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a\nmother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.\" (vers. 15, 16.)\nHe is at once overwhelmed by the pledges of such marvelous power and\ngrace to be exercised towards him. They exceeded anything he had as\nyet known, and \"Abraham fell on his face.\" This is very instructive.\nAbraham with his face in the dust, overcome by the plenitude of\nalmighty power and grace! Surely, we may say, while dwelling upon such\na scripture as this, it is only _faith_ that can rightly entertain the\n\"_Almighty God_,\" it _alone_ can give Him His due and proper place and\nhonor Him as He should be honored. When the Almighty displays Himself,\n_self_ must be excluded, hence we find that _Abram_ is set aside in\nall this--_Sarai_ is lost sight of--\"_the bondwoman and her son_\" are,\nfor the moment, put far out of view, and nothing is seen but \"the\nAlmighty God\" in the sovereignty and fulness of His grace and power,\nand the faith that could lie prostrate in the dust, in silent\nadoration of such a display of the divine glories.\n\nHow different is this from the preceding chapter! There we find Abram\nhearkening to the suggestion of Sarai his wife, with regard to the\nbondwoman--here we find him hearkening to the voice of Jehovah, as\nAlmighty, who is about to quicken the dead womb of Sarah, and to call\nthose things that be not as though they were, that no flesh might\nglory in His presence. There it is Abram and Sarai _without God_--here\nit is God _without Abram and Sarai_. In a word, there it is\n_flesh_--here it is spirit--there it is _sight_--here it is _faith_.\nWondrous contrast! Exactly similar to that afterwards displayed by the\nApostle to the churches of Galatia, when he sought to restore them\nfrom the sad influence of \"the beggarly elements\" of the flesh and the\nworld, to the full liberty wherewith Christ had made them free.\n\n\nCHAPTERS XVIII., XIX.\n\nI class these two chapters together because, like those we have just\nbeen considering, they furnish us with a contrast--a contrast most\nmarked and striking between the position occupied by Abraham in\nchapter xviii., and that occupied by Lot in chapter xix.\n\nThe Lord Jesus when asked by Judas, not Iscariot, \"how is it that thou\nwilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world?\" replied, \"If a\nman love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and\nWe will come unto him and make our abode with him.\" (John xiv. 23.)\nAgain, \"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My\nvoice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with\nhim, and he with Me.\" (Rev. iii. 20.) Now, Abraham furnishes us with\nan exceedingly happy exemplification of the truth stated in the above\npassages. \"The Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and He\nsat in _the tent door_ in the heat of the day.\" (chap. xviii. 1.) Here\nwe find Abraham again in the full exhibition of his stranger\ncharacter. _Mamre_ and _the tent_ are associated in our minds with the\nday of his triumph over the king of Sodom. Abraham is still a stranger\nand a pilgrim \"dwelling in tabernacles.\" The revelation made unto him\nby the Almighty God had not altered the tone of his character in this\nrespect, but had rather imparted fresh vigor and energy thereto. A\nsimple dependence upon the promise of the Almighty God was the most\neffectual means of maintaining him in his stranger condition.\n\nNow, it is, in the very highest degree, instructive to see the honor\nhere put upon the character and condition of the stranger. Throughout\nthe wide range of the world there was just _one spot_ in which the\nLord could accept the rites of hospitality and make Himself at home,\nand that was in _the tent of_ \"_a pilgrim and stranger_.\" The Lord\nwould not honor the sumptuous halls and princely palaces of Egypt\nwith His presence. No. All His sympathies and all His affections hung\naround the stranger of Mamre, who was the only one who, in the midst\nof an evil world, could be induced to take God for his portion.\n\nWhat a season of enjoyment it must have been to Abraham while those\nheavenly strangers sat with him and partook of the offerings of his\ngenerous heart. Mark how he calls forth into action all the energies\nof his house to do honor to his guests. He hastens from the tent to\nthe field, and from the field to the tent again, and seems to lose\nsight of himself in his effort to make others happy.\n\nNor is it merely by partaking of Abraham's hospitality that the Lord\ngives expression to the high estimation in which He holds him; He\nrenews His promise to him with regard to the son--He opens up His\ncounsels to him with reference to Sodom. \"Shall I,\" says He, \"hide\nfrom Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely\nbecome a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth\nshall be blessed in him? _For I know him_, that he will command his\nchildren and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of\nthe Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon\nAbraham that which He hath spoken of him.\" (vers. 17-19.)\n\nHere Abraham is seen as \"_the friend of God_.\" \"The servant knoweth\nnot what his lord doeth,\" but Abraham was made acquainted with what\nthe Lord was about to do to Sodom, while Lot--the one who was so\ndeeply interested in the solemn event--was left in profound ignorance\nabout it.\n\nHow then does Abraham make use of his favored position? Does he use it\nto strengthen more fully, and place on a firmer basis, the future\ninterests of his house? Surely the natural heart would at once have\nprompted him to make such a use of his present advantage in the matter\nof nearness to Jehovah. Does he use it thus? Nay. Abraham had learnt\ntoo much of the ways of God to act in a way savoring so much of the\nselfishness of a heartless world. But, even had he thought of such a\nthing, he had no need to utter a syllable on the subject, for \"_the\nAlmighty God_\" had most amply satisfied his heart with regard to the\neverlasting interests of his house--He had fixed it upon such a\nfoundation that an anxious thought would have evidenced a complete\nwant of moral order in Abraham's soul. He therefore entertained not a\nthought about himself or his house, but like a genuine man of faith,\n_he takes advantage of his place in the presence of God to intercede\nfor a brother, whose worldliness had plunged him into the very midst\nof that place which was about to be given over to everlasting\ndestruction_. \"And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy\nthe righteous with the wicked?\" (ver. 23.) \"_The righteous!_\" to whom\ncan he allude? Can it be to the man who had so deliberately turned\naside out of the path of faith to take up his abode at Sodom? Yes; he\nspeaks of Lot--he calls him \"_righteous_,\"--he speaks of him in the\nvery same terms as the Spirit in the apostle afterward speaks of him\nwhen he calls him a \"righteous soul.\" Abraham, therefore, was taught\nof God when he could recognize in the man surrounded by all the\npollution of Sodom \"a righteous soul.\"[5]\n\n  [5] Although I consider Lot the principal object in Abraham's mind,\n  while interceding before the Lord, I do not forget that there is\n  mention made of \"fifty,\" etc.\n\nI doubt not it will be admitted by every one taught of God that the\nconduct of Abraham in this chapter, furnishes us with one of the most\nimportant results of a holy and separated walk. We observe in it a man\npleading with God in a most urgent strain for one who had turned his\nback upon him, and selected Sodom as the place of his abode. How\ncompletely must Abraham's soul have been lifted above \"the things that\nare seen\" when he could thus forget \"the strife\" and the departure,\nworldliness and evil of Lot, and plead for him still as \"a righteous\nsoul.\" If Abraham appears as \"the _friend_ of God\" under other\ncircumstances and other scenes, surely he is here seen as the _child_\nof God exhibiting most sweetly those principles which he had learnt in\ncommunion with his heavenly Father.\n\nWe shall now leave Abraham, for a little, enjoying his happy place\nbefore the Lord, while we contemplate the last sad scene in the life\nof one who seems to have valued the things of this life more highly\nthan was consistent with the character of \"a stranger and pilgrim\" or\n\"a righteous soul.\"\n\nFrom the time that the separation took place between Abraham and Lot,\nthe former seems to have proceeded \"from strength to strength;\" while\nthe latter, on the contrary, seems to have proceeded only downwards,\nfrom one stage of weakness to another, until we find him, at the\nclose, making shipwreck of everything, and merely \"escaping with his\nlife.\" The loss of all his goods in the battle between the \"four kings\nand five\" does not seem to have had any effect upon the mind of Lot in\nthe way of teaching him the evil of being mixed up with the world;\nyea, he seems to have become more deeply involved in worldliness after\nthat event than he had been before; for, at the first, he merely\n\"pitched his tent _towards_ Sodom\" (chap. xiii. 12); but now we find\nhim sitting \"in the gate\" (chap. xix. 1), which, as we know, was then\nthe place of honor. When once a man has put his hand to the plow if he\nbegin to look back, we have been told by Him who cannot err, that \"he\nis not _fit_ for the kingdom of God.\" Nor is it possible to count upon\nthe fearful lengths to which a man may go when once the world, in any\none of its varied aspects, has taken possession of his heart, or when\nonce he has begun to turn his back upon the people of God. The\nterrible declension spoken of in Hebrews x., which stops not short of\n\"trampling under foot the Son of God,\" has its beginning in the\napparently simple act of \"forsaking the assembling of ourselves\ntogether.\" How needful, therefore, it is that we should take heed to\nour ways, and watch the avenues of our hearts and minds, lest any evil\nthing should get dominion over us, which, however trivial in itself,\nmight lead to the most appalling results.\n\nNow, it strikes me, that we have in the circumstance presented to us\nin the opening of chapter xix. the full evidence of Lot's fallen\ncondition. The Lord Himself does not appear at all. He remains at a\ndistance from the unholy place, and merely sends _His angels_ to\nexecute His commission upon the devoted city of Sodom. The angels,\ntoo, exhibit all the symptoms of distance and strangership--they\nrefuse to go into Lot's house when invited, saying, \"_Nay, but we will\nabide in the street all night_.\" True, they subsequently enter into\nhis house; but, if they do so, it is not so much to enjoy refreshment\nas to counteract the sad effects of Lot's wrong circumstances. How\ndifferent was the scene at Lot's house from that which they had so\nlately witnessed at the tent of the stranger of Mamre! The tumult of\nthe men of Sodom--to whom, notwithstanding all their ungodly deeds and\nungodly speeches, Lot applies the title of \"_brethren_\"--the evident\nembarrassment of Lot at being discovered in such painful\ncircumstances--the shocking proposal which he is constrained to make\nin order to screen his guests from the violence of the ungodly men of\nSodom--the struggle at the door, and Lot's danger--all these things\nmust have shocked the heavenly strangers, and stood in marked contrast\nwith the holy peace and retirement of Abraham's tent, together with\nhis own calm and dignified demeanor throughout the scene. Well might\nthose angels have been astonished to find \"a righteous soul\" in such a\nplace, when he could have enjoyed, in company with his separated\nbrother, the peaceful and holy joys of his steady and consistent\ncourse.\n\nBut the time had now arrived for the pouring out of the cup of divine\nwrath upon Sodom. \"The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?...\nbring them out of _this place_: for we will destroy this place,\nbecause the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord;\nand the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.\" (vers. 12, 13.) The critical\nmoment which the Lord Jesus, in the gospel, notes by the exceedingly\nsolemn word \"UNTIL,\" was now at hand for the careless inhabitants of\nSodom, who dreamed not of any interruption to their \"eating, and\ndrinking, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage.\" A\nmoment's respite is allowed, during which Lot bears a message to his\nson-in-law, a testimony as to the rapidly approaching judgment; but,\nah! what power could the testimony of one who had voluntarily come in\nand settled amongst them, have upon those who had lived and moved from\ntheir earliest infancy in the midst of the ungodly scene? How could\nLot expect that his _words_ would have any weight when his _ways_ had\nso sadly contradicted them? He might now, with terrified aspect and\nearnest entreaties, urge them to leave a place which he knew was\ndoomed to everlasting destruction, but they could not forget the calm\nand deliberate way in which he had at first \"pitched his tent toward\nSodom,\" and finally taken his seat \"in the gate;\" hence, as might be\nexpected, \"he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law.\" (ver.\n14.) And how, so far as he was concerned, could it be otherwise? His\nsons-in-law might be, and doubtless were, responsible before God for\nthe rejection of the testimony; but Lot could not, by any means,\nexpect them to heed him much, indeed, we find that even he himself was\ntardy in departing from the place; for \"_while he lingered_\"--while\nhis heart still went after some object or another that was dear to\nhim--\"the men _laid hold upon his hand_, and upon the hand of his\nwife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful\nto him, and _they brought him forth_ and set him without the city.\"\n(ver. 16.) From this statement, it is manifest that, had not the men\n\"laid hold of, and brought forth\" Lot, he would, no doubt, have\n\"lingered\" on \"_until_\" the fire of God's judgment had fallen upon\nhim, and prevented even his \"escaping with his life.\" But they \"pulled\nhim out of the fire,\" because \"the Lord had mercy upon him.\"\n\nBut this escape of Lot's only served to put fresh honor upon Abraham,\nfor we read that \"when God destroyed the cities of the plain, _he\nremembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow_\"\n(ver. 29). Thus, as Abraham's sword had delivered Lot in the time of\nthe conquest of Sodom, his prayer delivered him in the time of its\nfinal overthrow, \"for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man\navaileth much.\" Nor does the contrast between those two men stop here.\nThere is yet another scene in which they stand at a great distance\nfrom each other as to the moral condition of their souls. \"Abraham gat\nhim up early in the morning, to the place where he stood before the\nLord\" (ver. 27). Here the man of faith, the holy pilgrim, once more\nraises his head amid the mighty scene of desolation. All was over with\nSodom and its guilty inhabitants, \"the smoke of the country went up as\nthe smoke of a furnace.\" Sad spectacle! The din and bustle of that\nonce stirring city was hushed; silence reigned around--the buying and\nselling--the eating and drinking--the marrying and giving in\nmarriage--all the intercourse of social life had been awfully broken\nin upon. The solemn \"UNTIL\" had come at last--the only one in all\nthat wicked place who, notwithstanding his failure, could be regarded\nas \"the salt,\" had been removed--the measure of Sodom's iniquity had\nbeen filled up--the day of divine longsuffering closed, and nothing\nnow met the eye of Abraham but misery and desolation throughout all\nthe plain. How melancholy! And yet it was but a type of the far more\nterrible desolation which shall sweep across this guilty world when\nthe Son of man makes His appearance, \"when every eye shall see Him,\nand all the tribes of the earth shall mourn and wail because of Him.\"\n\nThus, \"Abraham stood _before the Lord_,\" completely exempt from all\nthe sad effects of the recent visitation, as far as he was personally\nconcerned. His stranger condition which, in the days of Chedorlaomer,\nhad enabled him to live outside of Sodom and all its circumstances,\nstill kept him free, and was the means of his escape from Sodom's\nunutterable woe and misery. Had Abraham, when solicited by the King of\nSodom, mixed himself up with the things of Sodom, he would have been\ninvolved, in some measure, as was his brother Lot, in its overthrow.\nHe himself would have been saved, but his work would have been burnt\nup. But Abraham was looking for \"a city that hath foundations,\" and he\nknew at once that Sodom was not that city, and hence he would have\nnothing whatever to do with it. He would \"hate even the garment\nspotted by the flesh\"--he would \"touch not the unclean thing,\" and now\nhe was permitted to realize the blessed results of his conduct, for,\nwhile Lot had to retreat in confusion and sorrow to a cave in the\nmountains, his wife and all his possessions being lost, Abraham takes\nhis stand, in all that blessed calmness and dignity which ever\ncharacterized him, in the presence of Jehovah, and from thence surveys\nthe heart-rending scene.\n\nBut what of Lot? How did he end his course? \"Oh, tell it not in Gath!\npublish it not in the streets of Askelon!\" Well may we desire to throw\na veil over the closing scene of the life of one who does not seem to\nhave ever realized, as he should, the power of _the call of God_. He\nhad always displayed a secret desire for the things of Egypt or those\nof Sodom. His heart does not seem to have been thoroughly detached\nfrom the world, and therefore his course was always unsteady; from the\ntime he separated himself from Abraham, he went from bad to\nworse--from one stage of evil to another, until at last the scene\ncloses with the shocking transaction in the cave; the sad results of\nwhich were seen in the persons of Moab and Ammon, the enemies of the\npeople of God.\n\nThus ended the course of Lot, whose history ought to be a solemn\nwarning to all Christians who feel a tendency to be carried away by\nthe world. The history has not been left on record without a purpose.\n\"Whatever things were written aforetime, were written for our\nlearning,\" may we therefore learn from the above narrative, \"not to\nlust after evil things,\" for, although \"the Lord knows how to deliver\nthe godly out of temptation,\" yet it is our place to keep as much out\nof the way of temptation as we can, and our prayer should ever be\n\"lead us not into temptation.\" \"The world passeth away, and the lust\nthereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever\" (1 John\nii. 17).\n\n\nCHAPTERS XX., XXI.\n\nLot has now passed off the scene--his sun has gone down amid thick\nclouds and a gloomy atmosphere; it now remains for us to pursue, for a\nfew moments longer, the narrative of Abraham's ways, and God's\ndealings with him.\n\nThere was one point involved in chapter xii. which I left untouched,\nknowing that it would come before us again in this place.\n\nWhen Abraham went down into Egypt, he entered into a compact with\nSarah his wife _to conceal part of the truth_, \"Say, I pray thee,\"\nsaid he, \"thou art my sister\" (Chap. xii. 13). One evil ever leads to\nanother. Abraham was moving in the wrong direction when he went down\ninto Egypt for help, and therefore did not exhibit that refinement of\nconscience which would have told him of the moral unsoundness of this\nmental reservation. \"Speak every man truth with his neighbor,\" being a\ndivine principle, would always exercise an influence upon one walking\nin communion with God; but Abraham's desire to get out of present\ntrial was an evidence of failure in communion, and hence \"his moral\nsense,\" as a recent writer has termed it, was not as keen or as\nelevated as it should have been. However, although the Lord plagued\nPharaoh's house because of his having taken Sarah into it, and\nfurther, although Pharaoh rebukes Abraham for his acting in the\nmatter, yet the latter says nothing whatever about the deliberate\ncompact into which he had entered with his wife, to keep back part of\nthe truth; he silently takes the rebuke and goes on his way, but the\nroot of the evil remained still in his heart, ready to show itself at\nany time if circumstances should arise to draw it out.\n\nNow, it is marvelous to behold Abraham coming up out of\nEgypt--building an altar and pitching a tent--exhibiting the noble\ngenerosity of faith--vanquishing Chedorlaomer and repulsing the\ntemptation of the King of Sodom--urging his request for a son and\nheir, receiving the most gracious answer--on his face before God in\nthe sense of His almighty grace and power--entertaining the heavenly\nstrangers and interceding for his brother Lot. In a word, I say, it is\nmarvelous to behold Abraham passing through such brilliant scenes,\ncomprising a series of years, and, all the while, this moral point, in\nwhich he had erred at the very threshold of his course, remains\nunsettled in his heart. True, it did not develop itself during the\nperiod to which I have just referred, but why did it not? Because\nAbraham was not in circumstances to call it out, but there it was\nnotwithstanding. The evil was not _fully brought out_--not confessed,\nnot got rid of,--and the proof of this is, that the moment he again\nfinds himself in circumstances which could act upon _his weak point_,\nit is at once made manifest that the weak point is there. The\ntemptation through which he passed in the matter of the King of Sodom,\nwas not by any means calculated to touch this peculiar point; nor was\nanything that occurred to him from the time he came up out of Egypt\nuntil he went down into Gerar, calculated to touch it, for had it been\ntouched, it would no doubt have exhibited itself.\n\nWe never can know what is in our hearts until circumstances arise to\ndraw it out. Peter did not imagine that he could deny his Lord, but\nwhen he got into circumstances which were calculated to act upon his\npeculiar weakness, he showed that the weakness was there.\n\nIt required the protracted period of forty years in the wilderness to\nteach the children of Israel \"what was in their hearts\" (Deut. viii.\n2); and it is one of the grand results of the course of discipline\nthrough which each child of God passes, to lead him into a more\nprofound knowledge of his own weakness and nothingness. \"We had the\n_sentence of death in ourselves_, that we should not trust in\nourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead\" (2 Cor. i. 9). The more\nwe are growing in the sense of our infirmities, the more shall we see\nour need of clinging more closely to Christ--drawing more largely upon\nHis grace, and entering more fully into the cleansing virtue and value\nof His atoning blood. The Christian, at the opening of his course,\nnever knows his own heart; indeed, he could not bear the full\nknowledge of it; he would be overwhelmed thereby. \"The Lord leads us\nnot by the way of the Philistines lest we should see war,\" and so be\nplunged in despair. But He graciously leads us by a circuitous route,\nin order that our apprehension of His grace may keep pace with our\ngrowing self-knowledge.\n\nIn chapter xx., then, we find Abraham again, after the lapse of many\nyears, falling into the old error, a suppression of truth, for which\nhe has to suffer a rebuke from a mere man of the world. The man of the\nworld, in this scene, seemed, for the moment, to possess a more\nrefined moral sense than the man of God. \"Said he not unto me,\" says\nhe, \"'She is my sister'! and she, even she herself said, 'He is my\nbrother': in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have\nI done this.\" But mark how God enters the scene for the purpose of\nvindicating His servant. He says to Abimelech, \"Behold, thou art but a\ndead man.\" Yes, with all \"the integrity of his heart and innocency of\nhis hands\"--with all his fine moral sense of right and wrong, he was\n\"but a dead man,\" when it came to be a question, for one moment,\nbetween him and even an erring child of God. God, in His grace, was\nlooking at His dear servant from quite a different point of view from\nthat adopted by Abimelech. All that the latter could see in Abraham\nwas a man guilty of a manifest piece of deception, but God saw more\nthan that, and therefore He says to Abimelech, \"Now therefore restore\nthe man his wife; _for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee,\nand thou shalt live_.\" What dignity is here put upon Abraham! God\nhimself vindicates him before the world! Not a syllable of\nreproof!--not a breath of disapprobation!--no, \"he is a prophet and he\nshall pray for thee and thou shalt live.\" How truly consolatory it is\nfor the poor, weak, and harassed believer to remember that His Father\nis ever viewing him through the medium of the Lord Jesus Christ. He\nsees nothing whatever upon His child but the excellency and\nperfectness of Jesus. Thus, while a man of the world may have to\nrebuke a child of God, as in the case before us, God declares that He\nvalues that character which the believer has received from Him more\nthan all the amiability, integrity, and innocency that nature can\nboast of.\n\nThis reminds us of the way in which the Lord vindicates the Baptist\nbefore the multitude, although He had sent a message to himself which\nmust have exercised him deeply;--\"I say unto you, among those that are\nborn of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist\"\n(Luke vii. 28). Thus, whatever unfavorable aspect the child of God may\nwear in the world's view, God will ever show Himself the vindicator of\nsuch. \"He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for\ntheir sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no\nharm\" (1 Chron. xvi. 21, 22).\n\nHowever, as was observed with regard to John the Baptist, the message\nsent from the Lord to His servant must have exercised his spirit\ndeeply in secret, so is it in Abraham's case. Abraham must have felt\ndeeply humbled in his soul at the thought of what had occurred, and\nthe consciousness of the fact that God would not enter into judgment\nwith him about it would have augmented that feeling. When Abraham fell\ninto the same error in Egypt we do not find that Pharaoh's reproof\nproduced any manifest effect. He was not humbled by it to such a\ndegree as to make a full confession of the whole thing. He takes his\ndeparture out of Egypt, but _the root_ of evil remains in his heart,\nready to shoot forth its pernicious branches again. Not so in chapter\nxx.; here we get at once at the root of the matter--Abraham opens up\nhis whole heart, he confesses that from the very first moment of his\ncourse he had retained this thing in his heart which had twice\nbetrayed him into an act, which, to say the least of it, would not\nbear the light. And as there is the full confession of the evil on his\npart, so is there the complete renunciation of it--he gets rid of it\nfully, root and branch. The leaven is put forth out of every corner of\nhis heart, he hearkens to Abimelech's reproof and profits by it; it\nwas God's instrument by which He brought out the matter, and delivered\nthe soul of his servant from the power of evil.\n\nBut, in addition to the point upon which we have been dwelling, there\nwas yet another question to be settled ere Abraham could reach the\nmost elevated point of his course as a man of faith. The bondwoman and\nher son were yet in the house. He must put forth these from _his\nhouse_ as he had put forth the evil from _his heart_. The house and\nthe heart must be cleared out. In chapter xxi. we find matters brought\nto a crisis with regard to the bondwoman and her son, concerning whom\nwe have heard comparatively nothing until now. The element of bondage\nhad heretofore lain dormant in Abraham's house because not roused into\naction, by anything of an opposite nature and tendency. But, in the\nbirth of Isaac--the son of the free woman--the child of promise--we\nsee a new element introduced. The spirit of liberty and the spirit of\nbondage are thus brought into contact, and the struggle must issue in\nthe expulsion of either one or the other. They cannot move on in\nharmony, for \"how can two walk together except they be agreed.\"\n\nNow we are invited by the Apostle, in his epistle to the Galatians, to\nbehold in these two children, \"the two covenants,\" the one gendering\nto _bondage_, the other to _liberty_; and further, to behold in them\nsamples of the fleshly and spiritual seed of Abraham, the former,\n\"born after the flesh,\" the latter, \"born after the Spirit.\" Nor can\nanything be more marked than the line of demarcation between, not only\nthe two covenants, but the two seeds. They are totally distinct the\none from the other, and can never, by any operation, be brought to\ncoalesce. Abraham was made to feel, and that painfully, this fact.\n\"Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman\nshall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac\" (Chap. xxi. 10). Here\nthe natural result shows itself. The two elements could not mingle. As\nwell might the north and the south winds be expected to blow in all\ntheir strength without exciting a convulsion in the elements.\n\nBut it was most painful work to Abraham to be obliged thus to thrust\nforth his son. \"The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because\nof his son;\" but it mattered not, he must be put out, for the son of a\nbondwoman could never inherit the promises made only to the spiritual\nseed. If Ishmael were to have been retained, it would have been an\nopen allowance of the claims of the flesh. Abraham would have found\nsomething \"as pertaining to the flesh\" and would thus have had\n\"whereof to glory.\" But no--all God's promises are to be made good to\nthose who, like Isaac, are the children of promise, born after the\nSpirit, \"not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will\nof man, but of God\" (John i. 13). Ishmael was manifestly born \"of the\nwill of the flesh, and of the will of man,\" and \"flesh and blood\ncannot inherit the kingdom of God.\" The flesh must therefore be set\naside and kept under, no matter how \"grievous\" it may be to our\nhearts. The Christian will often find it grievous enough to keep down\nthe old principle which ever lusts against the new, but the Lord gives\nspiritual power for the struggle so that \"we are more than conquerors\nthrough Him that loves us.\"\n\nBut I must again remind the reader that it is not my present purpose\nto pursue the doctrinal matter involved in this instructive\nhistory[6]; were I to do so it would carry me far beyond the limits I\nhave prescribed for myself in this little paper, the design of which\nis, as before observed, simply to direct attention to a few leading\nprinciples put forward in the narrative. I will therefore pass on to\nthe next chapter which is the last of the section laid out for\nconsideration.\n\n  [6] For a fuller examination and spiritual instruction contained in\n  Abraham's and others' history, see _Genesis in the Light of the New\n  Testament_; from the same publishers.\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nThe circumstances through which Abraham passed in chapters twenty and\ntwenty-one were most important indeed. An evil which had long been\nharbored in his heart had been put away; the bondwoman and her son,\nwho had so long retained quiet possession of his house, were cast\nout, and he now stands forth as \"a vessel sanctified and meet for the\nmaster's use, prepared unto every good work.\"\n\n\"And it came to pass _after these things_, that God did tempt (or try)\nAbraham.\" Here Abraham is at once introduced into a place of real\ndignity and honor. When God tries an individual it is a certain\nevidence of His confidence in him. We never read that \"God did tempt\nLot\"--no, the goods of Sodom furnished a sufficiently strong\ntemptation for Lot. The enemy laid a snare for him in the well-watered\nplains of Sodom which he seemed but too prone to fall into. Not so\nwith Abraham. He lived more in the presence of God, and was,\ntherefore, less susceptible of the influence of that which had\nensnared his erring brother.\n\nNow, the test to which God submits Abraham--the furnace in which He\ntries him, marks at once a pure and genuine metal. Had Abraham's faith\nnot been of the purest and most genuine character, he would assuredly\nhave winced under the fiery ordeal through which we behold him passing\nin this beautiful chapter. When God promised Abraham a son, he\nbelieved the promise \"and it was counted unto him for righteousness.\"\n\"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was\nstrong in faith, giving glory to God.\" But then, having received this\nson, having realized the truth of the promise, was there not a danger\nthat he would rest in _the gift_ instead of in _the Giver_? Was there\nnot a danger that he would lean upon Isaac, in thinking upon the\nfuture seed and future inheritance, rather than upon God Himself who\nhad promised him the seed? Surely there was, and God knew that, and\ntherefore tries His servant in a way, more than anything, calculated\nto put him to the test as to the object on which his soul was resting.\nThe grand inquiry put to Abraham's heart, in this wondrous\ntransaction, was, \"are you still walking before THE ALMIGHTY GOD, THE\nQUICKENER OF THE DEAD?\" God desired to know whether he could apprehend\nin Him the One who was as able to raise up children from the ashes of\nhis sacrificed son as from the dead womb of Sarah. In other words, God\ndesired to prove that Abraham's faith reached forth, as some one has\nobserved, TO RESURRECTION, for if it stopped short of this, he never\nwould have responded to the startling command, \"Take now, thy son,\nthine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of\nMoriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the\nmountains which I will tell thee of\" (Chap. xxii. 2.) But Abraham\n\"staggered not.\" He at once responds to the call. God had asked for\nIsaac, and Isaac must be given, and that too without a breath of\nmurmur. He could give up anything or everything so long as his eye\nrested upon \"the Almighty God.\" And mark the point of view in which\nAbraham puts this journey of his to Mount Moriah, \"I and the lad will\ngo yonder _and worship_.\" Yes, it was an act of worship, for he was\nabout to lay upon the altar of the Quickener of the dead the one in\nwhom all God's promises centred. It was an act of worship--most\nelevated worship, for he was about to prove, in the sight of heaven\nand hell, that no other object filled his soul but the Almighty God.\nHence, what calmness! what self-possession! what pure devotion! what\nelevation of mind! what self-renunciation! He never falters throughout\nthe scene. He saddles the ass, prepares the wood, and sets off to\nMount Moriah, without giving expression to one anxious thought,\nalthough, as far as human eye could see, he was about to lose the\nobject of his heart's most tender affection, yea, the one upon whom\nthe future interests of his house, to all appearance, depended.\n\nAbraham, however, showed most fully that his heart had found a nearer\nand dearer object than Isaac, dear as he was; he showed also that his\nfaith was resting upon another object altogether, with reference to\nthe future interests of his seed, _and that he was as simply resting\nupon the promise of Almighty God after the birth of Isaac as before\nit_.\n\nBehold, then, this man of faith as he ascends the mount, taking with\nhim his \"well-beloved!\" What a scene of breathless interest![7] How\nmust the angelic hosts have watched this illustrious father from stage\nto stage of his wondrous journey, until at last they beheld his hand\nstretched forth for the knife to slay his son--that son for which he\nhad so long and ardently wished, and for which he had so steadily\ntrusted God. Then again, what an opportunity for Satan to ply his\nfiery darts! What abundant room for such suggestions as the following,\nviz., \"What will become of the promises of God with regard to the seed\nand the inheritance, if you thus sacrifice your only son? Beware that\nyou are not led astray by some false revelation; or, _if it be true_\nthat God has said so and so, doth not God know that, in the day you\nsacrifice your son, all your hopes will be blasted? Further, think of\nSarah; what will she do if she lose Isaac, after having induced you to\nexpel from your house Ishmael?\" All these suggestions, and many\nbeside, the enemy might bring to bear upon the heart of Abraham. Nor\nwould Abraham himself have been beyond the region of those thoughts\nand reasonings which, at such a time, would not fail to arise within\nhim. What then was his answer to all such dark suggestions?\nRESURRECTION! \"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac;\nand he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten\nson, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called:\nACCOUNTING THAT GOD WAS ABLE TO RAISE HIM UP, EVEN FROM THE DEAD; FROM\nWHENCE ALSO HE RECEIVED HIM IN A FIGURE\" (Heb. xi. 17-19).\n\n  [7] It strikes me that we get, in Abraham's journey to Mount Moriah, a\n  remarkable type of the mysterious scene afterwards exhibited at\n  Calvary, when God was really providing himself a lamb. We can have no\n  difficulty in losing sight of Herod and Pilate, the chief priests and\n  scribes, the Pharisees and the multitude, and thus we have none\n  remaining but THE FATHER AND THE SON, who, in company, ascend the\n  Mount and carry out the gracious work of redemption in the unbroken\n  solitude of that place.\n\nResurrection is God's mighty remedy for all the mischief and ruin\nintroduced by Satan; when once we arrive at this point, we have done\nwith the power of Satan, the last exercise of which is seen in death.\nSatan cannot touch the life that has been received in resurrection,\nfor the last exercise of his power is seen in the grave of Christ;\nbeyond that he can do nothing. Hence the security of the Church's\nplace; her \"life is hidden with Christ in God.\" Blessed hiding place!\nMay we rejoice in it more and more each day.\n\nI will now draw this paper to a close. We have followed Abraham in his\ncourse, from Ur of the Chaldees up to the Mount Moriah--we have seen\nhim resign, at the call of God, family and kindred, lands and\npossessions, worldly ease and prosperity; and lastly, we have seen\nhim, in the power of faith, at the same call of God, ascend the\nsolitary mount, for the purpose of laying \"his only begotten\" upon\nGod's altar, and thus to declare that he could give up everything and\nevery one but God Himself--and that, being acquainted with the meaning\nof \"THE ALMIGHTY\" and \"RESURRECTION,\" he cared not though he were\ncalled to look to the stones for the raising up of seed unto him.\n\nOn the other hand, we have followed Lot from Ur of the Chaldees also;\nbut alas! his path was a far different one from that of his brother.\nHe does not seem to have realized the power of the call of God in his\nown soul; he moved rather under Abraham's influence than under that of\nJehovah; hence we find that, while Abraham was, at every step of his\njourney, letting go the world, Lot was doing the very reverse; he was\ngrasping at the world in every shape and form, and he obtained that at\nwhich he was grasping, but what then? What of the end? Ah, that is the\npoint. What of Lot's end? Instead of being a noble spectacle unto\nangels, and a pattern to all future generations of the faithful,--of\nwhat faith can enable a man \"to do and to suffer\" for God,--he was\njust the reverse; he was led away by the enemy of his soul, who\nensnared him by means of the things of the world; he spent his days\namid the uncleanness of Sodom, and the scene closes with the sad\ncircumstances in the cave. All he did for God or his people was to\nbeget the Ammonite and the Moabite, the enemies of both.\n\nHow wondrous then is that grace, which, speaking of the history of\nsuch an one, could say, \"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy\nconversation of the wicked; for that righteous man dwelling among\nthem, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day\nwith their unlawful deeds\" (2 Peter ii. 7, 8).\n\n                                                    C. H. M.\n\n\n\n\n\"THOU AND THY HOUSE.\"\n\n\nThere are two houses which occupy a very prominent place on the page\nof inspiration, and these are, the house of God and the house of God's\nservant. God attaches immense importance to His house; and justly so,\nbecause it is His. His truth, His honor, His character, His glory, are\nall involved in the character of His house; and hence it is His desire\nthat the impress of what He is should plainly appear on that which\nbelongs to Him. If God has a house, it assuredly should be a godly\nhouse, a holy house, a spiritual house, an elevated house, a pure and\nheavenly house. It should be all this, not merely in abstract position\nand principle, but practically and characteristically. Its abstract\nposition is founded upon what God has made it, and where He has set\nit; but its practical character is founded upon the actual walk of\nthose who form its constituent parts down here upon this earth.\n\nNow, while many minds may be prepared to enter into the truth and\nimportance of all the principles connected with God's house, there may\nbe but few, comparatively, who are disposed to give a due measure of\nattention to those connected with the house of God's servant; although\nif one were asked the question, What house stands next in order to the\nhouse of God? he should undoubtedly reply, The house of His servant.\nHowever, as there is nothing like bringing the holy authority of\nGod's Word to bear upon the conscience, I shall quote a few passages\nof Scripture, which will tend to show, in a clear and forcible point\nof view, what are God's thoughts about the house of one holding\nconnection with Him.\n\nWhen the iniquity of the antediluvian world had risen to a head, and\nthe end of all flesh had come before a righteous God, who was about to\nroll the heavy tide of judgment over the corrupted scene, these sweet\nwords fell upon Noah's ear: \"Come thou and _all thy house_ into the\nark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.\"\n(Gen. vii. 1.) Now, it will be said that Noah was a type of\nChrist--the righteous head of a saved family--saved in virtue of their\nassociation with him. All this is fully granted; but Noah's typical\ncharacter does not in any wise interfere with the principle which I\nseek to deduce from this and kindred passages, which principle I shall\nhere, at the outset, distinctly lay down--it is this: _the house of\nevery servant of God is, in virtue of its connection with Him, brought\ninto a position of privilege and consequent responsibility_.[8] That\nthis is a principle involving vast practical consequences we shall,\nwith God's blessing and grace, see ere we close this paper; but we\nmust first seek to establish its truth from the Word of God. Were we\nmerely left to argue from analogy, our thesis might be easily proved;\nfor it could never be supposed, by any mind at all acquainted with the\ncharacter and ways of God, that He would attach such unspeakable\nimportance to His own house, and attach none at all, or almost none,\nto that of His servant. This were impossible; it would be utterly\nunlike God, and God must always act like Himself. But we are not left\nto analogy on this most important and deeply practical question; and\nthe passage just quoted forms one of the first of a series of direct\nand positive proofs. In it we find those immensely significant words,\n\"_Thou and thy house_\" inseparably linked together. God did not reveal\na salvation for Noah which was of no avail to Noah's house. He never\ncontemplated such a thing. The same ark that lay open to him lay open\nto them also. Why? Was it because they had faith? No; but because _he_\nhad, and they were connected with him. God gave him a blank check for\nhimself and his family, and it devolved upon him to fill it up by\nbringing them in along with him. I repeat it, this does not in the\nleast interfere with Noah's typical character. I look at him\ntypically, but I look at him personally also. Nor can I, under any\ncircumstances, separate a man from his house. The house of God is\nbrought into blessing and responsibility because of its connection\nwith Him; and the house of the servant of God is brought into blessing\nand responsibility because of its connection with him. This is our\nthesis.\n\n  [8] The reader will not, I trust, imagine that the necessity for the\n  work of the Holy Ghost in the regeneration of the children of\n  Christian parents is denied or interfered with. God forbid! \"Except a\n  man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.\" This is as true\n  of a Christian's child as of every one else. Grace is not hereditary.\n  The sum of what I would press upon Christian parents is, that\n  Scripture inseparably links a man with his house, and that the\n  Christian parent is warranted in counting upon God for his children,\n  and responsible to train his children for God. Let any one who denies\n  this interpret Ephesians vi. 4.\n\nThe next passage to which I shall refer occurs in the life of Abraham.\n\"And the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I\ndo?... For I know him, that he will command his children and his\nhousehold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do\njustice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which\nHe hath spoken of him.'\" (Gen. xviii. 17-19.) Here it is not a\nquestion of salvation, but of communion with the mind and purposes of\nGod; and let the Christian parent note and solemnly ponder the fact\nthat when God was seeking out a man to whom He could disclose His\nsecret counsels, He selected one possessing the simple characteristic\nof \"commanding his children and his household.\" This, to a tender\nconscience, cannot fail to prove a most pungent principle. If there is\none point above another in which Christians have failed, it is in this\nvery point of commanding their children and household. They surely\nhave not set God before them in this particular; for if I look at the\nentire record of God's dealings with His house, I find them invariably\ncharacterized by the exercise of power on the principle of\nrighteousness. He has firmly established and unflinchingly carried out\nHis holy authority. It matters not what the outward aspect or\ncharacter of His house may be, the essential principle of His dealing\nwith it is immutable. \"Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness\nbecometh thy house, O Lord, _forever_.\" Now, the servant must ever\ntake his Master as his model; and if God rules His house with power\nexercised in righteousness, so must I; for if I am in any one\nparticular of my conduct different from Him, I must in that particular\nbe wrong. This is plain.\n\nBut not only does God so rule His house; He likewise loves, approves\nof, and treats with His marked and honored confidence those who do the\nsame. In the above passage, we find Him saying, \"I cannot hide my\npurposes from Abraham.\" Why? Is it because of his personal grace or\nfaith? No; but simply because \"he will command his children and his\nhousehold.\" A man who knows how to command his house is worthy of\nGod's confidence. This is a stupendous truth, the edge of which should\npierce the conscience of many a Christian parent. Many of us, alas!\nwith our eye resting on Genesis xviii. 19, may well prostrate\nourselves before the One who uttered and penned that word, and cry\nout, Failure! failure! shameful, humiliating failure! And why is this?\nWhy have we failed to meet the solemn responsibility devolving upon us\nin reference to the due command of our households? I believe there is\nbut one reply, viz., because we have failed to realize, by faith, the\nprivilege conferred upon those households in virtue of their\nassociation with us. It is remarkable that our two earliest proofs\nshould present to our view, with such accuracy, the two grand\ndivisions of our question, namely, privilege and responsibility. In\nNoah's case, the word was, \"Thou and thy house\" in the place of\nsalvation; in Abraham's case, it was \"Thou and thy house\" in the place\nof moral government. The connection is at once marked and beautiful,\nand the man who fails in faith to appropriate the privilege will fail\nin moral power to answer the responsibility. God looks upon a man's\nhouse as part of himself, and he cannot, in the smallest degree,\nwhether in principle or practice, disregard the connection without\nsuffering serious damage, and also marring the testimony.\n\nNow, the question for the Christian parent's conscience really is, _Am\nI counting upon God for my house, and ruling my house for God?_ A\nsolemn question, surely; yet it is to be feared very few feel its\nmagnitude and power. And here, perhaps, my reader may feel disposed to\ndemand fuller Scripture-proof than has yet been adduced, as to our\nwarrant for counting upon God for our houses. I shall therefore\nproceed with the Scripture-quotations. I give one from the history of\nJacob. \"And God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel.'\" This would\nseem to have been addressed to Jacob personally; but he never thought\nfor a moment of disconnecting himself from his family, either as to\nprivilege or responsibility; wherefore it is immediately added, \"Jacob\nsaid unto _his household_, and to all that were with him, 'Put away\nthe strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your\ngarments; and let _us_ arise, and go up to Bethel.'\" (Gen. xxxv. 1-3.)\nHere we see that a call to Jacob put Jacob's house under\nresponsibility. He was called to go up to God's house, and the\nquestion immediately suggested itself to his conscience, whether his\nown house were in a fit condition to respond to such a call.\n\nWe now turn to the opening chapters of the book of Exodus, where we\nfind that one of Pharaoh's four objections to the full deliverance and\nseparation of Israel had specific reference to \"the little ones.\" \"And\nMoses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto\nthem, 'Go, serve the Lord your God; but who are they that shall go?'\nAnd Moses said, 'We will go with our young and with our old, with our\nsons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will\nwe go; _for_ we must hold a feast unto the Lord.'\" (Ex. x. 8, 9.) The\nreason why they should take the little ones and all with them was\nbecause they were going to hold a feast unto the Lord. Nature might\nsay, Oh, what can these little creatures know about a feast unto the\nLord? Are you not afraid of making them formalists? The reply of Moses\nis simple and decisive--\"We will go with our young ... _for_ we must\nhold a feast unto the Lord.\" They had no idea of seeking one thing for\nthemselves and another for their children. They dreamed not of Canaan\nfor themselves and Egypt for their children. How could they taste the\nmanna of the wilderness, or the old corn of the land, while their\nchildren were feeding upon the leeks, the onions, and the garlic of\nEgypt? Impossible. Moses and Aaron understood not such acting. They\nfelt that God's call to them was a call to their little ones; and,\nmoreover, were it not fully carried out, they would no sooner have\ngone forth from Egypt by one road than their children would draw them\nback by another. That such would have been the case Satan was but too\nwell aware, and hence appears the reason of the objection, \"Not so:\ngo now _ye that are men_.\" This is the very thing which so many\nprofessing Christians are doing (or attempting, rather, to do) at this\npresent time. They profess to go forth themselves to serve the Lord,\nbut their little ones are in Egypt. They profess to have taken \"three\ndays' journey into the wilderness;\" in other words, they profess to\nhave left the world, they profess to be dead to it, and risen with\nChrist, as the possessors of a heavenly life, and the heirs and\nexpectants of a heavenly glory; but they leave their little ones\nbehind, in the hands of Pharaoh, or rather of Satan.[9] They have\ngiven up the world for themselves, but they cannot do so for their\nchildren. Hence, on Lord's day, the professed position of strangers\nand pilgrims is taken; hymns are sung, prayers uttered, and principles\ntaught which bespeak a people far advanced in the heavenly life, and\njust on the borders of Canaan, in actual experience (in spirit, of\ncourse, they are already there); but, alas! on Monday morning, every\nhabit, every pursuit, every object, contradicts all this. The little\nones are trained for the world. The scope, aim, object, and entire\ncharacter of their education is worldly, in the truest and strictest\nsense of the word. Moses and Aaron would not have understood such\nactings, and neither indeed should any morally honest heart, or\nupright mind, understand them. I should have no other principle,\nportion, or prospect for my children but what I have for myself; nor\nshould I train them with a view to any other. If Christ and heavenly\nglory are sufficient for me, they are sufficient for them likewise;\nbut then the proof that they are really sufficient for me should be\nunequivocal. The tone of the parent's character should be such as to\nafford not a shadow of a doubt as to the real, deep-seated purpose and\nobject of his soul.\n\n  [9] It will be said that there cannot be any analogy between the\n  actual removal of people from one country to another and the training\n  of our children. I reply, the analogy only applies in principle. It is\n  perfectly evident that we cannot take our children to heaven in the\n  sense in which the Israelites took theirs to Canaan. God alone can fit\n  our children for heaven, by implanting in them the life of His own\n  Son; and He alone can bring them to heaven, in His own time. But then,\n  although we can neither fit our children for, nor bring them to,\n  heaven, we can, nevertheless, by faith, train them for it; and it is\n  not merely our _duty_ (a poor, cold, and unworthy expression), but our\n  high and holy _privilege_ so to do. Hence, therefore, if the principle\n  on which, and the object with which, we train our children are\n  manifestly worldly, we do, virtually, and so far as in us lies, leave\n  them in the world. And on the other hand, if our principle and object\n  are unequivocally heavenly, then do we, so far as in us lies, train\n  them for heaven. This, my beloved reader, is all that is meant in this\n  tract by leaving our children in Egypt or taking them to Canaan. We\n  are responsible to _train_ our children, though we cannot _convert_\n  them; and God will assuredly bless the faithful training of those whom\n  He has graciously given us.\n\nBut what shall my child say to me if I tell him that I am earnestly\nseeking Christ and heaven for him, while at the same time I am\neducating him for the world? Which will he believe? Which will exert\nthe more powerful practical influence on his heart and life--my words,\nor my acts? Let conscience reply; and oh, let it be an honest reply, a\nreply emanating from its deepest depths, a reply which will\nunanswerably demonstrate that the question is understood in all its\npungency and power. I verily believe the time is come for plain\ndealing with one another's conscience. It must be apparent to every\nprayerful and attentive observer of the Christianity of the present\nday, that it wears a most sickly aspect; that the tone is miserably\nlow; and, in a word, that there must be something radically wrong. As\nto testimony for the Son of God, it is rarely--alas! how\nrarely!--thought of. Personal salvation seems to form the very highest\nobject with ninty-nine out of every hundred professing Christians, as\nif we were left here to be saved; and not, as saved ones, to glorify\nChrist.\n\nNow, I would affectionately, yet faithfully, suggest the question,\nwhether much of the failure in practical testimony for Christ is not\njustly traceable to the neglect of the principle involved in the\nexpression, \"Thou and thy house.\" I cannot but think it has much to do\nwith it. One thing is certain, that a quantity of worldliness,\nconfusion, and moral evil has crept in amongst us through our little\nones having been left in Egypt. We see many who, it may be, ten,\nfifteen, or twenty years ago, took a prominent place in testimony and\nservice, and seemed to have their hearts much in the work, are now\ngone back, lamentably, not having power to keep their own heads above\nwater, much less to help any one else. All this utters a warning voice\nfor Christian parents having rising families; and the utterance is,\n\"BEWARE OF LEAVING YOUR LITTLE ONES IN EGYPT.\" Many a heart-broken\nfather, at the present moment, is left to weep and groan over his\nfatal mistake in reference to his household. He left them in Egypt, in\nan evil hour, and under a gross delusion, and now when he ventures,\nit may be in real faithfulness and earnest affection, to drop a word\ninto the ear of those who have grown up around him, they meet it with\na deaf ear and an indifferent heart, while they cling with vigor and\ndecision to that Egypt in which he faithlessly and inconsistently left\nthem. This is a stern fact, the statement of which may send a pang to\nmany a heart; but truth must be told, in order that, though it wounds\nsome, it may prove a salutary warning to others. But I must proceed\nwith the proofs.[10]\n\n  [10] There is, I should say, a very serious error involved in a\n  Christian parent's committing the training of his children to\n  unconverted persons, or even to those whose hearts are not one with\n  him as to separation from the world. It is natural that a child should\n  look up to, and follow the example of, one who has the training and\n  management of him. Now, what can a teacher make of a child, save what\n  he is himself? Whither can he lead him, but to where he is himself?\n  What principles can he instill, save those which govern his own mind,\n  and form the basis of his own character? Well, if I see a man governed\n  by worldly principles--if I see plainly, from his whole course and\n  character, that he is an unconverted person, shall I commit to him the\n  training and instruction of my children, or the formation of their\n  characters? It would be the height of folly and inconsistency so to\n  do. As well might a man who desired to make an oval-shaped bullet cast\n  the melted lead into a circular mould.\n\n  The same principle applies to the reading of books. A book is\n  decidedly a _silent_ teacher and former of the mind and character; and\n  if I am called to look well to the character and principles of the\n  living teacher, I am equally so to look to those of the silent\n  teacher. I am quite convinced that in reference both to books and\n  teachers, we need to have our consciences stirred and instructed.\n\nIn the book of Numbers, \"the little ones\" are again introduced to our\nnotice. We have just seen that the real purpose of a soul in communion\nwith God was to go up with the little ones out of Egypt. They must be\nbrought forth from thence at all cost; but neither faith nor\nfaithfulness will rest here. We must not only count upon God to bring\nthem up out of Egypt, but also to bring them on into Canaan. Here\nIsrael signally failed. After the return of the spies, the\ncongregation, on hearing their discouraging report, gave utterance to\nthese fatal accents, \"Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this\nland, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be\na prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?\" (Numb. xiv.)\nThis was terrible. It was, in reality, so far as in them lay,\nverifying Pharaoh's wily prediction in reference to these very little\nones, \"Look to it now, for evil is before you.\" Unbelief always\njustifies Satan and makes God a liar, while faith always justifies God\nand proves Satan a liar; and as it is invariably true that according\nto your faith so shall it be unto you, so we find, on the other hand,\nthat unbelief reaps as it sows. Thus it was with unhappy, because\nunbelieving, Israel. \"As truly as I live, saith the Lord, _as ye have\nspoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you_. Your carcasses shall fall\nin this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to\nyour whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have\nmurmured against Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land\nconcerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son\nof Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. _But your little ones_, which\nye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know\nthe land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they\nshall fall in the wilderness.\" (Ver. 28-32.) \"They limited the Holy\nOne of Israel\" as to their little ones. This was a grievous sin, and\nit has been recorded for our admonition. How constantly does the heart\nof the Christian parent reason, in reference to the mode of dealing\nwith children, instead of simply taking God's ground about them. It\nmay be said, We cannot make Christians of our children. This is not\nthe question. We are not called to \"make\" any thing of them. This is\nGod's work, and His only; but if He says, \"Bring your little ones with\nyou,\" shall we refuse? I would not make a formalist of my child, and I\n_could_ not make him a real Christian; but if God, in infinite grace,\nsays to me, \"I look upon your house as part of yourself, and, in\nblessing you, I bless it,\" shall I, in gross unbelief of heart, refuse\nthis blessing, lest I should minister to formalism, or because I\ncannot impart reality? God forbid. Yea, rather, let me rejoice, with\ndeep unfeigned joy, that God has blessed me with a blessing so\ndivinely rich and full that it extends not only to me, but also to all\nwho belong to me; and, seeing that grace has given me the blessing,\nlet faith take it up and appropriate it.[11]\n\n  [11] Very many content themselves with the assurance that at some time\n  or other their children will be converted. But this is not taking\n  God's ground with them now. If we have the assurance that they are\n  within the range of God's purpose, why do we not act upon that\n  assurance? If we are waiting to see certain evidences of conversion in\n  them before we act as Scripture directs, it is plain that we are\n  looking at something besides God's promise. This is not faith. The\n  Christian parent is privileged to look upon his child now as one to be\n  trained for the Lord. He is bound to take this ground, in faith, and\n  train him thus, looking to God, in the fullest assurance, for the\n  result. If I wait to see fruits, this is not faith. Besides, the\n  question arises, What are my children now? They may be going about\n  like idle, willful vagrants, bringing sad dishonor on the name and\n  truth of Christ, and yet all the while I satisfy myself by saying, I\n  know they will be converted yet. This will never do. My children\n  should be now a testimony for God; and they can only be this by my\n  taking God's ground with them, and going on with Him about them.\n\nBut let us remember that the way to prove our entrance into the\nblessing is by fulfilling the responsibility. To say that I am\ncounting upon God to bring my children to Canaan, and yet all the\nwhile educating them for Egypt, is a deadly delusion. My conduct\nproves my profession to be a lie, and I am not to wonder if, in the\nrighteous dealings of God, I am allowed to be filled with the fruit of\nmy own doings. Conduct will ever prove the reality of our convictions;\nand in this, as in every thing else, that word of the Lord is most\nsolemnly true, \"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the\ndoctrine.\" We often want to know the doctrine before we do the will,\nand the consequence is, we are left in the most profound ignorance.\nNow, to do the will of God in reference to our children, is to treat\nthem as He does, by regarding them as part of ourselves, and training\nthem accordingly. It is not merely by hoping they may ultimately prove\nto be the children of God, but by regarding them as those who are\nalready brought into a place of privilege, and dealing with them upon\nthis ground in reference to every thing. According to the thoughts and\nactings of many parents, it would seem as though they regarded their\nchildren in the light of heathens, who had no present interest in\nChrist, or relationship to God at all. This is, assuredly, falling\ngrievously short of the divine mark. Nor is this a question, as it is\ntoo often made, of infant or adult baptism. No; it is simply and\nentirely a question of faith in the power and extent of that\npeculiarly gracious word. \"Thou and thy house\"--a word the force and\nbeauty of which we shall see more and more fully as we proceed.\n\nThroughout the book of Deuteronomy, the children of Israel are again\nand again instructed to set the commandments, the statutes, the\njudgments, and precepts of the law before their little ones; and these\nsame little ones are contemplated as inquiring into the nature and\nobject of various ordinances and institutions. The reader can easily\nrun through the various passages.\n\nI now pass on to that truly memorable resolution of Joshua, \"Choose\nyou this day whom ye will serve . . . . but as for me and my house, we\nwill serve the Lord.\" (Josh. xxiv. 15.) Observe, \"Me and my house.\" He\nfelt it was not sufficient that he himself should be personally pure\nfrom all contact with the defilements and abominations of idolatry; he\nhad also to look well to the moral character and practical condition\nof his house. Though Joshua were not to worship idols, yet if his\nchildren did so, would he be guiltless? Certainly not. Moreover, the\ntestimony of the truth would have been as effectually marred by the\nidolatry of Joshua's house as by the idolatry of Joshua himself; and\njudgment would have been executed accordingly. It is well to see this\ndistinctly. The opening of the first book of Samuel affords most\nsolemn demonstration of the truth of this--\"And the Lord said to\nSamuel, 'Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears\nof every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform\nagainst Eli all things which I have spoken concerning _his house_:\nwhen I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will\njudge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; BECAUSE HIS\nSONS MADE THEMSELVES VILE AND HE RESTRAINED THEM NOT.'\" (1 Sam. iii.\n11-13.)\n\nHere we see that no matter what the personal character of the servant\nof God may be, yet if he fail in the due regulation of his house, God\nwill not hold him guiltless. Eli should have restrained his sons. It\nwas his privilege, as it is ours, to be able to count upon the\nspecific power of God in the subjugation of every element in his house\nwhich was calculated to mar the testimony; but he did not do this, and\nhence his terrible end was that he broke his neck about the house of\nGod, because he had not broken his heart about his own house. Had he\nwaited upon God about his willful sons--had he acted faithfully--had\nhe discharged the holy responsibilities devolving upon him, the house\nof God would never have been desecrated, and the ark of God would not\nhave been taken. In a word, had he treated his house as part of\nhimself, and made it what it ought to be, he would not have called\ndown upon himself the heavy judgment of Him whose principle it is\nnever to separate the words, \"_Thou and thy house_.\"\n\nBut how many parents have since trodden in Eli's footsteps! Through\nan utterly false idea in reference to the entire basis and character\nof parental relationship, they have allowed their children, from\ninfancy to boyhood, and from boyhood to manhood, in the unrestrained\nindulgence of the will. Not having faith to take divine ground, they\nhave failed in moral power to take even the human ground of making\ntheir children respect and obey them, and the issue has presented to\nview the most fearful picture of lawless extravagance and wild\nconfusion. The highest object for the servant of God to set before him\nin the management of his house is the testimony therein afforded to\nthe honor of Him to whose house he himself belongs. This is really the\nproper ground of action. I must not seek to have my children in order\nbecause it would be an annoyance and inconvenience to _me_ to have\nthem otherwise, but because the honor of God is concerned in the godly\norder of the households of all those who form constituent parts of His\nhouse.\n\nHere, however, it may be objected that up to this point we have been\nbreathing only the atmosphere of Old-Testament scripture, and that the\nprinciples and proofs have been only thence deduced; now, on the\ncontrary, God's principle of action is grace according to election,\nand this leads to the calling out of a man, irrespective of all\ndomestic ties and relationships, so that you may find a godly,\ndevoted, heavenly-minded saint at the head of a most ungodly,\nirregular, worldly family. I maintain, in opposition to this, that the\nprinciples of God's moral government are eternal, and therefore,\nwhether developed in one age or another, they must be the same. He\ncannot at one time teach that a man and his house are one, and commend\nhim for ruling it properly, and at another time teach that they are\nnot one, but permit him to rule his house as he pleases. This is\nimpossible. God's approval or disapproval of things flows out of what\nHe is in Himself; and in this matter in particular, inasmuch as God\nrules His own house according to what He is Himself, He commands His\nservants to rule their houses upon the same principle. Has the\ndispensation of grace, or of Christianity, come in to upset this\nlovely moral order? God forbid! Nay, it has rather, if possible, added\nnew traits of beauty thereto. Was the house of a Jew looked at as part\nof himself, and shall the house of a Christian be different? Truly\nnot. It would be a sad abuse, and an anomalous application of that\nheavenly word, \"grace,\" to apply it to the misrule and demoralization\nthat prevail in the houses of numberless Christians of the present\nday. Is it grace to allow the will to ride rampant? Is it grace to\nhave all the passions, tempers, whims, and appetites of a corrupt\nnature indulged? Alas! call it not grace, lest our souls should lose\nthe real meaning of the word, and begin to imagine it to be what we\nhave called it. Call it by its proper names--a monstrous abuse--a\ndenial of God, not only as the Ruler of His own house, but as the\nmoral Administrator of the universe--a flagrant contradiction of all\nthe precepts of inspiration on this deeply important subject.\n\nBut let us turn to the New Testament and see if we cannot find in its\nsacred pages ample proof of our thesis. Does the Holy Ghost, in this\ngrand section of His book, exclude a man's house from the privileges\nand responsibilities attached thereto in the Old Testament? We shall\nsee very plainly that He does no such thing. Let us have the proofs.\nIn Christ's commission to His apostles, we find these words: \"And into\nwhatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy;\nand there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into a house,\nsalute it. And if the house [not merely the master] be worthy, let\nyour peace come upon _it_; but if it be not worthy, let your peace\nreturn to you again.\" (Matt. x. 11-13.) Again, \"And Jesus said unto\nZacch\u00e6us, 'This day is salvation come to _this house_, forasmuch as he\nalso is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to\nsave that which was lost.'\" (Luke xix. 9, 10.) So in the case of\nCornelius--\"Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is\nPeter; who shall tell thee words whereby _thou and all thy house_\nshall be saved.\" (Acts xi. 13, 14.) So also to the jailer at\nPhilippi--\"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and _thou shalt be saved\nand thy house_.\" (Acts xvi. 31.) Then we have the practical\nresult--\"And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat\nbefore them, and rejoiced, believing in God _with all his house_.\"\n(Ver. 34.) In the same chapter, Lydia says, \"If ye have judged me to\nbe faithful to the Lord, come into _my house_ and abide.\" (Ver. 15.)\n\"The Lord give mercy unto _the house_ of Onesiphorus.\" Why? was it\nbecause of its actings toward him? No; but \"because _he_ oft\nrefreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.\" (2 Tim. i. 16.) \"A\nbishop must be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children\nin subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his\nown house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?\"\n\nNow, under the term \"house,\" three things are included, viz., the\nhouse itself, the children, and the servants. All these, whether taken\ntogether or separately, should bear the distinct stamp of God. The\nhouse of a man of God should be ruled for God, in His name and for His\nglory. The head of a Christian household is the representative of God.\nWhether as a father or as a master, he is to his household an\nexpression of the power of God; and he is bound to walk in the\nintelligent recognition and practical development of this fact. It is\non this principle he is to provide for and govern the whole. Hence,\n\"if any provide not for his own house, he hath denied the faith, and\nis worse than an infidel.\" By neglecting the sphere over which God has\nset him, he proves his ignorance of and unlikeness to the One whom he\nis called to represent. This is plain enough. If I want to know how I\nam to provide for and rule my house, I have only carefully to study\nthe way in which God provides for and rules His house. This is the\ntrue way to learn. Nor is it here a question as to the actual\nconversion of the constituent parts of the household. Not at all. What\nI desire to press upon all Christian heads of houses is, that the\nwhole affair, from one end to the other, should distinctly wear the\nstamp of God's presence and God's authority,--that there should be a\nclear acknowledgment of God on the part of every member. That every\nthing should be so conducted as to elicit the confession, \"_God is\nhere_;\" and all this, not that the head of the house may be praised\nfor his moral influence and judicious management, but simply that God\nmay be glorified. This is not too much to aim at; yea, we should never\nrest satisfied with any thing less. A Christian's house should be but\na miniature representation of the house of God, not so much in the\nactual condition of individual members as in the moral order and godly\narrangement of the whole.\n\nSome may shake their heads and say, This is all very fine, but where\nwill you get it? I only ask, Does the Word of God teach a Christian\nman so to rule his house? If so, woe be to me if I refuse or fail to\ndo so. That there has been the most grievous failure in the management\nof our houses every honest conscience must admit, but nothing can be\nmore shameful than for a man calmly and deliberately to sit down\nsatisfied with a disordered condition of his house because he cannot\nattain to the standard which God has set before him. All I have to do\nis to follow the line which Scripture has laid down, and the blessing\nmust assuredly follow, for God cannot deny Himself. But if I, in\nunbelief of heart, say I cannot reach the blessing, of course I never\nshall. Every field of blessing or privilege which God opens before us\ndemands an energy of faith to enter. Like Canaan of old to the\nchildren of Israel; there it lay, but they had to go thither, for the\nword was, \"Every place that thy foot shall tread upon.\" Thus it is\never. Faith takes possession of what God gives. We should aim at every\nthing which tends to glorify Him who has made us all we are or ever\nshall be.\n\nBut what can be more dishonoring to God than to see the house of His\nservant the very reverse of what He would have it? And yet were we to\njudge from what constantly meets our view, it would seem as if many\nChristians thought that their houses had nothing whatever to do with\ntheir testimony. Most humbling it is to meet with some who, so far as\nthey are personally concerned, seem nice Christians, but who entirely\nfail in the management of their houses. They speak of separation from\nthe world, but their houses present the most distressingly worldly\nappearance; they speak of the world being crucified to them and of\ntheir being crucified to the world, and yet the world is stamped on\nthe very face of their whole establishment. Every thing seems designed\nto minister to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the\npride of life. Magnificent pier-glasses to reflect the flesh;\nsumptuous carpets, sofas, and loungers for the ease of the flesh;\nglittering chandeliers for the pride and vanity of the flesh. But it\nmay be said, It is taking low ground to descend to such particulars. I\nreply, The daughters of Zion might just as well have passed the same\ncomment upon the following solemn appeal: \"In that day the Lord will\ntake away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet,\nand their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, the chains and\nthe bracelets and the mufflers, the bonnets and the ornaments of the\nlegs and the headbands and the tablets and the earrings, the rings and\nnose-jewels, the changeable suits of apparel and the mantles and the\nwimples and the crisping-pins, the glasses and the fine linen and the\nhoods and the vails.\" (Isa. iii. 18-23.)\n\nThis was descending to very minute particulars. The same might be said\nof the following passage from Amos: \"Woe to them that are at ease in\nZion ... that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon\ntheir couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out\nof the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and\ninvent to themselves instruments of music, like David.\" (Chap. vi.\n1-5.) The Spirit of God can descend to particulars when the\nparticulars are there to be descended to. But it may be further\nobjected, We must furnish our houses according to our rank in life.\nWherever this objection is urged, it reveals very fully the real\nground of the objector's soul. That ground is the world,\nunquestionably. \"_Our rank in life_\"!--what does this really mean, as\napplied to those who profess to be _dead_? To talk of our rank in life\nis to deny the very foundations of Christianity. If we have rank in\nlife, then it follows that we must be alive as men in the flesh--men\naccording to nature, and then the law has its full force against us,\n\"for the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth.\" Hence\nthis rank in life becomes a serious matter.\n\nBut, let me ask, how did we get rank in life? or, in what life is it?\nIf it be in this life, then we are liars whenever we talk of being\n\"crucified with Christ\"--\"dead with Christ\"--\"buried with\nChrist\"--\"risen with Christ\"--\"outside the camp with Christ\"--\"not in\nthe flesh\"--\"not of the world which fadeth away.\" All these are so\nmany splendid lies to those possessing, or pretending to, a rank in\nthis life. This is the real truth of the matter; and we must allow the\ntruth to reach and act upon our consciences, that it may influence our\nlives. What, then, is the only life in which we have a rank? The\nresurrection-life of Christ. Redeeming love has given us a rank in\nthis life, and truly we know that worldly furniture, costly array,\nridiculous parade and retinue, have nothing to do with rank in this\nlife. Ah, no; the circumstances which comport with rank in heavenly\nlife are, holiness of character, purity of life, spiritual power,\nprofound humility, separation from every thing which directly savors\nof the flesh and the world. To furnish our persons and our houses with\nthese things would be furnishing them \"according to our rank in life.\"\nBut in point of fact, this objection does really bring out the true\nprinciple at the heart's core. It has already been remarked that the\nhouse reveals the moral condition of the man, and this objection\nconfirms that statement. People who talk, or even think, of rank in\nlife have, \"in their hearts, turned back again into Egypt.\" And what\ndoes God say will be the end of such? \"I will carry you away beyond\nBabylon.\" Yes, it is greatly to be feared that the great millstone of\nRevelation xviii. presents but too true a picture of the end of much\nof the sickly, spurious, hollow Christianity of the present day.\n\nIt may, however, be further urged that Christianity affords no warrant\nfor filthy and irregular houses. This is most true. I know few things\nmore distressing and dishonoring than to see the house of a Christian\ncharacterized by filth and confusion. Such things could never exist in\nconnection with a really spiritual or even a well-adjusted mind. You\nmay set it down that there must be something radically wrong wherever\nsuch things exist. Here, in an especial manner, the house of God\npresents itself before us as a blessed model. Over the door of that\nhouse may be seen inscribed this wholesome motto: \"Let all things be\ndone decently and in order;\" and all who love God and His house will\ndesire to carry out this precept at home.\n\nThe next point suggested by the expression, \"Thou and thy house,\" is\nthe management of our children. This is a sore and deeply humbling\npoint to many of us, inasmuch as it discloses a fearful amount of\nfailure. The condition of the children tends, more than any thing, to\nbring out the condition of the parent. The real measure of my\nsurrender of the world, and my subjugation of nature, will constantly\nbe shown in my thoughts about and treatment of my children. I profess\nto have given up the world, so far as I am personally concerned; but\nthen I have children. Have I given up the world for them as well? Some\nmay say, How can I? They are in nature, and must have the world. Here\nagain the true moral condition of the heart is revealed. The world is\nreally not given up, and my children are made an excuse for grasping\nagain what I professed to have given up, but my heart retained all the\nwhile. Are my children part of myself, or are they not? Part of\nmyself, assuredly. Well, then, if I profess to have relinquished the\nworld for myself and yet am seeking it for them, what is it but the\nwretched anomaly of a man half in Egypt and half in Canaan? We know\nwhere such an one is wholly and in reality. He is wholly and really in\nEgypt. Yes, my brethren, here is where we have to judge ourselves. Our\nchildren tell a tale. The music-master and the dancing-master are\nsurely not the agents which the Spirit of God would select to help our\nchildren along, nor do they, by any means, comport with that\nhigh-toned Nazariteship to which we are called. These things prove\nthat Christ is not the chosen and amply sufficient portion of our\nsouls. What is sufficient for me is sufficient for those who are part\nof me. And shall I be so base as to train my children for the devil\nand the world? Shall I minister to and pamper that in them which I\nprofess to mortify in myself? It is a grievous mistake, and we shall\nfind it so. If my children are in Egypt, I am there myself. If my\nchildren savor of Babylon, I savor of it myself. If my children belong\nto a corrupt worldly religious system, I belong to it myself, in\nprinciple. \"Thou and thy house\" are one; God has made them one; and\n\"what He has joined together, let no man put asunder.\"\n\nThis is a solemn and searching truth, in the light of which we may\nclearly see the evil of urging our children along a path upon which we\nprofess to have forever turned our backs, as believing firmly that it\nterminates in hell fire. We profess to count the world's literature,\nits honors, its riches, its distinctions, its pleasures, all \"dung and\ndross,\" yet these very things, which we have declared to be only\nhindrances to us in our Christian course, and which, as such, we have\nprofessed to cast aside, we are diligently setting before our children\nas things perfectly essential to their progress. In so doing, we\nentirely forget that things which act as clogs to us cannot possibly\nact as helps to our children.[12] It were infinitely better to throw\noff the mask, and declare plainly that we have not given up the world\nat all; and nothing ever made this thoroughly manifest but our\nchildren. The Lord, I believe, in righteous judgment, is taking up the\nfamilies of brethren, to show in them the actual condition of the\ntestimony amongst us. In many cases it is well known that the children\nof Christians are the wildest and most ungodly in the neighborhood.\nShould this be so? Would God accept a testimony at the hand of those\nwho have it so? Would it be thus if we were walking faithfully before\nGod as to our houses? These inquiries must be answered in the\nnegative. If only I get the principle of \"Thou and thy house\" firmly\nfixed in my conscience, and intelligently wrought into my mind, I\nshall see it to be my place to count upon God, and cry to Him, just as\nmuch for the testimony of my house as for my own testimony. In\nreality, I cannot separate them. I may attempt it, but it is vain. How\noften has one felt a pang at hearing such words as these: \"Such an one\nis a very dear, godly, devoted brother; but, oh! he has the boldest\nand wildest children in the neighborhood, and his house is a sad mess\nof misrule and confusion.\" I ask, what is the testimony of such an one\nworth in the judgment of God? Little indeed. Saved he may be; but is\nsalvation all we want? Is there no testimony to be given? and if there\nis, what is it? and where is it to be seen? Is it confined to the\nbenches of a meeting-room, or is it to be seen in the midst of a man's\nhouse? The heart can answer.\n\n  [12] The Christian parent may ask, What am I to teach my child? The\n  answer is simple. Teach him only such things as will prove useful to\n  him as a servant of Christ. Do not teach him aught which you know\n  would prove a positive source of defilement or weakness to him should\n  he remain here. We are seldom at a loss to know what kind of food to\n  give our children. We are tolerably well aware of what would prove\n  nourishing and what would prove the reverse. Now, were the instincts\n  of the new nature as true and as energetic in us as those of the old,\n  we should, I am persuaded, be at as little loss to decide in reference\n  to what we should teach our children. In this, as in every thing else,\n  it may be said, \"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full\n  of light.\" If we have a deep sense of Christ's glory, and a sincere\n  desire to promote it, we shall not be left in perplexity; but if our\n  body is not \"full of light,\" we may be assured our \"eye\" is not\n  \"single.\"\n\nBut it may be urged, Our children will crave a little worldly\nenjoyment, and we must indulge them. We cannot put old heads upon\nyoung shoulders. I reply, Our own hearts often crave a little of the\nworld likewise. Shall we indulge their craving? No; but judge it.\nExactly so. Do the same in reference to your children's craving. If I\nfind my children going out after the world, I should immediately\njudge and chasten myself before God, crying to Him to enable me to put\nit down, so that the testimony may not suffer. But I cannot but\nbelieve that if the parent's heart is, from its centre to its\ncircumference, purged of the world, its principles, and its lusts, it\nwill exert a mighty influence upon his whole house. This is what makes\nthis entire question one of such vast magnitude and practical weight.\nIs my house a just criterion by which to judge of my real condition? I\nbelieve the whole teaching of Scripture is in favor of an affirmative.\nThis makes the matter peculiarly solemn. How am I walking before my\nfamily? Is my whole course and character so unequivocal that all can\nsee that my one supreme object is Christ, and that I would just as\nsoon, if I could, unlock the portals of hell, and let my children in,\nas educate them for the world, or seek the world for them?\n\nThis I feel to be a startling inquiry; yet it is one which we are\nbound to follow up to the uttermost. What has called into existence,\nin many cases, that awful profanity, that disposition to scoff at\nsacred things, that utter distaste for the Scriptures, and for\nmeetings where the Scriptures are brought forward, that skeptical and\ninfidel spirit so sadly apparent in the children of Christian\nprofessors? Will any one undertake to say that the parents have\nnothing to do with this, in the judgment of God? May not much of this\nbe justly traced to the sad incongruity between the professed\nprinciples and the actual practices of the parents? I believe it may.\nChildren are shrewd observers. They very soon begin to discover what\ntheir parents are really at. They will gather this, too, much more\nspeedily and accurately from their _doings_ than from their _prayings_\nor their _sayings_; and although the parents may teach that the world\nand its ways are bad, and though they may pray that their children may\nknow the Lord, yet inasmuch as they are educating them for the world,\nand seeking most industriously to push them on in it, grasping at and\ngetting in by every opening, and congratulating themselves when they\nhave succeeded in settling them there, it necessarily follows that the\nchildren begin to say in their hearts, \"The world is a good place\nafter all, for my parents thank God on getting me a berth in it, and\nlook upon it as a most marked opening of Providence. All that peculiar\ntalk of theirs, therefore, about being dead to the world, and being\nrisen with Christ--the world's being under judgment, and their being\nstrangers and pilgrims therein--all this must be rank nonsense, or\nelse Christians, so called, must be rank deceivers.\" Will any one say\nthat such reasoning as this has not passed through the mind of many a\nprofessor's child? I cannot doubt it. The grace of God, no doubt, is\nsovereign, and often triumphs over all our errors and failures; but\noh! let us think of the testimony, and let us see that our houses are\nreally ordered for God and not for Satan.[13]\n\n  [13] I would, however, desire to remind the children of Christian\n  parents that they are solemnly responsible to hearken to God's holy\n  word, quite irrespective of the conduct of their parents. God's truth\n  is not affected by the actings of men; and wherever one has heard the\n  testimony of God's love, in the death and resurrection of Christ, he\n  is responsible for the use he makes thereof, even though he should not\n  have seen its sacred influence and power exemplified in the life of\n  his parents. I would press these facts upon the serious attention of\n  all children of Christian parents.\n\nBut it will be said, How are our children to get on? must they not\nearn their bread? Unquestionably. God formed us for work. The very\nfact of my having a pair of hands proves that I am not to be idle. But\nI need not push my son back into that world which I have left, in\norder to give him employment. The Most High God, the Possessor of\nheaven and earth, had one Son, His only begotten, the Heir of all\nthings, by whom also He made the worlds; He did not take up any of the\nlearned professions, but was known as \"the carpenter.\" Has this no\nvoice for us? Christ has gone up on high and taken His seat at God's\nright hand. As thus risen, He is our Head, Representative, and Model;\nbut He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. Are we\nfollowing His steps in seeking to push our children on in that very\nworld which crucified Him? Surely not: we are adopting the very\nopposite course, and the end will be accordingly. \"Be not deceived;\nGod is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also\nreap.\" As we sow, in reference to our children, so shall we also reap.\nIf we sow to the flesh and the world, we cannot expect to reap\notherwise. But I would not, by any means, be understood to teach that\na Christian parent ought to place his child below the level on which\nthe Lord has placed himself. I do not believe he would be warranted in\nso doing. If my calling be a godly one, it may suit my child as well\nas it suits myself. All cannot be carpenters, it is true; yet one\nfeels that, in an age of progress like the present, where \"onward and\nupward in the world\" seems to be the great motto, there is a deep\nmoral for the heart in the fact that the Son of God--the Creator and\nSustainer of the universe--was only known amongst men as \"the\ncarpenter.\" It assuredly teaches that Christians should not be found\nseeking \"great things\" for their children.\n\nHowever, it is not merely in reference to the object set forth in our\nchildren's education that we have failed, and so marred the testimony;\nbut also in the matter of keeping them in general subjection to\nparental authority. On this point there has been great deficiency\namongst Christian parents. The spirit of the present age is that of\ninsubordination. \"Disobedient to parents\" forms a trait in the\napostasy of the last days; and we have specially helped on its\ndevelopment by an entirely false application of the principle of\ngrace, as also by not seeing that there is involved in the parental\nrelationship a principle of power exercised in righteousness, without\nwhich our houses must prove to be scenes of lawlessness and wild\nconfusion. It is no grace to pamper an unsanctified will. We mourn\nover our own lack of a broken will, and yet we are strengthening the\nwill in our children. It is always, to my mind, a manifest proof of\nthe weakness of parental authority, as well as of ignorance of the way\nin which the servant of God should rule his house, to hear a parent\nsay to a child, \"_Will_ you do so and so?\" This question, simple as it\nseems, tends directly to create or minister to the very thing which\nyou ought to put down, by every means in your power, and that is, the\nexercise of the child's _will_. Instead, therefore, of asking the\nchild, \"Will you do?\" just tell him what he is to do, and let there\nnot be in his mind the idea of calling in question your authority. The\nparent's will should be supreme with a child, because the parent\nstands in the place of God. All power belongs to God, and He has\ninvested His servant with power, both as a father and a master. If,\ntherefore, the child or the servant resist this power, it is\nresistance of God.[14]\n\n  [14] \"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring\n  them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.\" (Eph. vi. 4.)\n  There is great danger of provoking our children to wrath by inordinate\n  strictness and arbitrary treatment. We may constantly find ourselves\n  seeking to mould and fashion our children according to our own tastes\n  and peculiarities, rather than to \"bring them up in the nurture and\n  admonition of the Lord.\" This is a very great mistake, and will surely\n  issue in failure and confusion. We shall gain nothing, in the way of\n  testimony for Christ, by moulding and fashioning nature into the most\n  exquisite shapes. Moreover, it does not require faith to train and\n  cultivate nature; but it does require it to bring up in the nurture\n  and admonition of the Lord.\n\n  Some, however, may say that the apostle, in the above passage, is\n  speaking of converted children. To this I reply, that there is nothing\n  about conversion in the passage. It is not said, Bring up your\n  converted children, etc. Were it thus, it would settle the whole\n  question. But it is simply said, \"_your children_,\" which surely must\n  mean _all_ our children. Now, if I am to bring up all my children in\n  the nurture and admonition of the Lord, when am I to commence? Am I to\n  wait till they grow up to be almost men and women? or am I to begin\n  where all right minded people begin their work, namely, at the\n  _beginning_? Am I to allow them to run on in nature's folly and\n  wildness, during the most important part of their career, without ever\n  seeking to bring their consciences into the presence of God, as to\n  their solemn responsibilities? Am I to suffer them to spend in utter\n  thoughtlessness that period of life in which the elements of their\n  future character are imparted? This would be the most refined cruelty.\n  What should we say to a gardener who would allow the branches of his\n  fruit-trees to assume all sorts of crooked and fantastic shapes ere he\n  thought of commencing a proper system of training? We should doubtless\n  pronounce him a fool and a madman. And yet such an one is wise in\n  comparison with a parent who suspends the nurture and admonition of\n  the Lord until his children have made manifest progress in the nurture\n  and admonition of the enemy.\n\n  But, it may be said, we must wait for evidences of conversion. To this\n  I reply, that faith never waits for evidences, but acts on God's word,\n  and the evidences are sure to follow. It is always a manifest proof of\n  infidelity to wait for signs when God gives a command. If Israel had\n  waited for a sign when God said, \"Go forward,\" it would have been\n  plain disobedience; and if the man with the withered hand had waited\n  for some evidence of strength when Christ commanded him to stretch\n  forth his hand, he might have carried his withered hand to the grave\n  with him. So is it with parents. If they wait for signs and evidences\n  before they obey God's word in Ephesians vi. 4, they are certainly not\n  walking by faith, but by sight. Besides, if we are to begin at the\n  beginning to train our children, we must evidently begin before they\n  are capable of giving what we might regard as evidences of conversion.\n\n  In this, as in every thing else, our place is to obey, and leave\n  results with God. The moral condition of the soul may be tested by the\n  command; but where there is the disposition to obey, the power to do\n  so will surely accompany the command, and the fruits of obedience will\n  follow \"_in due season, if we faint not_.\"\n\n\"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters\nworthy of all honor, that the name of _God_ and His doctrine be not\nblasphemed.\" Observe, it is \"God and His doctrine.\" Why? Because it is\na question of power. The name of Christ and His doctrine would put the\nmaster and servant on a level, as members of one body. In Christ Jesus\nthere is no distinction; but when I go abroad in the world, I\nencounter God's moral government, which makes one a master and another\na servant; and any infringement upon that government will meet with\ncertain judgment.\n\nNow, it is of immense importance to have a clear understanding of the\ndoctrine of God's moral government. It would settle many a difficulty,\nand solve many a question. This government is carried on with a\nrighteous decision, which is peculiarly solemnizing. If we look\nthrough Scripture in reference to this subject, we shall find that in\nevery instance in which there has been error or failure, it has\ninevitably produced its own results. Adam took of the forbidden fruit,\nand he was instantly thrust forth from the garden, into a world\ngroaning beneath the curse and weight of his sin. Nor was he ever\nreplaced in paradise. True, grace came in, and gave him a promise of a\nDeliverer; moreover, it clothed his naked shoulders. Nevertheless, his\nsin produced its own result. He made a false step, and he never\nrecovered it. Again, Moses, at the waters of Meribah, uttered a hasty\nword, and immediately a righteous God forbad his entrance into Canaan.\nIn his case likewise grace came in, and gave him something better; for\nit was much better, from the top of Pisgah, to inspect the plains of\nPalestine in company with Jehovah than to inhabit them in company with\nIsrael. So also in David's case. He committed a sin, and the solemn\ndenunciation was immediately issued, \"The sword shall never depart\nfrom thy house.\" In his case too grace abounded, and he enjoyed a more\nprofound sense of grace as he ascended the side of Mount Olivet with\nbare feet and covered head than he ever had enjoyed amid the splendors\nof a throne; nevertheless, his sin produced its own result. He made a\nfalse step, and he never recovered it.\n\nNor is the exemplification of this principle confined merely to\nOld-Testament times. By no means. Look at the case of Barnabas. He\ngave utterance to the seemingly amiable desire to have the company of\nhis nephew Mark, and, from that moment, he loses his honorable place\nin the records of the Holy Ghost. He is never heard of afterward, and\nhis place was supplied with a more wholly devoted heart.[15] Hence\nGod's moral government is a most momentous truth. It is such, that as\nsurely as one does wrong, he will reap the fruit of it, no matter who\nhe is--believer or unbeliever, saint or sinner. Grace may forgive the\nsin, and will, where it is confessed and judged; but inasmuch as the\nprinciples of God's moral government have been interfered with, the\noffender must be made to feel his mistake. He has missed a step of the\nwheel, and he shall assuredly feel the consequences. This is a most\nsolemn but specially wholesome truth, the action of which has been\nsadly clogged by false notions about grace. God never allows His grace\nto interfere with His moral government. He could not do so, because it\nwould produce confusion, and \"God is not the author of confusion.\"\n\n  [15] It was nature in Barnabas that led him to wish for the company of\n  one who \"departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to\n  the work.\" It was amiable nature, yet it was nature, and it triumphed,\n  for he took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, his native country, where, in\n  the freshness of his Christian course, he had sold his property, in\n  order to be a more unshackled follower of Him who had not where to lay\n  His head. (See Acts iv. 36, 37.) This is no uncommon case. Many set\n  out with a surrender of earth and nature with their respective claims.\n  The blossom on the tree of Christian profession looks fair, and emits\n  a fragrant perfume; but alas! it is not followed by the rich and\n  mellow fruit of autumn. The influences of earth and nature gather\n  around the soul, and nip its beauteous blossoms, and all ends in\n  barrenness and disappointment. This is very sad, and is always\n  attended with the very worst moral effect upon the testimony. It is\n  not at all a question of ceasing to be a saved person. Barnabas was a\n  saved person. The influences of Mark and Cyprus could not blot out his\n  name from the Lamb's book of life, but they did most thoroughly blot\n  out his name from the records of testimony and service here below. And\n  was not this something to be lamented? Is there naught to be deplored\n  or dreaded save the loss of personal salvation? Most despicable is the\n  selfishness that can think so. For what purpose does the blessed God\n  take so much pains and trouble in maintaining His people here? Is it\n  that they may be saved and made meet for glory? No such thing. Saved\n  they are already, by the accomplished redemption of Christ, and\n  therefore meet for glory. There is no middle step between\n  justification and glory, for \"whom He justified, them He also\n  glorified.\" Why, therefore, does God leave us here? That we may be a\n  testimony for Christ. Were it not for this, we might just as well be\n  taken to heaven the moment of our conversion. May we have grace to\n  understand this point, in all its fullness and practical power.\n\nIt is here there has been so much failure in the management of our\nhouses. We have forgotten the principle of righteous rule which God\nhas set before us, and in the exercise of which He has given us an\nexample. My reader must not confound the principle of God's government\nwith the aspect of His character.[16] These two things are distinct.\nThe former is righteousness, the latter is grace; but what I here\ndesire to bring out is, the fact that there is a principle of\nrighteousness involved in the relationship of father and master, and\nif this principle receive not its due place in the management of the\nfamily, there must be confusion. If I see a _strange_ child doing\nwrong, I have no divine authority to exercise righteous discipline\ntoward him; but the moment I see my own child doing so, I put him\nunder discipline. Why? because I am his father. But it may be said,\nThe parental relationship is one of love. True; it is founded in love:\n\"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we\nshould be called the sons of God.\" But although the relationship is\nfounded in love, it is exercised in righteousness, for \"the time is\ncome when judgment must begin at the house of God.\" So also, in\nHebrews xii, we are taught that the very fact of our being genuine\nsons brings us under the righteous discipline of the Father's hand. In\nJohn xvii, too, the Church is committed to the care of the Holy\nFather, to be kept by Him through His own name.\n\n  [16] The epistles of Peter develop the doctrine of God's moral\n  government. He it is who asks the question, \"Who is he that will harm\n  you, if ye be followers of that which is good?\" Now, some may find a\n  difficulty in reconciling this inquiry with Paul's statement, \"All\n  that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.\" It\n  were needless to say that the two ideas are in perfect and beautiful\n  harmony. The Lord Jesus Himself, who was the only perfect and\n  unwavering follower of that which is good, who, from first to last,\n  \"went about doing good,\" found, in the end, the cross, the spear, the\n  borrowed grave. The apostle Paul, who, beyond all other men, kept\n  close to the Great Original which was set before him, was called to\n  drink an unusually large cup of privation and persecution. And to this\n  moment, the more like Christ, and the more devoted to Him any one is,\n  the more privation and persecution he will suffer. Were any one, in\n  true devotedness to Christ and love to souls, to take his stand\n  publicly in some Roman Catholic district, and there preach Christ, his\n  life would be in imminent danger. Do all these facts interfere with\n  Peter's inquiry? By no means. The direct tendency of God's moral\n  government is to protect from injury all who are \"followers of that\n  which is good,\" and to bring down punishment upon all who are the\n  reverse; but it never interferes with the higher path of ardent\n  discipleship, or deprives any one of the privilege and dignity of\n  being as like Christ as he will; \"for unto you _it is given_, on\n  behalf of Christ [\u03c4\u03bf \u03c5\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5], not only to believe on Him,\n  but also to suffer for Him [\u03c5\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5]; having the same conflict\n  which ye saw in me, and now hear in me.\" (Phil. i. 29, 30.) Here we are\n  taught that it is an actual gift conferred upon us to be allowed to\n  suffer for Christ, and this in the midst of a scene in which, on the\n  ground of God's moral government, it can be said, \"Who is he that will\n  harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?\" To recognize and\n  be a subject of God's government is one thing, and to be a follower of\n  a rejected and crucified Christ is quite another. Even in Peter's\n  epistle, which, as we have remarked, has as its special theme the\n  doctrine of God's government, we read, \"But if, doing well and\n  suffering for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable to God. For\n  unto this were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving\n  us an example, that we should follow His steps.\" And again, \"If any\n  suffer _as a Christian_ [from being morally like Christ], let him not\n  be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.\"\n\nNow, in every case in which this great truth has been lost sight of by\nChristian parents, their houses have been thrown into confusion. They\nhave not governed their children, and as a consequence, their children\nhave, in process of time, governed them, for there will be government\nsomewhere; and if those into whose hands God has put the reins do not\nhold them properly, they will speedily fall into bad hands; and can\nthere be a more melancholy sight than to see parents governed by their\nchildren? I believe, in God's sight, it presents a fearful moral blot,\nwhich must bring down His judgment. A parent who lets the reins of\ngovernment drop from his hands, or who does not hold them steadily,\nhas grievously failed in his high and holy position as the\nrepresentative of God, and the depositary of His power; nor do I\nbelieve that any one so failing can ever thoroughly regain his place,\nor be a proper witness for God in his day and generation. A subject of\ngrace he may be; but then, a subject of grace and a witness for God\nare two widely different things. This will account for the sorrowful\ncondition of many brethren. They have utterly failed to govern their\nhouses, and hence they have lost their true position and moral\ninfluence--their energies are paralyzed, their mouths closed, their\ntestimony hushed; and if such do lift the voice in some feeble way,\nthe finger of scorn is instantly pointed at their families, and this\ncannot but send a blush to the cheek and a pang to the conscience.\n\nNor do people always take a correct view of this matter, and trace the\nfailure up to its legitimate source. Many are too ready to look upon\nit as a natural and necessary thing that their children are to grow up\nwillful and worldly. They say, It is all very well while your children\nare young, but wait till they grow older, and you will see that you\nmust let them go into the world. Now, I want to know, is it the mind\nof God that the children of His servants must necessarily grow up\nwillful and worldly? I never could believe any such thing. Well, then,\nif it be not His mind that they should so grow up,--if He has\ngraciously opened the same path to my house as He has opened to\nmyself,--if He has permitted me to select the same portion for my\nchildren as I have, through His grace, selected for myself,--if, after\nall this, my children grow up willful and worldly, what am I to infer?\nWhy, that I have grievously sinned and failed in my parental\nrelationship and responsibilities--that I have wronged my children and\ndishonored the Lord. Shall I go and make a general principle of this,\nand set it down that all the children of Christians must grow up as\nmine have? Shall I go and discourage young parents from taking God's\nground in reference to their dear children, by setting before them my\nabominable failure, instead of encouraging them by setting before them\nGod's infallible faithfulness to all who seek Him in the way of His\nappointment? To act thus would be to follow in the steps of the old\nprophet of Bethel, who, because he was in the midst of evil himself,\nsought to drag his brother in also, and had him slain by a lion for\ndisobeying the word of the Lord.\n\nBut the sum of the matter is this: The willfulness of my children\nreveals the willfulness of my own heart, and a righteous God is using\nthem to chasten me, because I have not chastened myself. This is a\npeculiarly solemn view of the case, and one that calls for deep\nsearching of heart. To save myself trouble, I have let things take\ntheir course in my family, and now my children have grown up around me\nto be thorns in my side, because I trained them not for God. This is\nthe history of thousands. We should ever bear in mind that our\nchildren, as well as ourselves, should be \"set for the defense and\nconfirmation of the gospel.\" I feel persuaded that, could we only be\nled to regard our houses as a testimony for God, it would produce an\nimmense reformation in our mode of ruling them. We should then seek a\nhigh tone of moral order, not that we might be spared any trouble or\nvexation, but rather that the testimony might not suffer through any\nconfusion in our families. But let us not forget, that in order to\nsubdue nature in our children, we must subdue it in ourselves. We can\nnever subdue nature by nature. It is only as we have crushed it in\nourselves that we are in a position to crush it in our children.\nMoreover, there must be the clearest understanding and the fullest\nharmony between the father and mother. Their voice, their will, their\nauthority, their influence, should be essentially one--one in the\nstrictest sense of that word. Being themselves \"no more twain, but one\nflesh,\" they should ever appear before their children in the beauty\nand power of that oneness. In order to this, they must wait much upon\nGod together--they must be much in His presence, opening up all their\nhearts, and telling out all their need. Christians do frequently\ninjure one another in this respect. It sometimes happens that one\npartner really desires to give up the world and subdue nature to an\nextent for which the other is not prepared, and this produces sad\nresults. It sometimes leads to reserve, to shuffling, to management\nand generalship, to positive antagonism in the views and principles of\nhusband and wife, so that they cannot really be said to be joined in\nthe Lord. The effect of all this upon the children as they grow up is\npernicious beyond all conception; and the influence which it exerts in\nderanging the entire house is quite incalculable. What the father\ncommands, the mother remits; what the father builds up, the mother\npulls down. Sometimes the father is represented as stern, severe,\narbitrary, and exacting. The maternal influence acts outside and\nindependent of the paternal; sometimes, even, it sets it aside\naltogether; so that the father's position becomes wretched in the\nextreme, and the whole family presents a most demoralized and ungodly\nappearance.[17] This is terrible. Children never could be properly\ntrained under such circumstances; and as to testimony for Christ, the\nbare thought of it is monstrous. Wherever such a state of things\nprevails, there should be the deepest sorrow of heart before the Lord\non account of it. His mercy is exhaustless, and His tender compassions\nfail not; and surely we may hope that, where there is true contrition\nand confession, God will graciously come in with healing and\nrestoration. One thing is certain, that we should not go on content to\nhave things so; therefore, let the one who feels the sorrow of heart\ncry mightily to God, day and night--cry to Him on the ground of His\nown truth and name, which are blasphemed by such things; and, be\nassured, He will hear and answer.\n\n  [17] Nothing can be more melancholy than to hear a mother say to a\n  child, \"We must not let your father know any thing about this.\" Where\n  such a course of reserve and double dealing is adopted, there must be\n  something radically and awfully wrong, and it is a moral impossibility\n  that any thing like godly order can prevail, or right discipline be\n  carried out. Either the father must, by inordinate severity or\n  unwarrantable strictness, be \"provoking his children to wrath,\" or the\n  mother must be pampering the child's will at the expense of the\n  father's character and authority. In either case, there is an\n  effectual barrier to the testimony, and the children suffer grievous\n  injury. Hence, Christian parents should see well to it that they\n  always appear before their children, and also before their servants,\n  in the power of that unity which flows from their being perfectly\n  joined together in the Lord. If, unhappily, any shade of difference\n  should arise in reference to the details of domestic government, let\n  it be made a matter of private conference, prayer, and self-judgment\n  in the presence of God; but never let the subjects of government see\n  such a manifest proof of moral weakness, for it will surely cause them\n  to despise the government.\n\n_But let all be viewed in the light of testimony for God's Son._ It is\nto further this we are left here. We are surely not left here merely\nto bring up families. We are left here to bring them up for God, with\nGod, by God, and before God. To do all this, we must be much in His\npresence. A Christian parent should take great care not to punish his\nchildren merely to gratify his whims and tempers. He is to represent\nGod in the midst of his family. This, when properly understood, will\nregulate every thing. He is God's steward, likewise, and in order\nrightly and intelligently to discharge the functions of his\nstewardship, he must have frequent--yea, unbroken--intercourse with\nhis Master. He must be constantly betaking himself to His feet, to\nknow what he is to do, and how he is to do it. This will make every\nthing easy and happy. It is often the desire of one's heart to get an\nabstract rule for this, that, and the other thing, in the details of\nfamily arrangement. One may ask what sort of punishments, what sort of\nrewards, what sort of amusements, should a Christian parent adopt.\nActual punishment will, I believe, rarely be called for, if the divine\nprinciple of government be carried out from the earliest date; and as\nto rewards, it would be better to put them in the light of expressions\nof love and approval. A child must be obedient--unqualifiedly and\nunhesitatingly obedient--not to get a reward, which is apt to feed\nemulation, a fruit of the flesh; but because God would have him so;\nand then, of course, it is quite allowable for the parent to express\nhis approval in the shape of some little present. As to amusement, let\nit always, if possible, assume the character of some useful\noccupation. This is most salutary. It is a bad thing to cherish the\nthought in the mind of a child that painted toys and gilded baubles\nminister pleasure. With very young children, I have constantly found\nthat they derived more real, and certainly much more simple pleasure\nfrom a piece of stick or paper made out by themselves, than from the\nmost expensive toy. Finally, let us, in all things, whether\npunishment, reward, or amusement, keep the eye on Christ, and\nearnestly seek the subjugation of the flesh in every shape and form.\nSo shall our houses be a testimony for God, and all who enter them be\nconstrained to say, \"GOD IS HERE.\"\n\nAs to the management of servants in a Christian household, the\nprinciple is equally simple. The master, as the head of the house, is\nthe expression of the power of God, and as such, he must insist upon\nsubjection and obedience. It is not a question of the Christianity of\nthe servants, but simply of the order which should ever be maintained\nin a Christian household. Here, too, we must be on our guard against\nthe mere indulgence of our own arbitrary temper. We have to remember\nthat we have a Master in heaven, who has taught us to \"give unto our\nservants that which is just and equal.\" If only we set the Lord before\nus from day to day, and seek to exhibit Him in all our dealings with\nour servants, we shall be kept from error on every side.\n\nI must now close. I have not written, the Lord knows, to wound anyone.\nI feel the truth, importance, and deep solemnity of the points here\nput forward, and also my own lack of ability to bring them out with\nsufficient distinctness and power. However, I look to God to make them\ninfluential; and where He works, the very weakest agency will answer\nHis end. To Him I now commend these pages, which have, I trust, been\nbegun, continued, and ended in His holy presence. The thought has\ncomforted me not a little, that at the very moment in which it was\nlaid on my conscience to prepare this paper, a number of beloved\nbrethren were actually assembled for humiliation, confession, and\nprayer, in immediate connection with the testimony of God's Son in\nthese last days. I doubt not that a very leading point of confession\nhas been failure in the government of the house; and if these pages\nshould be used of God's Spirit to produce, even in one conscience, a\ndeeper sense of this failure, and in one heart, a more earnest desire\nto meet the failure in God's own way, I shall rejoice, and feel I have\nnot written in vain.\n\nMay God Almighty, in His great grace, produce, by His Holy Spirit, in\nthe hearts of all His beloved saints, a more ardent purpose of soul to\nraise, in this closing hour, a fuller, brighter, more vigorous and\ndecided testimony for Christ, that so, ere the shout of the archangel\nand the trump of God are heard in the air, there may be a people\nprepared to meet and welcome the heavenly Bridegroom.\n\n                                                  _C. H. M._\n\n\n\n\nDISCIPLESHIP IN AN EVIL DAY\n\n\nThe first three chapters of the Book of Daniel furnish a most\nseasonable and important lesson at a time like the present, in which\nthe disciple is in such danger of yielding to surrounding influences,\nand of lowering his standard of testimony and his tone of\ndiscipleship, in order to meet the existing condition of things.\n\nAt the opening of chapter i. we have a most discouraging picture of\nthe state of things, in reference to the ostensible witness of God on\nthe earth. \"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of\nJudah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and\nbesieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his\nhand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried\ninto the land of Shinar, to the house of his god; and he brought the\nvessels into the house of his god.\" (Chap. i. 1, 2.) Here then we have\nan aspect of things quite sufficient, if looked at from nature's point\nof view, to discourage the heart, to damp the spirit, and paralyse the\nenergies. Jerusalem in ruins, the temple trodden down, the Lord's\nvessels in the house of a false god, and Judah carried away captive.\nSurely the heart would feel disposed to say, There is no use in\nseeking to hold up the standard of practical discipleship and personal\ndevotedness any longer. The spirit must droop, the heart must faint,\nand the hands must hang down, when such is the condition of the people\nof God. It could be nought but the greatest presumption for any of\nJudah's sons to think of taking up true Nazarite's position at such a\ntime.\n\nSuch would be nature's reasoning; but such was not the language of\nfaith. Blessed be God! there is always a wide sphere in which the\nspirit of genuine devotedness can develop itself--there is always a\npath along which the true disciple can run, even though he should have\nto run in solitude. It matters not what the outward condition of\nthings may be, it is faith's privilege to hang as much on God, to feed\nas much on Christ, and to breathe as much of the air of heaven, as\nthough all were in perfect order and harmony.\n\nThis is an unspeakable mercy to the faithful heart. All who desire to\nwalk devotedly can always find a path to walk in; whereas, on the\ncontrary, the man who draws a plea, from outward circumstances, for\nrelaxing his energy, would not be energetic, though most favorably\nsituated.\n\nIf ever there was a time in which one might be excused for taking a\nlow ground, it was the time of the Babylonish captivity. The entire\nframework of Judaism was broken up; the kingly power had passed out of\nthe hand of David's successor, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar;\nthe glory had departed from Israel; and, in one word, all seemed\nfaded and gone, and nought remained for the exiled children of Judah,\nsave to hang their harps upon the willows, and sit down by the rivers\nof Babylon, there to weep over departed glory, faded light, and fallen\ngreatness.\n\nSuch would be the language of blind unbelief; but, blessed be God! it\nis when everything appears sunk to the lowest possible point, that\nthen faith rises in holy triumph; and faith, we know, is the only true\nbasis of effective discipleship. It asks for no props from the men and\nthings around it; it finds \"_all_ its springs\" in God; and hence it is\nthat faith never shines so brightly as when all around is dark. It is\nwhen nature's horizon is overcast with the blackest clouds, that faith\nbasks in the sunshine of the divine favor and faithfulness.\n\nThus it was that Daniel and his companions were enabled to overcome\nthe peculiar difficulties of their time. They judged that there was\nnothing to hinder their enjoying as elevated a Nazariteship in Babylon\nas ever had been known in Jerusalem; and they judged rightly. Their\njudgment was the judgment of a pure and well-founded faith. It was the\nselfsame judgment on which the Baraks, the Gideons, the Jephthahs, and\nthe Samsons of old had acted. It was the judgment to which Jonathan\ngave utterance, when he said, \"There is no restraint with the Lord to\nsave by many or by few.\" (1 Sam. xiv.) It was the judgment of David,\nin the valley of Elah, when he called the poor trembling host of\nIsrael \"the army of the living God.\" (1 Sam. xvii.) It was the\njudgment of Elijah, on Mount Carmel, when he built an altar with\n\"twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of\nJacob.\" (1 Kings xviii.) It was the judgment of Daniel himself when,\nat a further stage of his history, he opened his window and prayed\ntoward Jerusalem. (Dan. vi.) It was the judgment of Paul when, in view\nof the overwhelming tide of apostasy and corruption which was about to\nset in, he exhorts his son Timothy to \"hold fast the form of sound\nwords.\" (2 Tim. i. 13.) It was the judgment of Peter when, in prospect\nof the dissolution of the entire framework of creation, he encourages\nbelievers to \"be diligent, that they be found of him in peace, without\nspot and blameless.\" (2 Peter iii. 14.) It was the judgment of John\nwhen, amid the actual breaking up of everything ecclesiastical, he\nexhorts his well-beloved Gaius to \"follow not that which is evil, but\nthat which is good.\" (3 John 11.) And it was the judgment of Jude\nwhen, in the presence of the most appalling wickedness, he encourages\na beloved remnant to \"build themselves up in their most holy faith,\npraying in the Holy Ghost, to keep themselves in the love of God,\nlooking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.\"\n(Jude 20, 21.) In one word, it was the judgment of the Holy Ghost,\nand, therefore, it was the judgment of faith.\n\nNow, all this attaches immense value and interest to Daniel's\ndetermination, as expressed in the first chapter of this book. \"But\nDaniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with\nthe portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank;\ntherefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not\ndefile himself.\" (Ver. 8.) He might, very naturally, have said to\nhimself, \"There is no use in one poor feeble captive seeking to\nmaintain a place of separation. Everything is broken up. It is\nimpossible to carry out the true spirit of a Nazarite amid such\nhopeless ruin and degradation. I may as well accommodate myself to the\ncondition of things around me.\"\n\nBut no; Daniel was on higher ground than this. He knew it was his\nprivilege to live as close to God in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, as\nwithin the gates of Jerusalem. He knew that, let the outward condition\nof the people of God be what it might, there was a path of purity and\ndevotedness opened to the individual saint, which he could pursue\nindependently of everything.\n\nAnd may we not say, that the Nazariteship of Babylon possesses charms\nand attractions fully as powerful as the Nazariteship of Canaan?\nUnquestionably. It is unspeakably precious and beautiful, to find one\nof the captives in Babylon breathing after, and attaining unto, so\nelevated a standard of separation. It teaches a powerful lesson for\nevery age. It holds up to the view of believers, under every\ndispensation, a most encouraging and soul-stirring example. It proves\nthat, amid the darkest shades, a devoted heart can enjoy a path of\ncloudless sunshine.\n\nBut how is this? Because \"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day,\nand forever.\" (Heb. xiii.) Dispensations change and pass away.\nEcclesiastical institutions crumble and moulder into ashes. Human\nsystems totter and fall; but the name of Jehovah endureth forever, and\nHis memorial unto all generations. It is upon this holy elevation that\nfaith plants its foot. It rises above all vicissitude, and enjoys\nsweet converse with the unchangeable and eternal Source of all real\ngood.\n\nThus it was that, in the days of the judges, individual faith was\nmanifested and achieved more glorious triumphs than ever were known in\nthe days of Joshua. Thus it was that Elijah's altar on Mount Carmel\nwas surrounded by a halo fully as bright as that which crowned the\naltar of Solomon.\n\nThis is truly encouraging. The poor heart is so apt to sink, and be\ndiscouraged, by looking at the failure and unfaithfulness of man,\ninstead of at the infallible faithfulness of God. \"The foundation of\nGod standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are\nHis. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from\niniquity.\" (2 Tim. ii. 19.) What can ever touch this enduring truth?\nNothing! And, therefore, nothing can touch the faith which lays hold\nof it, or the superstructure of practical devotedness which is erected\non the foundation of that faith.\n\nAnd then look at the glorious results of Daniel's devotedness and\nseparation. In the three opening chapters we observe three distinct\nthings, resulting from the position assumed by Daniel and his\ncompanions, in reference to \"the king's meat.\" 1, They were let into\nthe secret of \"_the king's dream_.\" 2, They withstood the seductions\nof \"_the king's image_.\" And, 3, They were brought unscathed through\n\"_the king's furnace_.\"\n\nI. \"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.\" This is\nbeautifully exemplified in the case before us. \"The magicians, and the\nastrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,\" who were breathing\nthe atmosphere of the royal presence, were all in the dark as to the\nroyal dream. \"The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There\nis not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter.\" Very\nlikely; but there was a God in heaven who knew all about it; and who,\nmoreover, could unfold it to those who had faith enough, and\ndevotedness enough, and self-denial enough, to separate themselves\nfrom Babylonish pollutions, though involved in the Babylonish\ncaptivity. The mazes, the labyrinths, and the enigmas of human things\nare all plain to God; and He can and does make them plain to those who\nwalk with Him, in the sanctity of His holy presence. God's Nazarites\ncan see farther into human affairs than the most profound philosophers\nof this world. And how is this? How can they so readily unravel the\nworld's mysteries? Because they are above the world's mists. They are\napart from the world's defilements. They are in the place of\nseparation, the place of dependence, the place of communion. \"Then\nDaniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,\nMishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies\nof the God of heaven, concerning this secret.\" (Chap. ii. 17, 18.)\nHere we have their place of strength and intelligence. They had only\nto look up to heaven, in order to be endowed with a clear\nunderstanding as to all the destinies of earth.\n\nHow real and simple is all this? \"God is light, and in Him is no\ndarkness at all;\" and, hence, if we want light, we can find it only in\nHis presence; and we can only know the power of His presence as we are\npractically taking the place of separation from all the moral\npollutions of earth.\n\nAnd, observe, a further result of Daniel's holy separation. \"Then the\nking Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and\ncommanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto\nhim.\" Here we have earth's proudest and most powerful monarch at the\nfeet of the captive exile. Magnificent fruit of faithfulness! Precious\nevidence of the truth that God will always honor the faith that can,\nin any measure, rise to the height of His thoughts! He will not, He\ncannot, dishonor the draft which confidence presents at His\nexhaustless treasury. Daniel, on this memorable occasion, realized, in\nhis own person, as fully as ever it was realized, God's ancient\npromise: \"And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called\nby the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.... And the\nLord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be\nabove only, and thou shalt not be beneath.\" (Deut. xxviii. 10, 13.)\n\nAssuredly Daniel was, in the above scene, \"the head,\" and\nNebuchadnezzar \"the tail,\" as looked at from the divine point of view.\nWitness, also, the bearing of this holy Nazarite, in the presence of\nthe impious Belshazzar. (Dan. v. 17-29.) Have we not, here, as\nmagnificent a testimony to the destined pre-eminence of the seed of\nAbraham, as when Joshua's victorious captains placed their feet on the\nnecks of the kings of Canaan (Joshua x. 24); or, when \"all the earth\nsought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his\nheart?\" (1 Kings x. 24.) Unquestionably; and, in a certain sense, it\nis a more magnificent testimony. It is natural to expect such a scene\nin the history of Joshua, or of Solomon; but to find the haughty king\nof Babylon prostrate at the feet of one of his captives, is something\nfar beyond the utmost stretch of nature's expectation.\n\nThere it is, however, as a most striking and soul-stirring proof of\nthe power of faith to triumph over all manner of difficulties, and to\nproduce the most extraordinary results. Faith is the same mighty\nprinciple, whether it act on the plains of Palestine, on the top of\nCarmel, by the rivers of Babylon, or amid the ruins of the professing\nChurch. No fetters can bind it, no difficulties deter it, no pressure\ndamp it, no changes affect it. It ever rises to its proper object, and\nthat object is God Himself, and His eternal revelation. Dispensations\nmay change, ages may run their course, the wheels of time may roll on,\nand crush beneath their ponderous weight the fondest hopes of the poor\nhuman heart; but there stands faith, that immortal, divine, eternal\nreality, drinking at the fountain of pure truth, and finding all its\nsprings in Him, who is \"the way, the truth, and the life.\"\n\nBy this \"precious faith\" it was that Daniel acted, when he \"purposed\nthat he would not defile himself with the king's meat.\" True, he could\nno longer ascend to that holy and beautiful house, where his fathers\nhad worshipped. The rude foot of a foreign foe had trodden down the\nholy city. The fire no longer burned on the altar of the God of\nIsrael. The golden candlestick no longer enlightened, with its seven\nlamps, the holy place. But there was faith in Daniel's heart, and that\nfaith carried him beyond every surrounding influence, and enabled him\nto appropriate, and act in the power of, \"all the promises of God,\"\nwhich are \"Yea, and Amen in Christ Jesus.\" Faith is not affected by\nruined temples, fallen cities, faded lights, or departed glories. Why\nnot? Because God is not affected by them. God is always to be found;\nand faith is always sure to find Him.\n\nII. But the same faith which enabled those holy men of old to refuse\nthe king's meat, enabled them, also, to despise the king's image. They\nhad separated themselves from defilement, in order that they might\nenjoy a more intense communion with the true God; and they could not,\ntherefore, bow down to an image of gold, even though it were ever so\nhigh. They knew that God was not an image. They knew He was a reality.\nThey could only present worship to Him, for He alone was the true\nobject thereof.\n\nNor did it make any matter to them that all the world was against\nthem. They had only to live and act for God. It might seem as if they\nwere setting up to be wiser than their neighbors. It might savor of\npresumption to stand against the tide of public opinion. Some might\nfeel disposed to ask if truth lay only with them? Were all \"the\nprinces, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the\ncounsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces,\" sunk\nin darkness and error? Could it be possible that so many men of rank,\nof intelligence, and of learning were in the wrong, and only a few\nstrangers of the captivity in the right?\n\nWith such questions our Nazarites had nothing to do. Their path lay\nright onward. Should they bow down and worship an image, in order to\navoid the appearance of condemning other people? Assuredly not. And\nyet how often are those who desire to keep a conscience void of\noffence in the sight of God, condemned for setting themselves up and\njudging others! Doubtless Luther was condemned by many for setting\nhimself up in opposition to the doctors, the cardinals, and the pope.\nShould he, in order to avoid such condemnation, have lived and died in\nerror? Who would say so?\n\n\"Ah! but,\" some will reply, \"Luther had to deal with palpable error.\"\nSo thought Luther; but thousands of learned and eminent men thought\notherwise. So also in the case of \"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,\"\nthey had to do with positive idolatry; but the whole world differed\nfrom them. What then? \"We must obey God rather than man.\" Let others\ndo as they will; \"as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\" If\npeople were to remain in error and continue to do what they, at least,\nfeel to be wrong, in order to avoid the appearance of judging others,\nwhere should we be?\n\nAh! no; my beloved reader, do you seek to pursue the steady, onward,\nupward path of pure and elevated discipleship. And, whether or not you\nthereby condemn others, is no concern of yours. \"CEASE TO DO EVIL.\"\nThis is the first thing for the true disciple to do. When he has\nyielded obedience to this golden precept, he may expect to \"learn to\ndo well.\" \"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of\nlight.\" When God speaks, I am not to turn round to see how my\nobedience to His voice will affect my neighbors, or to consider what\nthey will think about me. When the voice of the risen and glorified\nJesus fell upon the ear of the prostrate Saul of Tarsus, he did not\nbegin to enquire what the chief priests and Pharisees would think of\nhim were he to obey. Surely not. \"Immediately,\" he says, \"I conferred\nnot with flesh and blood.\" (Gal. i. 16.) \"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I\nwas not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.\" (Acts xxvi. 19.) This\nis the true spirit and principle of discipleship. \"Give glory to God,\nbefore He cause darkness, and your feet stumble upon the dark\nmountains.\" Nothing can be more dangerous than to hesitate, when\ndivine light shines upon the path. If you do not act upon the light,\nwhen you get it, you will, assuredly, be involved in thick darkness.\nHence, therefore, as another has said, \"Never go before your faith,\nnor lag behind your conscience.\"\n\nIII. But, we have said, if our Nazarites refused to bow before the\nking's image, they had to encounter the king's rage, and the king's\nfurnace. For all this they were, by the grace of God, prepared: their\nNazariteship was a real thing; they were ready to suffer the loss of\nall things, and even life itself, in defence of the true worship of\nthe God of Israel. \"They worshipped and served their own God,\" not\nmerely beneath the peaceful vine and fig-tree in the land of Canaan,\nbut in the very face of \"a burning fiery furnace.\" They acknowledged\nJehovah, not merely in the midst of a congregation of true\nworshippers, but in the presence of an opposing world. Theirs was a\ntrue discipleship in an evil day. They loved the Lord; and, therefore,\nfor His sake, they abstained from the king's luxuries, they withstood\nthe king's rage, and they endured the king's furnace. \"O\nNebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If\nit be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning\nfiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But\nif not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy\ngods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.\" This was\nthe language of men who knew whose they were, and where they were--of\nmen who had calmly and deliberately counted the cost--of men to whom\nthe Lord was everything, the world nothing. All that the world could\noffer, together with life itself, was at stake; but what of that?\n\"They endured as seeing Him who is invisible.\" Eternal glory lay\nbefore them; and they were quite prepared to reach that glory by a\nfiery pathway. God can take His servants to heaven by a chariot of\nfire, or by a furnace of fire, as seems good to Him. Whatever be the\nmode of going, it is well to get there.\n\nBut could not the Lord have preserved His beloved servants from being\ncast into the furnace? No doubt. This would have been but a very small\nmatter to Him. He did not, however, do so: it was His will that the\nfaith of His servants should be put to the test--should be tried in\nthe furnace--should be passed through the most searching crucible, in\norder that it \"might be found to praise and honor and glory.\" Is it\nbecause the refiner sets no value on the wedge of gold, that he puts\nit into the furnace? No; but because he does. And, as some one has\nbeautifully remarked, \"His object is not merely to remove the dross,\nbut to brighten the metal.\"\n\nIt is very evident that had the Lord, by an act of _power_, kept His\nservants out of the furnace, there would have been less glory to Him\nand as a consequence, less blessing to them. It was far better to have\nHis presence and sympathy in the furnace, than His power to keep them\nout of it. What glory to Him in this! And what unspeakable privilege\nto them! The Lord went down and walked _with_ His Nazarites in the\nfurnace into which their faithfulness had brought them. They had\nwalked with God in the king's palace; and God walked with them in the\nking's furnace. This was the most elevated moment in the entire career\nof Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. How little had the king imagined\nthe lofty position in which he was placing the objects of his rage and\nfury! Every eye was turned from the great image of gold, to gaze, in\nastonishment, upon the three captives. What could it mean? \"Three men\n_bound_!\" \"Four men _loose_!\" Could it be real? Was the furnace real?\nAlas, \"the most mighty men in the king's army\" had proved it to be\nreal. And, had Nebuchadnezzar's image been cast into it, it would have\nproved its reality also. There was no material for the sceptic or the\ninfidel to work upon. It was a real furnace, and a real flame, and the\n\"three men\" were \"bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats,\nand their other garments.\" All was reality.\n\nBut there was a deeper reality: _God was there_. This changed\neverything: it \"changed the king's word,\" changed the furnace into a\nplace of high and holy fellowship--changed Nebuchadnezzar's bondmen\ninto God's freemen.\n\n_God was there!_--there, in his power, to write contempt upon all\nman's opposition--there, in His deep and tender sympathy with His\ntried and faithful servants--there, in His matchless grace, to set the\ncaptives free, and to lead the hearts of His Nazarites into that deep\nfellowship with Himself for which they so ardently thirsted.\n\nAnd, my beloved reader, is it not worth passing through a fiery\nfurnace to enjoy a little more of the presence of Christ, and the\nsympathy of His loving heart? Are not fetters, with Christ, better\nthan jewels without Him? Is not a furnace where He is better than a\npalace where He is not? Nature says, \"_No!_\" Faith says, \"_Yes!_\"\n\nIt is well to bear in mind that this is not the day of Christ's\n_power_; but it is the day of His _sympathy_. When passing through the\ndeep waters of affliction, the heart may, at times, feel disposed to\nask, \"Why does not the Lord display His power, and deliver me?\" The\nanswer is, This is not the day of His power. He could avert that\nsickness--He could remove that difficulty--He could take off that\npressure--He could prevent that catastrophe--He could preserve that\nbeloved and fondly-cherished object from the cold grasp of death. But,\ninstead of putting forth His power to deliver, He allows things to run\ntheir course, and pours His own sweet sympathy into the oppressed and\nriven heart, in such a way as to elicit the acknowledgment that we\nwould not, for worlds, have missed the trial, because of the abundance\nof the consolation.\n\nSuch, my reader, is the manner of our Jesus just now. By and by He\nwill display His power; He will come forth as the Rider on the white\nhorse; He will unsheath His sword; He will make bare His arm; He will\navenge His people, and right their wrongs forever. But now His sword\nis sheathed, His arm covered. This is the time for making known the\ndeep love of His heart, not the power of His arm, nor the sharpness of\nHis sword. Are you satisfied to have it so? Is Christ's sympathy\nenough for your heart, even amid the keenest sorrow and the most\nintense affliction? The restless heart, the impatient spirit, the\nunmortified will, would lead one to long for escape from the trial,\nthe difficulty, or the pressure; but this would never do. It would\ninvolve incalculable loss. We must pass from form to form in the\nschool; but the Master accompanies us, and the light of His\ncountenance, and the tender sympathy of His heart, sustain us under\nthe most severe exercises.\n\nAnd, then, see what glory redounds to the name of the Lord, when His\npeople are enabled, by His grace, to pass, triumphantly, through a\ntrial! Read Daniel iii. 26-28, and say where you could find richer or\nrarer fruits of a faithful discipleship. The king and all his nobles,\nwho, just before, had been wholly engrossed with the bewitching music\nand the false worship, are now occupied with the amazing fact that the\nfire, which had slain the mighty men, had taken no effect whatever\nupon the worshippers of the true God, save to consume their fetters\nand let them walk free, in company with the Son of God. \"Then\nNebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,\nand spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, YE SERVANTS OF\nTHE MOST HIGH GOD, come forth and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach,\nand Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes,\ngovernors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered\ntogether, _saw these men_, upon whose bodies the fire had no power,\nnor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed,\nnor the smell of fire had passed on them.\"\n\nHere, then, was a noble testimony--such a testimony as would never\nhave been rendered, had the Lord, by a mere act of power, preserved\nHis servants from being cast into the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar was\nfurnished with a striking proof that his furnace was no more to be\ndreaded than his image was to be worshipped by \"the servants of the\nmost high God.\" In a word, the enemy was confounded; God was\nglorified; and His dear servants brought forth unscathed from \"the\nburning fiery furnace.\" Precious fruits, these, of a faithful\nNazariteship!\n\nAnd, observe, further, the honor put upon our Nazarites. \"Then\nNebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be _the God of Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abednego_.\" Their names are intimately associated with\nthe God of Israel. This was a high honor. They had identified\nthemselves with the true God when it was a matter of life and death\nto do so; and, therefore, the true God identified Himself with them,\nand led them forth into a large and wealthy place. He set their feet\nupon a rock, and lifted their heads up above all their enemies round\nabout them. How true it is that \"them that honor me I will honor!\" And\nit is equally true that \"they that despise me shall be lightly\nesteemed.\" (1 Sam. ii. 30.)\n\nMy beloved reader, have you found settled, divine peace for your\nguilty conscience, in the perfected atonement of the Lord Jesus\nChrist? Have you simply taken God at His word? Have you set to your\nseal that God is true? If so, you are a child of God; your sins are\n_all_ forgiven, and you are accepted as righteous in Christ; heaven,\nwith all its untold glories, is before you; you are as sure of being\nin the glory as Christ Himself, inasmuch as you are united to Him.\n\nThus, everything is settled for you for time and eternity, according\nto the very utmost desire of your heart. Your need is met, your guilt\nremoved, your peace established, your title sure. You have nought to\ndo for yourself. All is divinely finished.\n\nWhat remains? Just this: LIVE FOR CHRIST! You are left here for \"a\nlittle while,\" to occupy for Him, and wait for His appearing. Oh! seek\nto be faithful to your blessed Master. Be not discouraged by the\nfragmentary state of everything around you. Let the case of Daniel and\nhis honored companions encourage your heart to seek after an elevated\ncourse here below. It is your privilege to enjoy as much of\ncompanionship with the blessed Lord Jesus, as if you were cast amid\nthe palmy days of apostolic testimony.\n\nMay the Holy Ghost enable the writer and the reader of these lines to\ndrink into the spirit--walk in the footsteps--manifest the graces--and\nwait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ!\n\n                                                      C. H. M.\n\n\n\n\nSIN IN THE FLESH\n\nAND\n\nSIN ON THE CONSCIENCE\n\n\nIt is of the utmost importance that we accurately distinguish between\nsin _in the flesh_, and sin _on the conscience_. If we confound these\ntwo, our souls must necessarily be unhinged, and our worship marred.\nAn attentive consideration of 1 John i. 8-10. will throw much light\nupon this subject, the understanding of which is so essential.\n\nThere is no one who will be so conscious of indwelling sin, as the man\nwho walks in the light. \"If we say that we have _no sin_, we deceive\nourselves, and the truth is not in us.\" In the verse immediately\npreceding, we read, \"the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us\nfrom _all sin_.\" Here the distinction between sin _in_ us, and sin\n_on_ us, is fully brought out and established. To say that there is\nsin on the believer, in the presence of God, is to call in question\nthe purging efficacy of the blood of Jesus, and to deny the truth of\nthe divine record. If the blood of Jesus can perfectly purge, then the\nbeliever's conscience is perfectly purged. The word of God thus puts\nthe matter; and we must ever remember that it is from God Himself we\nare to learn what the true condition of the believer is, in His\nsight. We are more disposed to be occupied in telling God what we are\nin ourselves, than to allow Him to tell us what we are in Christ. In\nother words, we are more taken up with our own self-consciousness,\nthan with God's revelation of Himself. God speaks to us on the ground\nof what He is in Himself, and of what He has accomplished in Christ.\nSuch is the nature and character of His revelation, of which faith\ntakes hold, and thus fills the soul with perfect peace. God's\nrevelation is one thing; my consciousness is quite another.\n\nBut the same word which tells us we have no sin _on_ us, tells us,\nwith equal force and clearness, that we have sin _in_ us. \"If we say\nwe have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.\"\nEvery one who has \"truth\" in him, will know that he has \"_sin_\" in\nhim, likewise; for truth reveals everything as it is. What, then, are\nwe to do? It is our privilege so to walk in the power of the new\nnature (that is, the Holy Ghost), that the \"_sin_\" which dwells in us\nmay not manifest itself in the form of \"_sins_.\" The Christian's\nposition is one of victory and liberty. He is not only delivered from\nthe guilt of sin, but also from sin as a ruling principle in his life.\n\"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body\nof sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.\nFor he that is dead is freed from sin ... let not sin therefore\n_reign_ in your mortal body, that ye should _obey_ it in the lusts\nthereof.... For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not\nunder the law, but under grace.\" (Rom. vi. 6-14.) Sin is there in all\nits native vileness, but the believer is _dead_ to it. How? He died\nin Christ. By nature he was dead _in_ sin. By grace he is dead _to_\nit. What claim can anything or any one have upon a dead man? None\nwhatever. Christ \"died unto sin once,\" and the believer died in Him.\n\"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live\nwith Him; knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no\nmore; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He\ndied unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.\" What\nis the result of this, in reference to believers? \"_Likewise_ reckon\nye also yourselves to be _dead indeed unto sin_, but alive unto God\nthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.\" Such is the believer's unalterable\nposition before God, so that it is his holy privilege to enjoy freedom\nfrom sin as a _ruler_ over him, though it be a _dweller_ in him.\n\nBut then, \"if any man sin,\" what is to be done? The inspired apostle\nfurnishes a full and most blessed answer: \"If we confess our sins, He\nis faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from\nall unrighteousness.\" (1 John i. 9.) Confession is the mode in which\nthe conscience is to be kept free. The apostle does not say, \"If we\npray for pardon, He is gracious and merciful to forgive us.\" No doubt,\nit is ever happy for a child to breathe the sense of need into his\nfather's ear--to tell him of feebleness, to confess folly, infirmity,\nand failure. All this is most true; and, moreover, it is equally true\nthat our Father is most gracious and merciful to meet His children in\nall their weakness and ignorance; but, while all this is true, the\nHoly Ghost declares, by the apostle, that \"if we _confess_,\" God is\n\"_faithful_ and _just_ to forgive.\" Confession therefore is the divine\nmode. A Christian, having erred in thought, word, or deed, might pray\nfor pardon for days and months together, and not have any assurance,\nfrom 1 John i. 9, that he was forgiven; whereas, the moment he truly\nconfesses his sin before God, it is a simple matter of faith to know\nthat he is perfectly forgiven, and perfectly cleansed.\n\nThere is an immense moral difference between praying for forgiveness,\nand confessing our sins, whether we look at it in reference to the\ncharacter of God, the sacrifice of Christ, or the condition of the\nsoul. It is quite possible that a person's prayer may involve the\nconfession of his sin, whatever it may happen to be, and thus come to\nthe same thing. But then, it is always well to keep close to\nScripture, in what we think, and say, and do. It must be evident that\nwhen the Holy Ghost speaks of _confession_, He does not mean\n_praying_. And it is equally evident that He knows there are moral\nelements in, and practical results flowing out of, confession, which\ndo not belong to prayer. In point of fact, one has often found that a\nhabit of importuning God for the forgiveness of sins, displayed\nignorance as to the way in which God has revealed Himself in the\nPerson and work of Christ; as to the relation in which the sacrifice\nof Christ has set the believer; and as to the divine mode of getting\nthe conscience relieved from the burden, and purified from the evil of\nsin.\n\nGod has been perfectly satisfied, as to all the believer's sins, in\nthe cross of Christ. On that cross a full atonement was presented for\nevery jot and tittle of sin, in the believer's nature and on his\nconscience. Hence, therefore, God does not need any further\npropitiation. He does not need aught to draw His heart toward the\nbeliever. We do not require to supplicate Him to be \"faithful and\njust,\" when His faithfulness and justice have been so gloriously\ndisplayed, vindicated, and answered, in the death of Christ. Our sins\ncan never come into God's presence, inasmuch as Christ, who bore them\nall, and put them away, is there instead. But if we sin, conscience\nwill feel it, must feel it; yea, the Holy Ghost will make us feel it.\nHe cannot allow so much as a single light thought to pass unjudged.\nWhat then? Has our sin made its way into the presence of God? Has it\nfound its place in the unsullied light of the inner sanctuary? God\nforbid! The \"Advocate\" is there--\"Jesus Christ the righteous\"--to\nmaintain, in unbroken integrity, the relationship in which we stand.\nBut though sin cannot affect God's thoughts in reference to us, it\ncan, and does affect our thoughts in reference to Him. Though it\ncannot make its way into God's presence, it can make its way into\nours, in a most distressing and humiliating manner. Though it cannot\nhide the Advocate from God's view, it can hide Him from ours. It\ngathers, like a thick dark cloud, on our spiritual horizon, so that\nour souls cannot bask in the blessed beams of our Father's\ncountenance. It cannot affect our relationship with God, but it can\nvery seriously affect our enjoyment thereof. What, therefore, are we\nto do? The Word answers, \"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and\njust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all\nunrighteousness.\" By confession, we get our conscience cleared; the\nsweet sense of our relationship restored; the dark cloud dispersed;\nthe chilling, withering influence removed; our thoughts of God set\nstraight. Such is the divine method; and we may truly say that the\nheart that knows what it is to have ever been in the place of\nconfession, will feel the divine power of the apostle's words, \"My\nlittle children, these things write I unto you, _that ye sin not_.\" (1\nJohn ii. 1.)\n\nThen, again, there is a style of praying for forgiveness which\ninvolves a losing sight of the perfect ground of forgiveness, which\nhas been laid in the sacrifice of the cross. If God forgives sins, He\nmust be \"faithful and just\" in so doing. But it is quite clear that\nour prayers, be they ever so sincere and earnest, could not form the\nbasis of God's faithfulness and justice in forgiving us our sins.\nNought save the work of the cross could do this. There the\nfaithfulness and justice of God have had their fullest establishment,\nand that, too, in immediate reference to our actual sins, as well as\nto the root thereof, in our nature. God has already judged our sins,\nin the Person of our Substitute, \"on the tree;\" and, in the act of\nconfession, we judge ourselves. This is essential to divine\nforgiveness and restoration. The very smallest unconfessed, unjudged\nsin, on the conscience, will entirely mar our communion with God. Sin\n_in_ us need not do this; but if we suffer sin to remain _on_ us, we\ncannot have fellowship with God. He has put away our sins in such a\nmanner as that He can have us in His presence; and so long as we\nabide in His presence, sin does not trouble us. But if we get out of\nHis presence, and commit sin, our communion must of necessity be\nsuspended until, by confession, we have got rid of the sin. All this,\nI need hardly add, is founded exclusively upon the perfect sacrifice\nand righteous advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nFinally, as to the difference between prayer and confession, as\nrespects the condition of the heart before God, and its moral sense of\nthe hatefulness of sin, it cannot possibly be overestimated. It is a\nmuch easier thing to ask in a general way for the forgiveness of our\nsins, than to confess those sins. Confession involves _self-judgment_;\nasking for forgiveness may not, and in itself does not. This alone\nwould be sufficient to point out the difference. Self-judgment is one\nof the most valuable and healthful exercises of the Christian life;\nand therefore anything which produces it must be highly esteemed by\nevery earnest Christian.\n\nThe difference between asking for pardon, and confessing the sin, is\ncontinually exemplified in dealing with children. If a child has done\nanything wrong, he finds much less difficulty in asking his father to\nforgive him, than in openly and unreservedly confessing the wrong. In\nasking for forgiveness, the child may have in his mind a number of\nthings which tend to lessen the sense of the evil; he may be secretly\nthinking that he was not so much to blame after all, though, to be\nsure, it is only proper to ask his father to forgive him; whereas, in\nconfessing the wrong, there is just one thing, and that is\nself-judgment. Further, in asking for forgiveness, the child may be\ninfluenced mainly by a desire to escape the consequences of his wrong;\nwhereas a judicious parent will seek to produce a just sense of its\nmoral evil, which can only exist where there is the full confession of\nthe fault in connection with self-judgment.\n\nThus it is in reference to God's dealing with His children, when they\ndo wrong. He must have the whole thing brought out and thoroughly\njudged. He will make us not only dread the consequences of sin,--which\nare unutterable,--but hate the thing itself, because of its\nhatefulness in His sight. Were it possible for us, when we commit sin,\nto be forgiven merely for the asking, our sense of sin, and our\nshrinking from it, would not be nearly so intense; and, as a\nconsequence, our estimate of the fellowship with which we are blessed\nwould not be nearly so high. The moral effect of all this upon the\ngeneral tone of our spiritual constitution, and also upon our whole\ncharacter and practical career, must be obvious to every experienced\nChristian.\n\n\n\n\nGOD'S WAY, AND HOW TO FIND IT\n\n(Read Job xxviii.; Luke xi. 34-36.)\n\n\n\"There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye\nhath not seen: the lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce\nlion passed by it.\" What an unspeakable mercy for one who really\ndesires to walk with God, to know that there is a way for him to walk\nin! God has prepared a pathway for His redeemed in which they may walk\nwith all possible certainty, calmness and fixedness. It is the\nprivilege of every child of God, and every servant of Christ, to be as\nsure that he is in God's way as that his soul is saved. This may seem\na strong statement; but the question is, Is it true? If it be true, it\ncannot be too strong. No doubt it may, in the judgment of some, savor\na little of self-confidence and dogmatism to assert, in such a day as\nthat in which we live, and in the midst of such a scene as that\nthrough which we are passing, that we are sure of being in God's path.\nBut what saith the Scripture? It declares \"there is a way,\" and it\nalso tells us how to find and how to walk in that way. Yes; the\nself-same voice that tells us of God's salvation for our souls, tells\nus also of God's pathway for our feet;--the very same authority that\nassures us that \"he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting\nlife,\" assures us also that there is a way so plain that \"the\nwayfaring men though fools shall not err therein.\"\n\nThis, we repeat, is a signal mercy--a mercy at all times, but\nespecially in a day of confusion and perplexity like the present. It\nis deeply affecting to notice the state of uncertainty in which many\nof God's dear people are found at the present moment. We do not refer\nnow to the question of salvation, of this we have spoken largely\nelsewhere; but that which we have now before us is the path of the\nChristian--what he ought to do, where he should be found, how he ought\nto carry himself in the midst of the professing Church. Is it not too\ntrue that multitudes of the Lord's people are at sea as to these\nthings? Are there not many who, were they to tell out the real\nfeelings of their hearts, would have to own themselves in a thoroughly\nunsettled state--to confess that they know not what to do, or where to\ngo, or what to believe? Now, the question is, Would God leave His\nchildren, would Christ leave His servants, in such darkness and\nconfusion?\n\n    \"No; my dear Lord, in following Thee,\n    And not in dark uncertainty,\n      This foot obedient moves.\"\n\nMay not a child know the will of his father? May not a servant know\nthe will of his master? And if this be so in our earthly\nrelationships, how much more fully may we count upon it in reference\nto our Father and Master in heaven. When Israel of old emerged from\nthe Red Sea, and stood upon the margin of that great and terrible\nwilderness which lay between them and the land of promise, how were\nthey to know their way? The trackless sand of the desert lay all\naround them. It was in vain to look for any footprint there. It was a\ndreary waste in which the vulture's eye could not discern a pathway.\nMoses felt this when he said to Hobab, \"Leave us not, I pray thee;\nforasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and\nthou mayest be to us instead of eyes.\" (Numb. x. 31.) How well our\npoor unbelieving hearts can understand this touching appeal! How one\ncraves a human guide in the midst of a scene of perplexity! How fondly\nthe heart clings to one whom we deem competent to give us guidance in\nmoments of darkness and difficulty!\n\nAnd yet, we may ask, what did Moses want with Hobab's eyes? Had not\nJehovah graciously undertaken to be their guide? Yes, truly; for we\nare told that \"on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud\ncovered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony; and at\neven, there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire,\nuntil the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and\nthe appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from\nthe tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and\nin the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel\npitched their tents. At the commandment of the Lord the children of\nIsrael journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as\nlong as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle, they rested in their\ntents. And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days,\nthen the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed\nnot. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle;\naccording to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents,\nand according to the commandment the Lord, and journeyed not. And so\nit was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the\ncloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; whether it was\nby day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed; or\nwhether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud\ntarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel\nabode in their tents and journeyed not, but when it was taken up they\njourneyed. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents,\nand at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the\ncharge of the Lord at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of\nMoses\" (Num. ix. 15-23).\n\nHere was divine guidance--a guidance, we may surely say, quite\nsufficient to render them independent of their own eyes, of Hobab's\neyes, and the eyes of any other mortal. It is interesting to note that\nin the opening of the book of Numbers, it was arranged that the ark of\nthe covenant was to find its place in the very bosom of the\ncongregation; but in chapter x. we are told that when \"they departed\nfrom the mount of the Lord three days' journey, the ark of the\ncovenant of the Lord _went before them_, in the three days' journey,\nto search out a resting-place for them.\" Instead of Jehovah finding a\nresting-place in the bosom of His redeemed people, He becomes their\ntraveling Guide, and goes before them to seek out a resting-place for\nthem. What touching grace is here! and what faithfulness! If Moses\nwill ask Hobab to be their guide, and that, too, in the very face of\nGod's provision--even the cloud and the silver trumpet, then will\nJehovah leave His place in the centre of the tribes, and go before\nthem to search them out a resting-place. And did not He know the\nwilderness well? Would not He be better for them than ten thousand\nHobabs? Might they not fully trust Him? Assuredly. He would not lead\nthem astray. If His grace had redeemed them from Egypt's bondage, and\nconducted them through the Red Sea, surely they might confide in the\nsame grace to guide them across that great and terrible wilderness,\nand bring them safely into the land flowing with milk and honey.\n\nBut it must be borne in mind that, in order to profit by divine\nguidance, there must be the abandonment of our own will, and of all\nconfidence in our own reasonings, as well as all confidence in the\nthoughts and reasonings of others. If I have Jehovah as my Guide, I do\nnot want my own eyes or the eyes of a Hobab either. God is sufficient:\nI can trust Him. He knows all the way across the desert; and hence, if\nI keep my eye upon Him, I shall be guided aright.\n\nBut this leads us on to the second division of our subject, namely,\nHow am I to find God's way? An all-important question, surely. Whither\nam I to turn to find God's pathway? If the vulture's eye, so keen, so\npowerful, so far-seeing, hath not seen it,--if the young lion, so\nvigorous in movement, so majestic in mien, hath not trodden it,--if\nman knoweth not the price of it, and if it is not to be found in the\nland of the living,--if the depth saith, It is not in me, and the sea\nsaith, It is not with me,--if it cannot be gotten for gold or precious\nstones,--if the wealth of the universe cannot equal it, and no wit of\nman discover it,--then whither am I to turn? where shall I find it?\nShall I turn to those great standards of orthodoxy which rule the\nreligious thought and feeling of millions throughout the length and\nbreadth of the professing Church? Is this wondrous pathway of wisdom\nto be found with them? Do they form any exception to the great, broad,\nsweeping rule of Job xxviii? Assuredly not. What, then, am I to do? I\nknow there is a way. God, who cannot lie, declares this, and I believe\nit; but where am I to find it? \"Whence, then, cometh wisdom? and where\nis the place of understanding? seeing it is hid from the eyes of all\nliving, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and\nDeath say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.\" Does it not\nseem like a hopeless case for any poor ignorant mortal to search for\nthis wondrous pathway? No, blessed be God, it is by no means a\nhopeless case, for \"He understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth\nthe place thereof. For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth\nunder the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and He\nweigheth the waters by measure. When He made a decree for the rain,\nand a way for the lightning of the thunder, then did He see it and\n_declare_ it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man\nHe said, 'Behold, _the fear of the Lord_, that is wisdom; and _to\ndepart from evil_ is understanding.'\"\n\nHere, then, is the divine secret of wisdom: \"The fear of the Lord.\"\nThis sets the conscience directly in the presence of God, which is its\nonly true place. The object of Satan is to keep the conscience out of\nthis place--to bring it under the power and authority of man--to lead\nit into subjection to the commandments and doctrines of men--to thrust\nin something between the conscience and the authority of Christ the\nLord, it matters not what it is; it may be a creed or a confession\ncontaining a quantity of truth,--it may be the opinion of a man or a\nset of men--the judgment of some favorite teacher,--anything, in\nshort, to come in and usurp, in the heart, the place which belongs to\nGod's Word alone. This is a terrible snare, and a stumbling-block--a\nmost serious hindrance to our progress in the ways of the Lord. God's\nWord must rule me--God's pure and simple Word, not man's\ninterpretation thereof. No doubt, God may use a man to unfold that\nWord to my soul; but then it is not man's unfolding of God's Word that\nrules me, but God's Word by man unfolded. This is of all importance.\nWe must be exclusively taught and exclusively governed by the Word of\nthe living God. Nothing else will keep us straight, or give solidity\nand consistency to our character and course as Christians. There is a\nstrong tendency within and around us to be ruled by the thoughts and\nopinions of men--by those great standards of doctrine which men have\nset up. Those standards and opinions may have a large amount of truth\nin them--they may be all true so far as they go; that is not the point\nin question now. What we want to impress upon the Christian reader is,\nthat he is not to be governed by the thoughts of his fellow-man, but\nsimply and solely by the Word of God. It is of no value to hold a\ntruth from man; I must hold it directly from God Himself. God may use\na man to communicate His truth; but unless I hold it as from God, it\nhas no divine power over my heart and conscience; it does not bring me\ninto living contact with God, but actually hinders that contact by\nbringing in something between my soul and His holy authority.\n\nWe should greatly like to enlarge upon and enforce this great\nprinciple; but we must forbear, just now, in order to unfold to the\nreader one or two solemn and practical points set forth in the\neleventh chapter of Luke,--points which, if entered into, will enable\nus to understand a little better how to find God's way. We shall quote\nthe passage at length.--\"The light of the body is the eye: therefore\nwhen thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but\nwhen thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed,\ntherefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy\nwhole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole\nshall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth\ngive thee light.\"\n\nHere, then, we are furnished with the true secret of discerning God's\nway. It may seem very difficult, in the midst of the troubled sea of\nchristendom, to steer one's course aright. So many conflicting voices\nfall on the ear. So many opposing views solicit our attention, men of\nGod differ so in judgment, shades of opinion are so multiplied, that\nit seems impossible to reach a sound conclusion. We go to one man who,\nso far as we can judge, seems to have a single eye, and he tells us\none thing; we go to another man who also seems to have a single eye,\nand he tells the very reverse. What, then, are we to think? Well, one\nthing is certain, that our own eye is not single when we are running,\nin uncertainty and perplexity, from one man to another. The single eye\nis fixed on Christ alone, and thus the body is filled with light. The\nIsraelite of old had not to run hither and thither to consult with his\nfellow as to the right way. Each had the same divine guide, namely,\nthe pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. In a\nword, Jehovah Himself was the infallible Guide of each member of the\ncongregation. They were not left to the guidance of the most\nintelligent, sagacious, or experienced man in the assembly; neither\nwere they left to follow their own way,--each was to follow the Lord.\nThe silver trumpet announced to all alike the mind of God; and no one\nwhose ear was open and attentive was left at any loss. The eye and\nthe ear of each were to be directed to God _alone_, and not to a\nfellow-mortal. This was the secret of guidance in the trackless desert\nof old, and this is the secret of guidance in the vast moral\nwilderness through which God's redeemed are passing now. One man may\nsay, Listen to me; and another may say, Listen to me; and a third may\nsay, Let each one take his own way. The obedient heart says, in\nopposition to all, I must follow my Lord.\n\nThis makes all so simple. It will not, by any means, tender to foster\na spirit of haughty independence; quite the reverse. The more I am\ntaught to lean on God alone for guidance, the more I shall distrust\nand look off from myself; and this, assuredly, is not independence.\nTrue, it will deliver me from servile following of any man, by giving\nme to feel my responsibility to Christ alone; but this is precisely\nwhat is so much needed at the present moment. The more closely we\nexamine the elements that are abroad in the professing Church, the\nmore we shall be convinced of our personal need of this entire\nsubjection to divine authority, which is only another name for \"the\nfear of the Lord,\" or, \"a single eye.\" There is one brief sentence, in\nthe opening of the Acts of the Apostles, which furnishes a perfect\nantidote to the self-will and the servile fear of man so rife around\nus, and that is, \"We must obey God.\" What an utterance! \"We must\n_obey_.\" This is the cure for self-will. \"We must obey _God_.\" This is\nthe cure for servile subjection to the commandments and doctrines of\nmen. There must be obedience; but obedience to what? To God's\nauthority, and to that alone. Thus the soul is preserved from the\ninfluence of infidelity on the one hand, and superstition on the\nother. Infidelity says, Do as you like. Superstition says, Do as man\ntells you. Faith says, \"We must obey God.\"\n\nHere is the holy balance of the soul in the midst of the conflicting\nand confounding influences around us in this our day. As a servant, I\nam to obey my Lord; as a child, I am to hearken to my Father's\ncommandments. Nor am I the less to do this although my fellow-servants\nand my brethren may not understand me. I must remember that the\nimmediate business of my soul is with God Himself.--\n\n    \"He before whom the elders bow,\n    With Him is _all_ my business now.\"\n\nIt is my privilege to be as sure that I have my Master's mind as to my\npath as that I have His Word for the security of my soul. If not,\nwhere am I? Is it not my privilege to have a single eye? Yes, surely.\nAnd what then? \"A body full of light.\" Now, if my body is full of\nlight, can my mind be full of perplexity? Impossible. The two things\nare wholly incompatible; and hence, when one is plunged \"in dark\nuncertainty,\" it is very plain his eye is not single. He may seem very\nsincere, he may be very anxious to be guided aright; but he may rest\nassured there is the lack of a single eye--that indispensable\nprerequisite to divine guidance. The Word is plain,--\"If thine eye is\nsingle, thy whole body also is full of light.\" God will ever guide\nthe obedient, humble soul; but, on the other hand, if we do not walk\naccording to the light communicated, we shall get into darkness. Light\nnot acted upon becomes darkness, and oh, \"how great is that darkness!\"\nNothing is more dangerous than tampering with the light which God\ngives. It must, sooner or later, lead to the most disastrous\nconsequences. \"Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee\nbe not darkness.\" \"Hear, ye, and give ear: be not proud; for the Lord\nhath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before _He_ cause\ndarkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and\nwhile ye look for light, _He_ turn it into the shadow of death, and\nmake it gross darkness.\" (Jer. xiii. 15, 16.)\n\nThis is deeply solemn. What a contrast between a man having a single\neye, and a man not acting on the light which God has given him! The\none has his body full of light; the other has his body full of\ndarkness: the one has no part dark; the other is plunged in gross\ndarkness: the one is a light-bearer for others; the other is a\nstumbling-block in the way. We know nothing more solemn than the\njudicial acting of God, in actually turning our light into darkness,\nbecause we have refused to act on the light which He has been pleased\nto impart.\n\nChristian reader, art thou acting up to thy light? Has God sent a ray\nof light into thy soul? Has He shown thee something wrong in thy ways\nor associations? Art thou persisting in any line of action which\nconscience tells thee is not in full accordance with thy Master's\nwill? Search and see. \"Give glory to the Lord thy God.\" Act on the\nlight. Do not hesitate. Think not of consequences. Obey, we beseech\nthee, the word of thy Lord. This very moment, as thine eye scans these\nlines, let the purpose of thy soul be to depart from iniquity wherever\nthou findest it. Say not, Whither shall I go? What shall I do next?\nThere is evil everywhere. It is only escaping from one evil to plunge\ninto another. Say not these things; do not argue or reason; do not\nlook at results; think not of what the world or the world-church will\nsay of thee; rise above all these things, and tread the path of\nlight--that path which shineth more and more unto the perfect day of\nglory. Remember, God never gives light for two steps at a time. If He\nhas given thee light for one step, then, in the fear and love of His\nName, take that one step, and thou wilt assuredly get more light--yes,\n\"more and more.\" But if there be the refusal to act, the light which\nis in thee will become gross darkness, thy feet will stumble on the\ndark mountains of error which lie on either side of the straight and\nnarrow path of obedience; and thou wilt become a stumbling-block in\nthe path of others. Some of the most grievous stumbling-blocks that\nlie, at this moment, in the pathway of anxious inquirers are found in\nthe persons of those who once seemed to possess the truth, but have\nturned from it. The light which was in them has become darkness, and\noh, how great and how appalling is that darkness! How sad it is to\nsee those who ought to be light-bearers, acting as a positive\nhindrance to young and earnest Christians! But let not young\nChristians be hindered by them. The way is plain. \"The fear of the\nLord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.\" Let\neach one hear and obey for himself the voice of the Lord. \"My sheep\nhear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.\" The Lord be\npraised for this precious word! It puts each one in the place of\ndirect responsibility to Christ Himself; it tells us plainly what is\n_God's way_, and, just as plainly, _how to find it_.\n\n                                                     _C. H. M._\n\n\n\n\nTHE UNEQUAL YOKE\n\n\nNo one who sincerely desires to attain, in his own person, or promote\nin others, a purer and more elevated discipleship, can possibly\ncontemplate the Christianity of the present day without an\nindescribable feeling of sadness and heaviness. Its tone is so\nexcessively low, its aspect so sickly, and its spirit so enfeebled,\nthat one is, at times, tempted to despair of any thing like a true and\nfaithful witness for an absent Lord. All this is the more truly\ndeplorable when we remember the commanding motives by which it is our\nspecial privilege ever to be actuated. Whether we look at the Master\nwhom we are called to follow, the path which we are called to tread,\nthe end which we are called to keep in view, or the hopes by which we\nare to be animated, we cannot but own that, were all these entered\ninto and realized by a more simple faith, we should assuredly exhibit\na more ardent discipleship. \"The love of Christ,\" says the apostle,\n\"constraineth us.\" This is the most powerful motive of all. The more\nthe heart is filled with Christ's love, and the eye filled with His\nblessed person, the more closely shall we seek to follow in His\nheavenly track. His footmarks can only be discovered by \"a single\neye;\" and unless the will is broken, the flesh mortified, and the body\nkept under, we shall utterly fail in our discipleship, and make\nshipwreck of faith and a good conscience.\n\nLet not my reader misunderstand me. It is not here, by any means, a\nquestion of personal salvation. It is quite another thing. Nothing can\nbe more basely selfish than, having received salvation as the fruit\nof Christ's agony and bloody sweat, His cross and passion, to keep at\nas great a distance from His sacred person as we can without\nforfeiting our personal safety. This is, even in the judgment of\nnature, deemed a character of selfishness worthy of unmingled\ncontempt; but when exhibited by one who professes to owe his present\nand his everlasting all to a rejected, crucified, risen, and absent,\nMaster, no language can express its moral baseness. \"Provided I escape\nhell-fire, it makes little matter as to discipleship.\" Reader, do you\nnot, in your inmost soul, abhor this sentiment? If so, then earnestly\nseek to flee from it, to the very opposite point of the compass; and\nlet your truthful language be, Provided that blessed Master is\nglorified, it makes little matter, comparatively, about my personal\nsafety. Would to God that this were the sincere utterance of many\nhearts in this day, when, alas, it may be too truly said that, \"All\nseek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's\" (Phil. ii.\n21). Would that the Holy Ghost would raise up, by His own resistless\npower, and send forth, by His own heavenly energy, a band of separated\nand consecrated followers of the Lamb, each one bound, by the cords of\nlove, to the horns of the altar--a company, like Gideon's three\nhundred of old, able to confide in God and deny the flesh. How the\nheart longs for this! How the spirit, bowed down at times beneath the\nchilling and withering influence of a cold and uninfluential\nprofession, earnestly breathes after a more vigorous and whole-hearted\ntestimony for that One who emptied Himself and laid aside His glory,\nin order that we, through His precious bloodshedding, might be raised\nto companionship with Him in eternal blessedness!\n\nNow, amongst the numerous hindrances to this thorough consecration of\nheart to Christ which I earnestly desire for myself and my reader,\n\"the unequal yoke\" will be found to occupy a very prominent place\nindeed. \"Be ye not unequally yoked together [\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03bf\u03b6\u03c5\u03b3\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2] with\nunbelievers: for what partnership [\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf\u03c7\u03b7] hath righteousness with\nunrighteousness [or rather lawlessness--\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u03b1]? and what communion\n[\u03ba\u03bf\u03b9\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03b1] hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with\nBelial? or what part hath a believer with an unbeliever [\u03b1\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5]? And\nwhat agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the\ntemple of the living God; as God hath said, 'I will dwell in them, and\nwalk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'\n'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the\nLord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and\nwill be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,\nsaith the Lord Almighty.'\" (2 Cor. vi. 14-18.)\n\nUnder the Mosaic economy, we learn the same moral principle.--\"Thou\nshalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy\nseed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.\nThou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. Thou shalt not\nwear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together.\"\n(Deut. xxii. 9-11; Lev. xix. 19.)\n\nThese scriptures will suffice to set forth the moral evil of an\nunequal yoke. It may, with full confidence, be asserted that no one\ncan be an unshackled follower of Christ who is, in any way, \"unequally\nyoked.\" He may be a saved person, he may be a true child of God--a\nsincere believer, but he cannot be a thorough disciple; and not only\nso, but there is a positive hindrance to the full manifestation of\nthat which he may really be, notwithstanding his unequal yoke. \"Come\nout, ... and I will receive you, ... and ye shall be my sons and\ndaughters, saith the Lord Almighty.\" That is to say, Get your neck\nout of the unequal yoke, and I will receive you, and there shall be\nthe full, public, practical manifestation of your relationship with\nthe Lord Almighty. The idea here is evidently different from that set\nforth in James--\"Of His own will begat He us, by the word of truth.\"\nAnd also in Peter--\"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of\nincorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.\"\nAnd again in 1 John--\"Behold what manner of love the Father hath\nbestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.\" So also\nin John's gospel--\"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power\nto become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name;\nwhich were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of\nthe will of man, but of God.\" In all these passages, the relationship\nof sons is founded upon the divine counsel and the divine operation,\nand is not set before us as the consequence of any acting of ours;\nwhereas in 2 Corinthians vi. it is put as the result of our getting\nout of the unequal yoke. In other words, it is entirely a practical\nquestion. Thus in Matthew v. we read, \"But I say unto you, 'Love your\nenemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and\npray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; in order\nthat [\u03bf\u03c0\u03c9\u03c2] ye may be the sons of your Father which is in heaven;\nbecause He causeth His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and\nsendeth rain upon the just and the unjust.\" Here too it is the\npractical establishment and public declaration of the relationship,\nand its moral influence. It becomes the sons of such a Father to act\nin such a way. In short, we have the abstract position or relationship\nof sons founded on God's sovereign will and operation; and we have the\nmoral character consequent upon and flowing out of this relationship\nwhich affords just ground for God's public acknowledgment thereof.\nGod cannot fully and publicly own those who are unequally yoked\ntogether with unbelievers, for, were He to do so, it would be an\nacknowledgment of the unequal yoke. He cannot acknowledge \"darkness,\"\n\"unrighteousness,\" \"Belial,\" \"idols,\" and \"an infidel.\" How could He?\nHence, if I yoke myself with any of these, I am morally and publicly\nidentified with them, and not with God at all. I have put myself into\na position which God cannot own, and, as a consequence, He cannot own\nme; but if I withdraw myself from that position--if I \"come out and be\nseparate\"--if I take my neck out of the unequal yoke--then, but not\nuntil then, can I be publicly and fully received and owned as a \"son\nor daughter of the Lord Almighty.\"\n\nThis is a solemn and searching principle for all who feel that they\nhave unhappily gotten themselves into such a yoke. They are not\nwalking as disciples, nor are they publicly or morally on the ground\nof sons. God cannot own them. Their secret relationship is not the\npoint; but they have put themselves thoroughly off God's ground. They\nhave foolishly thrust their neck into a yoke which, inasmuch as it is\nnot Christ's yoke, must be Belial's yoke; and until they cast off that\nyoke, God cannot own them as His sons and daughters. God's grace, no\ndoubt, is infinite, and can meet us in all our failure and weakness;\nbut if our souls aspire after a higher order of discipleship, we must\nat once cast off the unequal yoke, cost what it may; that is, if it\ncan be cast off; but if it cannot, we must only bow our heads beneath\nthe shame and sorrow thereof, looking to God for full deliverance.\n\nNow, there are four distinct phases in which \"the unequal yoke\" may be\ncontemplated, viz, the domestic, the commercial, the religious, and\nthe philanthropic. Some may be disposed to confine 2 Corinthians vi.\n14 to the first of these; but the apostle does not so confine it. The\nwords are, \"Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.\" He does\nnot specify the character or object of the yoke, and therefore we are\nwarranted in giving the passage its widest application, by bringing\nits edge to bear directly upon every phase of the unequal yoke; and we\nshall see the importance of so doing ere we close these remarks, if\nthe Lord permit.\n\nI. And first, then, let us consider the domestic or marriage yoke.\nWhat pen can portray the mental anguish, the moral misery, together\nwith the ruinous consequences as to spiritual life and testimony,\nflowing from a Christian's marriage with an unconverted person? I\nsuppose nothing can be more deplorable than the condition of one who\ndiscovers, when it is too late, that he has linked himself for life\nwith one who cannot have a single thought or feeling in common with\nhim. One desires to serve Christ; the other can only serve the devil:\none breathes after the things of God; the other sighs for the things\nof this present world: the one earnestly seeks to mortify the flesh,\nwith all its affections and desires; the other only seeks to minister\nto and gratify these very things. Like a sheep and a goat linked\ntogether, the sheep longs to feed on the green pasture in the field,\nwhile, on the other hand, the goat craves the brambles which grow in\nthe ditch. The sad consequence is that both are starved. One _will_\nnot feed on the pasture, and the other _cannot_ feed upon the\nbrambles, and thus neither gets what his nature craves, unless the\ngoat, by superior strength, succeeds in forcing his unequally yoked\ncompanion to remain among the brambles, there to languish and die.\n\nThe moral of this is plain enough; and, moreover, it is, alas! of but\ntoo common occurrence. The goat generally succeeds in gaining his\nend. The worldly partner carries his or her point, in almost every\ninstance. It will be found, almost without exception, that in cases of\nthe unequal marriage-yoke, the poor Christian is the sufferer, as is\nevidenced by the bitter fruits of a bad conscience, a depressed heart,\na gloomy spirit, and a desponding mind. A heavy price, surely, to pay\nfor the gratification of some natural affection, or the attainment, it\nmay be, of some paltry worldly advantage. In fact, a marriage of this\nkind is the death-knell of practical Christianity, and of progress in\nthe divine life. It is morally impossible that any one can be an\nunfettered disciple of Christ with his neck in the marriage-yoke with\nan unbeliever. As well might a racer in the Olympic or Isthm\u00e6an games\nhave expected to gain the crown of victory by attaching a heavy weight\nor dead body to his person. It is enough, surely, to have one dead\nbody to sustain, without attaching another. There never was a true\nChristian yet who did not find that he had abundant work to do in\nendeavoring to grapple with the evils of _one_ heart, without going to\nburden himself with the evils of two; and, without doubt, the man who\nfoolishly and disobediently marries an unconverted woman; or the woman\nwho marries an unconverted man, is burdened with the combined evils of\ntwo hearts; and who is sufficient for these things? One can most fully\ncount upon the grace of Christ for the subjugation of his own evil\nnature: but he certainly cannot count, in the same way, upon that\ngrace in reference to the evil nature of his unequal yoke-fellow. If\nhe have yoked himself ignorantly, the Lord will meet him personally,\non the ground of full confession, with entire restoration of soul, but\nin the matter of his discipleship, he will never recover it.\n\nNow, in considering the terribly evil consequences of the unequal\nmarriage-yoke, it is mainly as bearing upon our discipleship that we\nare looking at them. I say \"mainly\" because our entire character and\nexperience are deeply affected thereby. I very much question if any\none can give a more effectual blow to his prosperity in the divine\nlife than by assuming an unequal yoke. Indeed, the very fact of so\ndoing proves that spiritual decline has already set in, with most\nalarming symptoms; but as to his discipleship and testimony, the lamp\nthereof may be regarded as all but gone out; or if it does give an\noccasional faint glimmer, it only serves to make manifest the awful\ngloom of his unhappy position, and the appalling consequences of being\n\"unequally yoked together with an unbeliever.\"\n\nThus much as to the question of the unequal yoke in its influence upon\nthe life, the character, the testimony, and the discipleship of the\nchild of God.\n\nI would now say a word as to its moral effect as exhibited in the\ndomestic circle. Here too the consequences are truly melancholy. Nor\ncould they possibly be otherwise. Two persons have come together in\nthe closest and most intimate relationship, with tastes, habits,\nfeelings, desires, tendencies, and objects diametrically opposite.\nThey have nothing in common; so that in every movement they can but\ngrate one against the other. The unbeliever cannot, _in reality_, go\nwith the believer; and if there should, through excessive amiability\nor downright hypocrisy, be a show of acquiesence, what is it worth in\nthe sight of the Lord, who judges the true state of the heart in\nreference to Himself? But little indeed; yea, it is worse than\nworthless. Then, again, if the believer should unhappily go in any\nmeasure with his unequal yoke-fellow, it can only be at the expense of\nhis discipleship, and the consequence is, a condemning conscience in\nthe sight of the Lord; and this, again, leads to heaviness of spirit,\nand, it may be, sourness of temper in the domestic circle, so that the\ngrace of the gospel is by no means commended, and the unbeliever is\nnot attracted or won. Thus it is in every way most sorrowful. It is\ndishonoring to God, destructive of spiritual prosperity, utterly\nsubversive of discipleship and testimony, and entirely hostile to\ndomestic peace and blessing. It produces estrangement, coldness,\ndistance, and misunderstanding: or, if it does not produce these, it\nwill doubtless lead, on the part of the Christian, to a forfeiture of\nhis discipleship and his good conscience, both of which he may be\ntempted to offer as a sacrifice upon the altar of domestic peace.\nThus, whatever way we look at it, an unequal yoke must lead to the\nmost deplorable consequences.\n\nThen, as to its effect upon children, it is equally sad. These are\nalmost sure to flow in the current with the unconverted parent. \"Their\nchildren spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in\nthe Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.\"\nThere can be no union of heart in the training of the children,--no\njoint and mutual confidence in reference to them. One desires to bring\nthem up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; the other desires\nto bring them up in the principles of the world, the flesh, and the\ndevil: and as all the sympathies of the children, as they grow up, are\nlikely to be ranged on the side of the latter, it is easy to see how\nit will end. In short, it is an unseemly, unscriptural, and vain\neffort to plow with an \"unequal yoke,\" or to \"sow the ground with\nmingled seed;\" and all must end in sorrow and confusion.[18]\n\n  [18] There are many cases in which one finds persons united, who though\n  they cannot exactly be said to be \"unequally yoked,\" are, to say the\n  least, very badly matched. Their tempers, tastes, habits, and views\n  are totally different; and so different, that instead of maintaining a\n  desirable balance (which opposite tempers, if properly arranged, might\n  do), they keep up a perpetual jar, to the sad derangement of the\n  domestic circle, and the dishonor of the Lord's name. All this might\n  be very much obviated if Christians would only wait upon God, and make\n  His glory more their object than personal interest or affection.\n\nI shall, ere turning from this branch of our subject, offer a remark\nas to the reasons which generally actuate Christians in the matter of\nentering into the unequal marriage-yoke. We all know, alas! how easily\nthe poor heart persuades itself of the rightness of any step which it\ndesires to take, and how the devil furnishes plausible arguments to\nconvince us of its rightness--arguments which the moral condition of\nthe soul causes us to regard as clear, forcible, and satisfactory. The\nvery fact of our thinking of such a thing, proves our unfitness to\nweigh, with a well-balanced mind and spiritually adjusted conscience,\nthe solemn consequences of such a step. If the eye were single (that\nis, if we were governed but by one object, namely, the glory and honor\nof the Lord Jesus Christ), we should never entertain the idea of\nputting our necks in an unequal yoke; and consequently we should have\nno difficulty or perplexity about the matter. A racer, whose eye was\nresting on the crown, would not be troubled with any perplexity as to\nwhether he ought to stop and tie a hundred-weight round his neck. Such\na thought would never cross his mind: and not only so, but a thorough\nracer would have a distinct and almost intuitive perception of every\nthing which would be likely to prove a hindrance to him in running the\nrace; and, of course, with such an one, to perceive would be to reject\nwith decision.[19]\n\n  [19] It is important for the Christian to bear in mind the words of our\n  Lord Jesus Christ, \"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be\n  full of light.\" Whenever I am in perplexity as to my path, I have\n  reason to suspect that my eye is not single; for, assuredly,\n  perplexity is not compatible with a \"body full of light.\" We\n  frequently go to pray for guidance in matters with which, if the eye\n  were single and the will subject, we would have nothing whatever to\n  do, and hence we should have no need to pray about them. To pray about\n  aught concerning which the Word of God is plain, marks the activity of\n  a rebellions will. As a recent writer has well remarked, \"We sometimes\n  seek God's will, desiring to know how to act in circumstances _in\n  which it is not His will that we should be found at all_; if\n  conscience were in real healthful activity, its first effect would be\n  to make us quit them. It is our own will which sets us there, and we\n  should like, nevertheless, to enjoy the consolation of God's direction\n  in a path which ourselves have chosen. Such is a very common case. Be\n  assured that if we are near enough to God, we shall have no trouble to\n  know His will.... However, 'if thine eye be single, thy whole body\n  shall be full of light;' whence it is certain that if the whole body\n  is not full of light, the eye is not single. You will say, That is\n  poor consolation. I answer, It is a rich consolation for those whose\n  sole desire is to have the eye single and _to walk with God_.\"\n\nNow, were it thus with Christians in the matter of unscriptural\nmarriage, it would save them a world of sorrow and perplexity; but it\nis not thus. The heart gets out of communion, and is morally\nincompetent to \"try the things that differ;\" and when in this\ncondition, the devil gains an easy conquest, and speedy success in his\nwicked effort to induce the believer to yoke himself with\n\"Belial\"--with \"unrighteousness\"--with \"darkness\"--with \"an infidel.\"\nWhen the soul is in full communion with God, it is entirely subject to\nHis Word; it sees things as He sees them, calls them what He calls\nthem, and not what the devil or his own carnal heart would call them.\nIn this way, the believer escapes the insnaring influence of a\ndeception which is very frequently brought to bear upon him in this\nmatter, namely, a false profession of religion on the part of the\nperson whom he desires to marry. This is a very common case. It is\neasy to show symptoms of leaning toward the things of God; and the\nheart is treacherous and base enough to make a profession of religion\nin order to gain its end; and not only so, but the devil, who is\n\"transformed into an angel of light,\" will lead to this false\nprofession, in order thereby the more effectually to entrap the feet\nof a child of God. Thus it comes to pass that Christians, in this\nmatter, suffer themselves to be satisfied, or at least profess\nthemselves satisfied, with evidence of conversion which under any\nother circumstances they would regard as utterly lame and flimsy.\n\nBut, alas! experience soon opens the eyes to the _reality_. It is\nspeedily discovered that the profession was all a vain show, that the\n_heart_ is entirely in and of the world. Terrible discovery. Who can\ndetail the bitter consequences of such a discovery--the anguish of\nheart--the bitter reproaches and cuttings of conscience--the shame and\nconfusion--the loss of power and blessing--the forfeiture of spiritual\npeace and joy--the sacrifice of a life of usefulness? Who can describe\nall these things? The man awakes from his delusive dream, and opens\nhis eyes upon the tremendous reality that he is yoked for life with\n\"Belial\"! Yes, this is what the Spirit calls it. It is not an\ninference, or a deduction arrived at by a process of reasoning; but a\nplain and positive statement of holy Scripture, that thus the matter\nstands in reference to one who, from whatever motive, or under the\ninfluence of whatever reasons, or deceived by whatever false\npretences, has entered into an unequal marriage-yoke.\n\nOh, my beloved Christian reader, if you are in danger of entering into\nsuch a yoke, let me earnestly, solemnly, and affectionately entreat of\nyou to pause first, and weigh the matter in the balances of the\nsanctuary, ere you move forward a single hair's breadth on such a\nfatal path! You may rest assured that you will no sooner have taken\nthe step than your heart will be assailed by hopeless regrets, and\nyour life embittered by unnumbered sorrows. LET NOTHING INDUCE YOU TO\nYOKE YOURSELF WITH AN UNBELIEVER. Are your affections engaged? Then,\nremember, they cannot be the affections of your new man; they are, be\nassured of it, those of the old or carnal nature, which you are called\nupon to mortify and set aside. Wherefore you should cry to God for\nspiritual power to rise above the influence of such affections; yea,\nto sacrifice them to Him. Again, are your interests concerned? Then\nremember that they are only _your_ interests; and if they are\npromoted, Christ's interests are sacrificed by your yoking yourself\nwith \"Belial.\" Furthermore, they are only your temporal, and not your\neternal interests. In point of fact, the interests of the believer and\nthose of Christ ought to be identical; and it is plain that His\ninterests, His honor, His truth, His glory, must inevitably be\nsacrificed if a member of His body is linked with \"Belial.\" This is\nthe true way to look at the question. What are a few hundreds, or a\nfew thousands, to an heir of heaven? \"God is able to give thee much\nmore than this.\" Are you going to sacrifice the truth of God, as well\nas your own spiritual peace, prosperity, and happiness, for a paltry\ntrifle of gold, which must perish in the using of it? Ah, no! God\nforbid! Flee from it, as a bird from the snare which it sees and\nknows. Stretch out the hand of genuine, well-braced, whole-hearted\ndiscipleship, and take the knife and slay your affections and your\ninterests on the altar of God, and then, even though there should not\nbe an audible voice from heaven to approve your act, you will have the\ninvaluable testimony of an approving conscience and an ungrieved\nSpirit--an ample reward, surely, for the most costly sacrifice which\nyou can make. May the Spirit of God give power to resist Satan's\ntemptations.\n\nIt is hardly needful to remark here that in cases where conversion\ntakes place after marriage, the complexion of the matter is very\nmaterially altered. There will then be no smitings of conscience, for\nexample, and the whole thing is modified in a variety of particulars.\nStill, there will be difficulty, trial, and sorrow, unquestionably.\nThe only thing is, that one can far more happily bring the trial and\nsorrow into the Lord's presence, when he has not deliberately and\nwillfully plunged himself thereinto; and, blessed be God, we know how\nready He is to forgive, restore, and cleanse from all unrighteousness\nthe soul that makes full confession of its error and failure. This may\ncomfort the heart of one who has been brought to the Lord after\nmarriage. Moreover, to such an one the Spirit of God has given\nspecific direction and blessed encouragement in the following passage:\n\"If any brother have an unbelieving wife, and she think proper to\ndwell with him, let him not put her away: and if any woman have an\nunbelieving husband, and he think proper to dwell with her, let her\nnot put him away (for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the\nwife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband, else were\nyour children unclean, but now are they holy).... For what knowest\nthou, O wife, if thou shalt save thy husband? or what knowest thou, O\nhusband, if thou shalt save thy wife?\" (1 Cor. vii. 12-16.)\n\nII. We shall now consider \"the unequal yoke\" in its commercial phase,\nas seen in cases of partnership in business. This, though not so\nserious an aspect of the yoke as that which we have just been\nconsidering, will nevertheless be found a very positive barrier to the\nbeliever's testimony. When a Christian yokes himself, for business\npurposes, with an unbeliever--whether that unbeliever be a relative or\nnot--or when he becomes a member of a worldly firm, he virtually\nsurrenders his individual responsibility. Henceforth the acts of the\nfirm become his acts, and it is perfectly out of the question to think\nof getting a worldly firm to act on heavenly principles. They would\nlaugh at such a notion, inasmuch as it would be an effectual barrier\nto the success of their commercial schemes. They will feel perfectly\nfree to adopt a number of expedients in carrying on their business\nwhich would be quite opposed to the spirit and principles of the\nkingdom in which he is, and of the Church of which he forms a part.\nThus he will find himself constantly in a most trying position. He may\nuse his influence to Christianize the mode of conducting affairs, but\nthey will compel him to do business as others do, and he has no remedy\nsave to mourn in secret over his anomalous and difficult position, or\nelse to go out at great pecuniary loss to himself and family. Where\nthe eye is single, there will be no hesitation as to which of these\nalternatives to adopt; but, alas! the very fact of getting into such a\nposition proves the lack of a single eye; and the fact of being in it\nargues the lack of spiritual capacity to appreciate the value and\npower of the divine principles which would infallibly bring a man out\nof it. A man whose eye was single could not possibly yoke himself with\nan unbeliever for the purpose of making money. Such an one could only\nset, as an object before his mind, the direct glory of Christ; and\nthis object could never be gained by a positive transgression of\ndivine principle.\n\nThis makes it very simple. If it does not glorify Christ for a\nChristian to become a partner in a worldly firm, it must, without\ndoubt, further the designs of the devil. There is no middle ground;\nbut that it does not glorify Christ is manifest, for His Word says,\n\"Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.\" Such is the\nprinciple, which cannot be infringed without damage to the testimony,\nand forfeiture of spiritual blessing. True, the conscience of a\nChristian who transgresses in this matter may seek relief in various\nways--may have recourse to various subterfuges--may set forth various\narguments to persuade itself that all is right. It will be said that\n\"we can be very devoted and very spiritual, so far as we are\npersonally concerned, even though we are yoked, for business purposes,\nwith an unbeliever.\" This will be found fallacious when brought to\nthe test of the actual practice. A servant of Christ will find himself\nhampered in a hundred ways by his worldly partnership. If in matters\nof service to Christ he is not met with open hostility, he will have\nto encounter the enemy's secret and constant effort to damp his ardor,\nand throw cold water on all his schemes. He will be laughed at and\ndespised--he will be continually reminded of the effect which his\nenthusiasm and fanaticism will produce in reference to the business\nprospects of the firm. If he uses his time, his talents, or his\npecuniary resources in what he believes to be the Lord's service, he\nwill be pronounced a fool or a madman, and reminded that the true--the\nproper way for a commercial man to serve the Lord is to \"attend to\nbusiness, and nothing but business;\" and that it is the exclusive\nbusiness of clergymen and ministers to attend to religious matters,\ninasmuch as they are set apart and paid for so doing.\n\nNow, although the Christian's renewed mind may be thoroughly convinced\nof the fallacy of all this reasoning--although he may see that this\nworldly wisdom is but a flimsy, threadbare cloak, thrown over the\nheart's covetous practices--yet who can tell how far the heart may be\ninfluenced by such things? We get weary of constant resistance. The\ncurrent becomes too strong for us, and we gradually yield ourselves to\nits action, and are carried along on its surface. Conscience may have\nsome death-struggles; but the spiritual energies are paralyzed, and\nthe sensibilities of the new nature are blunted, so that there is no\nresponse to the cries of conscience, and no effectual effort to\nwithstand the enemy; the worldliness of the Christian's heart leagues\nitself with the opposing influences from without--the outworks are\nstormed, and the citadel of the soul's affections vigorously\nassaulted; and finally, the man settles down in thorough worldliness,\nexemplifying in his own person the prophet's touching lament, \"Her\nNazarites _were_ purer than snow, they _were_ whiter than milk, they\n_were_ more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing _was_ of\nsapphire: their visage is blacker than a coal; they _are_ not known in\nthe streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is\nbecome like a stick.\" (Lam. iv. 7, 8.) The man who was once known as a\nservant of Christ--a fellow-helper unto the kingdom of God--making use\nof his resources only to further the interests of the gospel of\nChrist, is now, alas! settled down upon his lees, only known as a\nplodding, keen, bargain-making man of business, of whom the apostle\nmight well say, \"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present age\n[\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03bd\u03c5\u03bd \u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd\u03b1].\"\n\nBut perhaps nothing so operates on the hearts of Christians, in\ninducing them to yoke themselves commercially with unbelievers, as the\nhabit of seeking to maintain the two characters of a Christian and a\nman of business. This is a grievous snare. In point of fact, there can\nbe no such thing. A man must be either the one or the other. If I am a\nChristian, my Christianity must show itself as a living reality in\nthat in which I am; and if it cannot show itself there, I ought not to\nbe there: for if I continue in a sphere or position in which the life\nof Christ cannot be manifested, I shall speedily possess naught of\nChristianity but the name without the reality--the outward form\nwithout the inward power--the shell without the kernel. I should be\nthe servant of Christ, not merely on Sunday, but from Monday morning\nto Saturday night. I should not only be a servant of Christ in the\npublic assembly, but also in my place of business, whatever it may\nhappen to be. But I cannot be a proper servant of Christ with my neck\nin the yoke with an unbeliever; for how could the servants of two\nhostile masters work in the same yoke? It is utterly impossible; as\nwell might one attempt to link the sun's meridian beams with the\nprofound darkness of midnight. It cannot be done; and I do therefore\nmost solemnly appeal to my reader's conscience, in the presence of\nAlmighty God, who shall judge the secrets of men's hearts by Jesus\nChrist, as to this important matter. I would say to him, if he is\nthinking of getting into partnership with an unbeliever, FLEE FROM IT!\nyes, flee from it, though it promises you the gain of thousands. You\nwill plunge yourself into a mass of sorrow and trouble. You are going\nto \"plow\" with one whose feelings, instincts, and tendencies are\ndiametrically opposed to your own. \"An ox and an ass\" are not so\nunlike, in every respect, as a believer and an unbeliever. How will\nyou ever get on? He wants to make money--to profit himself--to get on\nin the world; you want (at least you ought to want) to grow in grace\nand holiness--to advance the interests of Christ and His gospel on the\nearth, and to push onward to the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus\nChrist. His object is money; yours, I trust, is Christ: he lives for\nthis world; you, for the world to come; he is engrossed with the\nthings of time; you, with those of eternity. How, then, can you ever\ntake common ground with him? Your principles, your motives, your\nobjects, your hopes, are all opposed. How is it possible you can get\non? How can you have aught in common? Surely, all this needs only to\nbe looked at with a single eye in order to be seen in its true light.\nIt is impossible that any one whose eye is filled and whose heart is\noccupied with Christ, could ever yoke himself with a worldly partner,\nfor any object whatsoever. Wherefore, my beloved Christian reader, let\nme once more entreat you, ere you take such a tremendous step--a step\nfraught with such awful consequences--so pregnant with danger to your\nbest interests, as well as to the testimony of Christ, with which you\nare honored--to take the whole matter, with an honest heart, into the\nsanctuary of God, and weigh it in His sacred balance. Ask Him what He\nthinks of it, and hearken, with a subject will and a well-adjusted\nconscience, to His reply. It is plain and powerful--yea, as plain and\nas powerful as though it fell from the open heavens--\"_Be not\nunequally yoked together with unbelievers_.\"\n\nBut if, unhappily, my reader is already in the yoke, I would say to\nhim, disentangle yourself as speedily as you can. I am much mistaken\nif you have not already found the yoke a burdensome one. To you it\nwere superfluous to detail the sad consequences of being in such a\nposition; you doubtless know them all. It is needless to print them on\npaper, or paint them on canvas, to one who has entered into all their\nreality. My beloved brother in Christ, lose not a moment in seeking to\nthrow off the yoke. This must be done before the Lord, on His\nprinciples, and by His grace. It is easier to get into a wrong\nposition than to get out of it. A partnership of ten or twenty years'\nstanding cannot be dissolved in a moment. It must be done calmly,\nhumbly, and prayerfully, as in the sight of the Lord, and with entire\nreference to His glory. I may dishonor the Lord as much in my way of\ngetting out of a wrong position as by getting into it at the first.\nHence, if I find myself in partnership with an unbeliever, and my\nconscience tells me I am wrong, let me honestly and frankly state to\nmy partner that I can no longer go on with him; and having done that,\nmy place is to use every exertion to wind up the affairs of the firm\nin an upright, a straightforward, and businesslike manner, so as to\ngive no possible occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, and\nthat my good may not be evil spoken of. We must avoid rashness,\nheadiness, and high-mindedness, when apparently acting for the Lord,\nand in defense of His holy principles. If a man gets entangled in a\nnet, or involved in a labyrinth, it is not by bold and violent\nplunging he will extricate himself. No; he must humble himself,\nconfess his sins before the Lord, and then retrace his steps, in\npatient dependence upon that grace which can not only pardon him for\nbeing in a wrong position, but lead him forth into a right one.\n\nMoreover, as in the case of the marriage-yoke, the matter is very much\nmodified by the fact of the partnership having been entered into\nprevious to conversion. Not that this would, in the slightest degree,\njustify a continuance in it. By no means; but it does away with much\nof the sorrow of heart and defilement of conscience connected with\nsuch a position, and will also very materially affect the mode of\nescape therefrom. Besides, the Lord is glorified by, and He assuredly\naccepts, the moral bent of the heart and conscience in the right\ndirection. If I judge myself for being wrong, and that the moral bent\nof my heart and conscience is to get right, God will accept of that,\nand surely set me right. But if He sets me right, He will not suffer\nme to do violence to one truth while seeking to act in obedience to\nanother. The same Word that says \"Be not unequally yoked together with\nunbelievers\" says also \"Render therefore to all their dues\"--\"owe no\nman any thing\"--\"provide things honest in the sight of all\"--\"walk\nhonestly toward them that are without.\" If I have wronged God by\ngetting into partnership with an unbeliever, I must not wrong any man\nin my way of getting out of it. Profound subjection to the Word of\nGod, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will set all to rights, will lead\nus into straight paths, and enable us to avoid all dangerous extremes.\n\n\nIII. In glancing for a moment at the religious phase of the unequal\nyoke, I would assure my reader that it is by no means my desire to\nhurt the feelings of any one by canvassing the claims of the various\ndenominations around me. Such is not my purpose. The subject of this\npaper is one of quite sufficient importance to prevent its being\nencumbered by the introduction of other matters. Moreover, it is too\ndefinite to warrant any such introduction. \"The unequal yoke\" is our\ntheme, and to it we must confine our attention.\n\nIn looking through Scripture we find almost numberless passages\nsetting forth the intense spirit of separation which ought ever to\ncharacterize the people of God. Whether we direct our attention to the\nOld Testament, in which we have God's relationship and dealings with\nHis earthly people, Israel, or to the New Testament, in which we have\nHis relationship and dealings with His heavenly people, the Church, we\nfind the same truth prominently set forth, namely, the entire\nseparation of those who belong to God. Israel's position is thus\nstated in Balaam's parable, \"Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and\nshall not be reckoned amongst the nations.\" Their place was outside\nthe range of all the nations of the earth, and they were responsible\nto maintain that separation. Throughout the entire Pentateuch they\nwere instructed, warned, and admonished as to this; and throughout the\npsalms and the prophets we have a record of their failure in the\nmaintenance of this separation, which failure, as we know, has brought\ndown upon them the heavy judgments of the hand of God. It would swell\nthis little paper into a volume were I to attempt a quotation of all\nthe passages in which this point is put forward. I take it for granted\nthat my reader is sufficiently acquainted with his Bible, to render\nsuch quotations unnecessary. Should he not be so, however, a\nreference, in his concordance, to the words, \"separate,\" \"separated,\"\nand \"separation\" will suffice to lay before him at a glance the body\nof Scripture-evidence on the subject. The passage just quoted from the\nbook of Numbers is the expression of God's thoughts about His people\nIsrael: \"The people shall dwell ALONE.\"\n\nThe same is true, only upon a much higher ground, in reference to\nGod's heavenly people, the Church--the body of Christ--composed of all\ntrue believers. They too are a separated people.\n\nWe shall now proceed to examine the ground of this separation. There\nis a great difference between being separate on the ground of what we\nare and of what _God_ is. The former makes a man a _Pharisee_; the\nlatter makes him a _saint_. If I say to a poor fellow-sinner, \"Stand\nby thyself, I am holier than thou,\" I am a detestable Pharisee and a\nhypocrite; but if God, in His infinite condescension and perfect\ngrace, says to me, I have brought you into relationship with Myself in\nthe person of My Son Jesus Christ, therefore be separate and holy from\nall evil; come out from among them and be separate; I am bound to\nobey, and my obedience is the practical manifestation of my character\nas a saint--a character which I have, not because of any thing in\nmyself, but simply because God has brought me near unto Himself\nthrough the precious blood of Christ.\n\nIt is well to be clear as to this. Pharisaism and divine\nsanctification are two very different things; and yet they are often\nconfounded. Those who contend for the maintenance of that place of\nseparation which belongs to the people of God, are constantly accused\nof setting themselves up above their fellow-men, and of laying claim\nto a higher degree of personal sanctity than is ordinarily possessed.\nThis accusation arises from not attending to the distinction just\nreferred to. When God calls upon men to be separate, it is on the\nground of what He has done for them upon the cross, and where He has\nset them, in eternal association with Himself, in the person of\nChrist. But if I separate myself on the ground of what I am in myself,\nit is the most senseless and vapid assumption, which will sooner or\nlater be made manifest. God commands His people to be holy on the\nground of what He is: \"Be ye holy, for I am holy.\" This is evidently a\nvery different thing from \"Stand by thyself: I am holier than thou.\"\nIf God brings people into association with Himself, He has a right to\nprescribe what their moral character ought to be, and they are\nresponsible to answer thereto. Thus we see that the most profound\nhumility lies at the bottom of a saint's separation. There is nothing\nso calculated to put one in the dust as the understanding of the real\nnature of divine holiness. It is an utterly false humility which\nsprings from looking at ourselves--yea, it is, in reality, based upon\npride, which has never yet seen to the bottom of its own perfect\nworthlessness. Some imagine that they can reach the truest and deepest\nhumility by looking at self, whereas it can only be reached by looking\nat Christ.--\n\n    \"The more Thy glories strike mine eye,\n      The humbler I shall be.\"\n\nThis is a just sentiment, founded upon divine principle. The soul that\nloses itself in the blaze of Christ's moral glory is truly humble, and\nnone other. No doubt we have a right to be humble when we think of\nwhat poor creatures we are, but it only needs a moment's just\nreflection to see the fallacy of seeking to produce any practical\nresult by looking at self. It is only when we find ourselves in the\npresence of infinite excellency that we are really humble.\n\nHence, therefore, a child of God should refuse to be yoked with an\nunbeliever, whether for a domestic, a commercial, or a religious\nobject, simply because God tells him to be separate, and not because\nof his own personal holiness. The carrying out of this principle in\nmatters of religion will necessarily involve much trial and sorrow; it\nwill be termed intolerance, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, exclusiveness,\nand such like; but we cannot help all this. Provided we keep ourselves\nseparate upon a right principle and in a right spirit, we may safely\nleave all results with God. No doubt the remnant in the days of Ezra\nmust have appeared excessively intolerant in refusing the co-operation\nof the surrounding people in building the house of God, but they acted\nupon divine principle in the refusal. \"Now when the adversaries of\nJudah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded\nthe temple unto the Lord God of Israel, then they came to Zerubbabel,\nand to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, 'Let us build\nwith you; for we seek your God as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him,\nsince the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assur, which brought us up\nhither.'\" This might seem a very attractive proposal--a proposal\nevidencing a very decided leaning toward the God of Israel; yet the\nremnant refused, because the people, notwithstanding their fair\nprofession, were, at heart, uncircumcised and hostile. \"But Zerubbabel\nand Jeshua and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said\nunto them, 'Ye have nothing to do _with us_ to build a house unto\n_our_ God; but _we ourselves together_ will build unto the Lord God of\nIsrael.\" (Ezra iv. 1-3.) They would not yoke themselves with the\nuncircumcised--they would not \"plow with an ox and ass\"--they would\nnot \"sow their field with mingled seed\"--they kept themselves\nseparate, even though by so doing they exposed themselves to the\ncharge of being a bigoted, narrow-minded, illiberal, uncharitable set\nof people.\n\nSo also in Nehemiah we read, \"And the seed of Israel _separated\nthemselves_ from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins,\nand the iniquities of their fathers.\" (Chap. ix. 2.) This was not\nsectarianism, but positive obedience. Their separation was essential\nto their existence as a people. They could not have enjoyed the divine\npresence on any other ground. Thus it must ever be with God's people\non the earth. They must be separate, or else they are not only\nuseless, but mischievous. God cannot own or accompany them if they\nyoke themselves with unbelievers, upon any ground or for any object\nwhatsoever. The grand difficulty is to combine a spirit of intense\nseparation with a spirit of grace, gentleness, and forbearance; or, as\nanother has said, \"to maintain _a narrow circle_ with _a wide heart_.\"\nThis is really a difficulty. As the strict and uncompromising\nmaintenance of _truth_ tends to narrow the circle around us, we shall\nneed the expansive power of _grace_ to keep the heart wide, and the\naffections warm. If we contend for _truth_ otherwise than in _grace_,\nwe shall only yield a one-sided and most unattractive testimony. And\non the other hand, if we try to exhibit grace at the expense of truth,\nit will prove, in the end, to be only the manifestation of a popular\nliberality at God's expense--a most worthless thing.\n\nThen, as to the object for which real Christians usually yoke\nthemselves with those who, even on their own confession, and in the\njudgment of charity itself, are not Christians at all, it will be\nfound in the end that no really divine and heavenly object can be\ngained by an infringement of God's truth. _Per fas aut nefas_[20] can\nnever be a divine motto. The means are not sanctified by the end; but\nboth means and end must be according to the principles of God's holy\nWord, else all must eventuate in confusion and dishonor. It might have\nappeared to Jehoshaphat a very worthy object to recover Ramoth Gilead\nout of the hand of the enemy; and moreover, he might have appeared a\nvery liberal, gracious, popular, large-hearted man, when, in reply to\nAhab's proposal, he said, \"I am as thou art, and my people as thy\npeople; and _we will be with thee_ in the war.\" It is easy to be\nliberal and large-hearted at the expense of divine principle; but how\ndid it end? Ahab was killed, and Jehoshaphat narrowly escaped with his\nlife, having made total shipwreck of his testimony.\n\n  [20] By any means.\n\nThus we see that Jehoshaphat did not even gain the object for which he\nunequally yoked himself with an unbeliever: and even had he gained it,\nit would have been no justification of his course.[21] Nothing can ever\nwarrant a believer's yoking himself with an unbeliever; and therefore\nhowever fair, attractive, and plausible the Ramoth expedition might\nseem in the eye of man, it was, in the judgment of God, \"helping the\nungodly, and loving them that hate the Lord.\" (2 Chron. xix. 2.) The\ntruth of God strips men and things of the false colors with which the\nspirit of expediency would deck them, and presents them in their\nproper light; and it is an unspeakable mercy to have the clear\njudgment of God about all that is going on around us: it imparts\ncalmness to the spirit, and stability to the course and character, and\nsaves one from that unhappy fluctuation of thought, feeling, and\nprinciple which so entirely unfits him for the place of a steady and\nconsistent witness for Christ. We shall surely err if we attempt to\nform our judgment by the thoughts and opinions of men; for they will\nalways judge according to the outward appearances, and not according\nto the intrinsic character and principle of things. Provided men can\ngain what they conceive to be a right object, they care not about the\nmode of gaining it. But the true servant of Christ knows that he must\ndo his Master's work upon his Master's principles and in his Master's\nspirit. It will not satisfy such an one to reach the most praiseworthy\nend unless he can reach it by a divinely appointed road. The means and\nthe end must both be divine. I admit it, for example, to be a most\ndesirable end to circulate the Scriptures--God's own pure, eternal\nWord; but if _I could not_ circulate them save by yoking myself with\nan unbeliever, I should refrain, inasmuch as I am not to do evil that\ngood may come.\n\n  [21] The unequal yoke proved a terrible snare to the amiable heart of\n  Jehoshaphat. He yoked himself with Ahab for a religious object; and\n  notwithstanding the disastrous termination of this scheme, we find him\n  yoking himself with Ahaziah for a commercial object, which likewise\n  ended in loss and confusion; and lastly, he yoked himself with Jehoram\n  for a military object. (Comp. 2 Chron. xviii; xx. 32-37; 2 Kings iii.)\n\nBut, blessed be God, His servant can circulate His precious book\nwithout violating the precepts contained in that book. He can, upon\nhis own individual responsibility, or in fellowship with those who are\nreally on the Lord's side, scatter the precious seed every where,\nwithout leaguing himself with those whose whole course and conduct\nprove them to be of the world. The same may be said in reference to\nevery object of a religious nature. It can and should be gained on\nGod's principles, and only thus. It may be argued, in reply, that we\nare told not to judge--that we cannot read the heart--and that we are\nbound to hope that all who would engage in such good works as the\ntranslation of the Bible, the distribution of tracts, and the aiding\nof missionary labors, must be Christians; and that therefore it cannot\nbe wrong to link ourselves with them. To all this I reply that there\nis hardly a passage in the New Testament so misunderstood and\nmisapplied as Matthew vii. 1--\"Judge not, that ye be not judged.\" In\nthe very same chapter we read, \"Beware of the false prophets: ... by\ntheir fruits ye shall know them.\" Now, how are we to \"beware\" if we\ndo not exercise judgment? Again, in 1 Corinthians v. we read, \"For\nwhat have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge\nthem that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore\nput away from among yourselves that wicked person.\" Here we are\ndistinctly taught that those \"within\" come within the immediate range\nof the Church's judgment; and yet according to the common\ninterpretation of Matthew vii. 1 we ought not to judge anybody; that\ninterpretation, therefore, must needs be unsound. If people take, even\nin profession, the ground of being \"within,\" we are commanded to judge\nthem. \"Do not ye judge them that are within?\" As to those \"without\" we\nhave naught to do with them, save to present the pure and perfect, the\nrich, illimitable, and unfathomable grace which shines, with unclouded\neffulgence, in the death and resurrection of the Son of God.\n\nAll this is plain enough. The people of God are told to exercise\njudgment as to all who profess to be \"within;\" they are told to\n\"beware of false prophets;\" they are commanded to \"try the spirits:\"\nand how can they do all this if they are not to judge at all? What,\nthen, does our Lord mean, when He says, \"Judge not\"? I believe He\nmeans just what St. Paul, by the Holy Ghost, says, when he commands us\nto \"judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will\nbring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest\nthe counsels of the heart: and then shall every man have praise of\nGod.\" (1 Cor. iv. 5.) We have nothing to do with judging motives, but\nwe have to judge conduct and principles; that is to say, the conduct\nand principles of all who profess to be \"within.\" And, in point of\nfact, the very persons who say, \"We must not judge,\" do themselves\nconstantly exercise judgment. There is no true Christian in whom the\nmoral instincts of the divine nature do not virtually pronounce\njudgment as to character, conduct, and doctrine; and these are the\nvery points which are placed within the believer's range of judgment.\n\nAll, therefore, that I would press upon the Christian reader is, that\nhe would exercise judgment as to those with whom he yokes himself in\nmatters of religion. If he is at this moment working in yoke or in\nharness with an unbeliever, he is positively violating the command of\nthe Holy Ghost. He may be ignorantly doing so up to this: and if so,\nthe Lord's grace is ready to pardon and restore: but if he persist in\ndisobedience after having been warned, he cannot possibly expect God's\nblessing and presence with him, no matter how valuable or important\nthe object which he may seek to attain. \"To obey is better than\nsacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.\"\n\nIV. We have only now to consider the philanthropic phase of the\nunequal yoke. Many will say, I quite admit that we ought not to mingle\nourselves with positive unbelievers in the worship or service of God,\nbut then we can freely unite with such for the furtherance of objects\nof philanthropy--such, for instance, as feeding the hungry, clothing\nthe naked, reclaiming the vicious, in providing asylums for the blind\nand lunatic, hospitals and infirmaries for the sick and infirm, places\nof refuge for the homeless and houseless, the fatherless and the\nwidow; and in short, for the furtherance of every thing that tends to\npromote the amelioration of our fellow-creatures, physically, morally,\nand intellectually.\n\nThis, at first sight, seems fair enough; for I may be asked if I would\nnot help a man by the roadside to get his cart out of the ditch. I\nreply, Certainly; but if I were asked to become a member of a mixed\nsociety for the purpose of getting carts out of ditches, I should\nrefuse--not because of my superior sanctity, but because God's Word\nsays, \"Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.\" This would\nbe my answer, no matter what were the object proposed by a mixed\nsociety. The servant of Christ is commanded \"to be ready to every good\nwork\"--\"to do good unto all\"--\"to visit the fatherless and the widows\nin their affliction;\" but then it is as the servant of Christ, and not\nas the member of a society or a committee in which there may be\ninfidels and atheists, and all sorts of wicked and godless men.\nMoreover, we must remember that all God's philanthropy is connected\nwith the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the channel through\nwhich God will bless--that the mighty lever by which He will elevate\nman, physically, morally, and intellectually. \"After that the kindness\nand philanthropy [\u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03b1\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03c9\u03c0\u03b9\u03b1] of God our Saviour toward man\nappeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but\naccording to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration,\nand renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through\nJesus Christ our Saviour.\" (Titus iii. 4-6.) This is God's\nphilanthropy; this is His mode of ameliorating man's condition. With\nall who understand its worth the Christian can readily yoke himself,\nbut with none other.\n\nThe men of the world know naught of this, care not for it. They may\nseek reformation, but it is reformation without Christ; they may\npromote amelioration, but it is amelioration without the cross. They\nwish to advance, but Jesus is neither the starting-post nor the goal\nof their course. How, then, can the Christian yoke himself with them?\nThey want to work without Christ, the very One to whom he owes every\nthing. Can he be satisfied to work with them? can he have an object\nin common with them? If men come to me and say, \"We want your\nco-operation in feeding the hungry, in clothing the naked, in founding\nhospitals and lunatic asylums, in feeding and educating orphans, in\nimproving the physical condition of our fellow-mortals; but you must\nremember that a leading rule of the society, the board, or the\ncommittee formed for such objects is, that the name of Christ is not\nto be introduced, as it would only lead to controversy. Our objects\nbeing not at all religious, but undividedly philanthropic, the subject\nof religion must be studiously excluded from all our public meetings.\nWe are met as _men_, for a benevolent purpose, and therefore infidels,\natheists, Socinians, Arians, Romanists, and all sorts, can happily\nyoke themselves to move onward the glorious machine of philanthropy.\"\nWhat should be my answer to such an application? The fact is, words\nwould fail one who really loved the Lord Jesus, in attempting to reply\nto an appeal so monstrous. What! benefit mortals by the exclusion of\nChrist? God forbid! If I cannot gain the objects of pure philanthropy\nwithout setting aside that blessed One who lived and died, and lives\neternally for me, then away with your philanthropy, for it assuredly\nis not God's, but Satan's. If it were God's, the word is, \"He shed it\non us abundantly through Jesus Christ,\" the very One whom your rule\nleaves entirely out. Hence your rule must be the direct dictation of\nSatan, the enemy of Christ. Satan would always like to leave out the\nSon of God; and when he can get men to do the same, he will allow them\nto be benevolent, charitable, and philanthropic.\n\nBut, in good truth, such benevolence and philanthropy ought to be\ntermed malevolence and misanthropy, for how can you more effectually\nexhibit ill-will and hatred toward men than by leaving out THE ONLY\nONE who can really bless them, for time or for eternity? But what must\nbe the moral condition of a heart, in reference to Christ, who could\ntake his seat at a board, or on a platform, on the condition that that\nname must not be introduced? It must be cold indeed; yea, it proves\nthat the plans and operations of unconverted men are of sufficient\nimportance, in his judgment, to lead him to throw his Master\noverboard, for the purpose of carrying them out. Let us not mistake\nmatters. This is the true aspect in which to view the world's\nphilanthropy. The men of this world can \"sell ointment for three\nhundred pence, and give to the poor;\" while they pronounce it _waste_\nto pour that ointment on the head of Christ! Will the Christian\nconsent to this? Will he yoke himself with such? Will he seek to\nimprove the world without Christ? Will he join with men to deck and\ngarnish a scene which is stained with his Master's blood? Peter could\nsay, \"Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in\nthe name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.\" Peter would\nheal a cripple by the power of the name of Jesus, but what would he\nhave said if asked to join a committee or society to alleviate\ncripples, on the condition of leaving that name out altogether? It\nrequires no great stretch of imagination to conceive his answer. His\nwhole soul would recoil from such a thought. He only healed the\ncripple for the purpose of exalting the name of Jesus, and setting\nforth its worth, its excellency, and its glory, in the view of men:\nbut the very reverse is the object of the world's philanthropy;\ninasmuch as it sets aside His blessed name entirely, and banishes Him\nfrom its boards, its committees, and its platforms.\n\nMay we not therefore well say, Shame on the Christian who is found in\na place from which his Master is shut out? Oh, let him go forth, and,\nin the energy of love to Jesus, and by the power of that name, do all\nthe good he can; but let him not yoke himself with unbelievers, to\ncounteract the effects of sin by excluding the cross of Christ. God's\ngrand object is to exalt His Son--\"that all should honor the Son even\nas they honor the Father.\" This should be the Christian's object\nlikewise; to this end he should \"do good unto all;\" but if he join a\nsociety or a committee in order to do good, it is not \"in the name of\nJesus\" he acts, but in the name of the society or committee, without\nthe name of Jesus. This ought to be enough for every true and loyal\nheart. God has no other way of blessing men but through Christ, and no\nother object in blessing them but to exalt Christ. As with Pharaoh of\nold, when the hungry Egyptians flocked to his presence, his word was,\n\"Go to Joseph;\" so God's word to all is, \"Come to Jesus.\" Yes, for\nsoul and body, time and eternity, we must go to Jesus; but the men of\nthe world know Him not, and want Him not; what, therefore, has the\nChristian to do with such? How can he act in yoke with them? He can\nonly do so on the ground of practically denying his Saviour's name.\nMany do not see this; but that does not alter the case for those who\ndo. We ought to act honestly, as in the light; and even though the\nfeelings and affections of the new nature were not sufficiently strong\nin us to lead us to shrink from ranking ourselves with the enemies of\nChrist, the conscience ought, at least, to bow to the commanding\nauthority of that word, \"BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH\nUNBELIEVERS.\"\n\nMay the Holy Ghost clothe His own Word with heavenly power, and make\nits edge sharp to pierce the conscience, that so the saints of God may\nbe delivered from every thing that hinders their \"running the race\nthat is set before them.\" Time is short. The Lord Himself will soon be\nhere. Then many an unequal yoke will be broken in a moment; many a\nsheep and goat shall then be eternally severed. May we be enabled to\npurge ourselves from every unclean association and every unhallowed\ninfluence, so that when Jesus returns, we may not be ashamed, but meet\nHim with a joyful heart and an approving conscience.\n\n                                                      _C. H. M._\n\n\n\n\nGIDEON AND HIS COMPANIONS\n\nJudges vi.-viii.\n\n\nPART I.\n\nIn studying the history of the nation of Israel, we notice two\ndistinct eras, namely, the era of _unity_, and the era of\n_individuality_--the period in which the twelve tribes acted as one\nman, and the period in the which one man was called to act for the\ntwelve tribes. We may take the Book of Joshua as illustrating the\nformer; and the Book of Judges as a sample of the latter. The most\ncursory reader cannot fail to discern the difference between these two\nbooks. The one is characterized by external power and glory; the\nother, by weakness and failure. Power is stamped on the former, ruin\non the latter. In that, Jehovah gives the land to Israel; in this,\nIsrael fails to take the land from Jehovah.\n\nNow, all this is expressed in the two words which may be regarded as\nthe motto of the two books, namely, \"Gilgal\" and \"Bochim.\" In the book\nof Joshua we find the congregation always starting from Gilgal to\nprosecute the war, and returning thither to celebrate their victory.\nGilgal was their centre, because there they were circumcised; and\nthere the reproach of Egypt was rolled away. See Josh. v. 9, 10.\n\nBut no sooner have we opened the book of Judges than the eye rests\nupon the sad record, \"The angel of the Lord came up _from Gilgal to\nBochim_, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought\nyou unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will\nnever break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the\ninhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars, but ye\nhave not obeyed my voice; why have ye done this? Wherefore I also\nsaid, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as\nthorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it\ncame to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all\nthe children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and\nwept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, that is, weepers;\nand they sacrificed there unto the Lord\" (Judges ii. 1-5).\n\nHere, then, we have, very remarkably, the contrast between the two\nbooks of Joshua and Judges--the book of unity and the book of\nindividuality--the book of external power and glory, and the book of\ninternal weakness, failure, and ruin. Alas! alas! the glory speedily\ndeparted. Israel's national greatness soon faded away. \"The people\nserved the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders\nthat outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord,\nthat he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the\nLord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.... And also all that\ngeneration were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another\ngeneration after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works\nwhich He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in\nthe sight of the Lord, and served Baalim.... And they forsook the\nLord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot\nagainst Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that\nspoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round\nabout, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.\nWhithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for\nevil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them; and\nthey were greatly distressed.\"\n\nThis, truly, is a gloomy and humiliating record. Joshua's sword was\nsheathed. Those bright days in the which he had led Israel's compact\nhost to splendid victories over the kings of Canaan, were passed and\ngone. The moral influence of Joshua and of the elders that survived\nhim had passed away, and the whole nation had rushed, with terrible\navidity, into the gross moral evils and abominable idolatries of those\nnations whom they ought to have driven out from before them. In a\nword, the ruin was complete, so far as Israel was concerned. Like\nAdam, in the garden; and Noah, in the restored earth; so Israel, in\nthe land of Canaan, utterly failed. Adam ate the forbidden fruit; Noah\ngot drunk; and Israel bowed before the altars of Baal.\n\nThus much as to man. But, thank God, there is another side of the\npicture. There is what we may call a bright and beauteous\n\"_Nevertheless_;\" for God will be God, no matter what man may prove\nhimself to be. This is an unspeakable relief and consolation to the\nheart. God abideth faithful. Here is faith's stronghold, come what\nmay. God is always to be counted upon, spite of all man's failure and\nshortcoming. His goodness and faithfulness form the resource and the\nrefuge of the soul amid the darkest scenes of human history.\n\nThis soul-sustaining truth shines out with remarkable lustre in the\nvery passage from which we have just given such a depressing\nquotation. \"Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered\nthem out of the hand of those that spoiled them.\" But mark the\nfollowing words, so illustrative of the individuality of the book of\nJudges: \"And when the Lord raised them up judges, then _the Lord was\nwith the judge_, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies\n_all the days of the judge_: for it repented the Lord because of their\ngroanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them\"\n(Judges ii. 16, 18).\n\nIn these last quoted words, we have the great root principle of the\nbook of Judges--the divine secret of the ministry of the Baraks, the\nGideons, the Jephthahs, and the Samsons, the record of whose ministry\noccupies so large a portion of this most interesting section of\ninspiration. Israel had failed--sadly, shamefully, inexcusably failed.\nThey had forfeited all claims to the protection of Jehovah's shield.\nThey were justly given over into the ruthless hands of the kings of\nCanaan. As to all this there could be no possible question.\n\"Nevertheless\" Jehovah's heart could feel for His poor, oppressed,\nand groaning Israel. True, they had proved themselves naughty and\nunworthy, yet His ear was ever ready to catch their very earliest\ngroan; yea, we are even told, in chapter x., that \"His soul was\ngrieved for the misery of Israel.\"\n\nWhat touching words! What tenderness! What deep compassion! How such a\nstatement lets us into the profound depths of the heart of God! The\nmisery of His people moved the loving heart of Jehovah. The very\nfaintest and earliest symptoms of brokenness and contrition, on the\npart of Israel, met with a ready and gracious response, on the part of\nIsrael's God. It mattered not how far they had wandered, how deeply\nthey had sunk, or how grievously they had sinned; God was ever ready\nto welcome the feeblest breathings of a broken heart. The springs of\ndivine mercy and compassion are absolutely inexhaustible. The ocean of\nHis love is boundless and unfathomable; and hence, the very moment His\npeople take the place of confession, He enters the place of\nforgiveness. He delights to pardon, according to the largeness of His\nheart, and according to the glory of His own Name. He finds His\npeculiar joy in blotting out transgressions, in healing, restoring,\nand blessing, in a manner worthy of Himself. This glorious truth\nshines in the history of Israel; it shines in the history of the\nChurch; and it shines in the history of every individual believer.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nBut we turn to our immediate subject, namely, \"Gideon and his\ncompanions,\" as presented in that portion of the book of Judges given\nat the head of this paper. May the eternal Spirit unfold and apply\nits precious contents to our souls!\n\nChapter vi. opens with a very sad and depressing record--a record only\ntoo characteristic of Israel's entire history: \"And the children of\nIsrael did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them\ninto the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed\nagainst Israel; and because of the Midianites the children of Israel\nmade them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and\nstrongholds.\" What a humiliating picture! What a contrast to the\nconquering host that had crossed the Jordan and walked across the\nruins of Jericho! How sad, how humbling, to think of Israel crouching\nand hiding in the dens and caves of the mountains, through the terror\nof the uncircumcised Midianites!\n\nIt is well for us to consider this picture, and receive its salutary\nlesson. Israel's power and glory consisted simply in having the\npresence of God with them. Without that, they were as water spilt upon\nthe ground, or the autumn leaf before the blast. But the divine\npresence could not be enjoyed in connection with allowed evil; and\ntherefore, when Israel forgot their Lord, and wandered away from Him\ninto the forbidden paths of idolatry, He had to recall them to their\nsenses by stretching out His governmental rod, and causing them to\nfeel the crushing power of one or another of the nations around.\n\nNow all this has a voice and a lesson for us. So long as God's people\nwalk with Him in holy obedience, they have nothing to fear. They are\nperfectly safe from the snares and assaults of all their spiritual\nfoes. Nought can, by any means, harm them while they abide in the\nshelter of God's own presence. But, clearly, that presence demands and\nsecures holiness. Unjudged evil cannot dwell there. To live in sin and\ntalk of security--to attempt to connect the presence of God with\nsanctioned evil--is wickedness of the deepest dye. No, it must not be!\n\"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints; and to be\nhad in reverence of all them that are round about Him.\" \"Thy\ntestimonies are very sure; holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord,\nforever.\" If God's people forget these wholesome truths, He knows how\nto recall them to their remembrance by the rod of discipline; and,\nblessed forever be His name, He loves them too well to spare that rod,\nhowever reluctant He may be to use it. \"Whom the Lord loveth He\nchasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure\nchastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he whom\nthe father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof\nall are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we\nhave had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them\nreverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father\nof spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us\nafter their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be\npartakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth\nto be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the\npeaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised\nthereby. _Wherefore lift_ _up the hands which hang down, and the\nfeeble knees_\" (Hebrews xii. 6-12).\n\nThese are encouraging words for the people of God, at all times. The\ndiscipline may be--no doubt is--painful; but when we know a Father's\nhand is in it, and when we realize what His object is, we can pass\nthrough the trial with exercised hearts, and thus reap the peaceable\nfruits of righteousness. On the other hand, if we meet the discipline\nwith an impatient spirit, a rebellious will, an unsubdued mind, we\nonly render it necessary for the pressure to be continued and\naugmented, for our loving Father will never let us alone. He will have\nus in holy subjection to Himself, cost what it may. He graciously\ntakes our part against ourselves, subdues the proud risings of our\nwill, and crushes all that in us which hinders our growth in holiness,\ngrace, and divine knowledge.\n\nOh! what infinite grace shines in the fact that our God occupies\nHimself with our very failure and follies, our waywardness and\nwilfulness, our sins and shortcomings, in order to deliver us from\nthem! He knows all about us. He understands and takes into account all\nour surroundings and all our inward tendencies, and He deals with us\nin infinite wisdom and perfect patience, keeping ever before Him that\none gracious object, to make us partakers of His holiness,\nand--wondrous thought!--to bring out in us the expression of His own\nnature and character. Surely, then, in the presence of such abounding\ngrace and mercy, we may well \"lift up the hands that hang down, and\nthe feeble knees.\"\n\n\nPART II.\n\nThere is one truth which shines out with uncommon lustre in the book\nof Judges, and that is, that God is ever to be counted upon, even amid\nthe darkest scenes of human history; and, moreover, faith can always\ncount upon God; God never fails a trusting heart--no, never. He never\nhas failed, never will, never can fail the individual soul that\nconfides in Him, that takes hold of His precious word, in the artless\nsimplicity of a faith that trusts Him in the face of man's deepest\nfailure and shortcoming.\n\nThis is most consolatory and encouraging, at all times, and under all\ncircumstances. True it is--alas! how true! man fails in everthing.\nTrace him where you will; mark him in whatever sphere of action or\nresponsibility he occupies, and it is the same sad tale, over and over\nagain, of unfaithfulness, failure, and ruin. Let man be set up in\nbusiness, as often as he may, with the largest capital and the fairest\nprospects, and he is sure to become a bankrupt. It has ever been so,\nfrom the days of Eden down to the present moment. We may assert,\nwithout fear of contradiction, that there has not been one solitary\nexception to the dismal rule, in the history of Adam's fallen race. We\nmust never forget this. True faith never forgets it. It would be the\nblindest folly to attempt to ignore the fact that _ruin_ is stamped,\nin characters deep and broad, upon the entire of man's story, from\nfirst to last.\n\nBut, in the face of all this, God abideth faithful. He cannot deny\nHimself. Here is the resource and the resting-place of faith. It\nrecognizes and owns the ruin; but it counts on God. Faith is not blind\nto human failure; but it fixes its gaze on divine faithfulness. It\nconfesses the ruin of man; but it counts on the resources of God.\n\nNow, all this comes strikingly out in the interesting and instructive\nstory of Gideon. He, truly, was made to realize, in his own person and\nexperience, the fact of Israel's fallen condition. The contrast\nbetween Joshua and Gideon is as striking as can be, so far as regards\nthe question of their condition and circumstances. Joshua could place\nhis foot on the necks of the kings of Canaan. Gideon had to thrash his\nwheat in a corner to hide it from the Midianites. The day of Joshua\nwas marked by splendid victories; the day of Gideon was a day of small\nthings. But the day of small things for man is the day of great things\nfor God. So Gideon found it. True, it was not permitted him to witness\nthe sun and moon arrested in their course, or the cities of the\nuncircumcised levelled with the ground. His was a day of barley cakes\nand broken pitchers, not of astounding miracles and brilliant\nachievements. But God was with him; and this was enough. \"There came\nan angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that\npertained unto Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon threshed wheat\nby the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the\nLord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee,\n_thou mighty man of valor_\" (Judges vi. 11, 12).\n\nWhat words were these to fall upon the ear of Gideon, cowering in the\nwinepress, through fear of the enemy! They were words from heaven to\nlift his soul above the trials, and sorrows, and humiliations of\nearth--words of divine power and virtue to infuse vigor into his\ndepressed and sorrowing heart. \"Thou mighty man of valor!\" How hard\nwas it for Gideon to take such wondrous accents in! How difficult to\napply them to himself! Where was the might or where was the valor?\nMost surely not in himself or in his surroundings. Where then? In the\nliving God; precisely where Joshua found his might and his valor.\nIndeed there is a striking similarity in the terms in which both these\neminent servants of God were addressed. The similarity of the terms is\nquite as marked as is the contrast in their circumstances. Here are\nthe terms to Joshua: \"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a\ngood courage: be not thou afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the\nLord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.\" And the terms to\nGideon are: \"The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.\"\n\nPrecious words! Soul-stirring, heart-strengthening accents! And yet\nGideon was slow to make them his own--slow to grasp them, in the\nlovely appropriating power of faith, which so delights the heart of\nGod, and glorifies His name. How often is it thus with us! How\nconstantly we fail to rise to the height of God's gracious thoughts\nand purposes towards us! We are prone to _reason_ about ourselves and\nour surroundings, instead of believing God, and resting, in sweet\ntranquillity, in His perfect love and faithfulness.\n\nThus it was with that dear man of God on whose history we are\ndwelling. The divine statement was clear, full, absolute, and\nunconditional: \"The Lord _is_ with thee.\" There was no ground, in\nthese words, for any question or doubt, whatsoever; and yet mark\nGideon's reply: \"And Gideon said unto Him, O my Lord, _if_ the Lord be\nwith us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His\nmiracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring\nus up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us\ninto the hands of the Midianites\" (verse 13).\n\nHere, as is evident, Gideon reasons from his surroundings. Hence the\n\"_if_\"--that little monosyllable of unbelief. It is a familiar remark\namongst us, \"If you want to be miserable, look within; if you want to\nbe distracted, look around; if you want to be peaceful and happy, look\nup--'look off unto Jesus.'\" This is most true. So surely as we become\noccupied with self, or with men and things, the circumstances which\nsurround us, we must be unhinged and unhappy. Our only strength, our\nonly comfort, our only light, is to keep the eye of faith fixed on\nJesus, and the heart firmly centred in Him. Most certainly Gideon's\nsurroundings were of the gloomiest character. His \"sensible horizon\"\nwas overhung with dark and heavy clouds. But there was one bright and\nblessed ray which shone in upon his depressed spirit--a ray emanating\nfrom the very heart of God, and conveyed in that one brief but\ncomprehensive sentence, \"The Lord is with thee.\" There was no \"if\" in\nthis--no doubt, no reserve, no condition. It was distinct and\nunqualified, and needed only one thing to make it a spring of joy,\nstrength, and victory in Gideon's soul, and that was to mix it with\nfaith. But then \"if\" is not faith. True faith never answers God with\nifs, for the simplest of all reasons, that it looks only at God, and\nthere are no ifs with Him. Faith reasons from God downwards; not from\nman upwards. Faith has only one difficulty, and that difficulty is\nembodied in the question, \"How shall He _not?_\" It never says, \"How\nshall He?\" This is the language of sheer unbelief.\n\nBut, it may be asked by some, was there not some foundation for\nGideon's \"if\" and \"why?\" Certainly not in God or in His word, whatever\nthere had been in Israel and their actings. No doubt, if Gideon had\nonly cast his eye back over the pages of his national history, he\nmight have discovered ample reason for the sad and humiliating\ncondition in which he found himself. Those blotted pages would have\nfurnished an abundant answer to his question, \"Why then is all this\nbefallen us?\" But had Israel's actings dimmed the lustre of Jehovah's\nmighty \"miracles?\" Not in the vision of faith, most surely. God had\ndone great and glorious things for His people; and the record of those\ndoings lay ever under the eye of faith, in all its soul-sustaining\nvirtue. No doubt Israel had failed--shamefully failed; and the record\nof that failure lay also under the eye of faith, and furnished a\nsolemn answer to Gideon's inquiry, \"Why is all this befallen us?\"\nFaith recognizes God's government as well as His grace, and moreover\nit bows, in solemn awe, before each stroke of His governmental rod.\n\nIt is well to keep all this in mind. We are apt to forget it. God has,\nat times, to stretch forth his hand and lift the rod of authority. He\ncannot own what is contrary to His Name and His nature. Now, Gideon\nneeded to remember this. Israel had sinned, and this was the reason\nwhy they were under the rod, of which the power of the Midianites was\nthe expression in Gideon's day.\n\nGideon, we repeat, was called to enter practically into the meaning of\nall this; and not only so, but to taste the reality of identification\nwith his people in all their pressure and affliction. This latter, as\nwe know, was the portion and experience of every true servant of God\nin Israel. All had to pass through those deep exercises of soul\nconsequent upon their association with the people of God. It mattered\nnot whether it were a judge, a prophet, a priest, or a king; all had\nto participate in the sorrows and trials of the nation of Israel; nor\ncould any true heart--any genuine lover of God or His people--desire\nexemption from such deep and holy exercises. This was pre-eminently\ntrue of the only perfect Servant that ever stood upon this earth. He,\nthough personally exempt from all the consequences of Israel's sin and\nfailure--though pure and spotless, divinely holy in nature and in\nlife--did nevertheless, in perfect grace, voluntarily identify Himself\nwith the people in all their sorrow and humiliation. \"In all their\naffliction He was afflicted.\" Thus it was with our blessed Lord Jesus\nChrist; and all who, in any degree, partook of His Spirit, had,\naccording to their measure, to taste of the same cup, though none\ncould ever come up to Him in this or in aught else.\n\nBut when we come to compare closely the angel's words to Gideon, with\nhis reply, we notice a point of deep interest, and one which\nillustrates the individual character of the book of Judges. The angel\nsays, \"The Lord is with _thee_.\" Gideon replies, \"If the Lord be with\n_us_.\" This is very interesting and instructive; moreover it is in\nfull keeping with a passage already referred to, in chap, iii.: \"And\nwhen the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was _with the\njudge_.\" It does not say, \"with the people,\" but adds, with touching\ngrace, \"and _delivered them_ out of the hand of their enemies all the\ndays of the judge; for it repented the Lord because of their groanings\nby reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them\" (ver. 18).\n\nThere is peculiar sweetness and beauty in this. If Jehovah had to hide\nHis face from His people, and give them over, for the time, into the\nhand of the uncircumcised, yet His loving heart was ever turned\ntowards them, and ever ready to mark and recognize the faintest traces\nof a repentant spirit. \"Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth\niniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His\nheritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in\nmercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will\nsubdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the\ndepths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy\nto Abraham, which Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of\nold\" (Micah. vii. 18-20).\n\n\nPART III.\n\nNothing can be more encouraging to the heart than the mode in which\nthe Lord deals with the soul of Gideon--the way in which He prepares\nhim for the course of action to which He was calling him. Gideon, like\nourselves, was full of \"ifs\" and \"whys,\"--those little words so big\nwith unbelief. The poor human heart is ever slow to take in the\nmagnificence of divine grace; our feeble vision is dazzled by the\nbrilliancy of divine revelation. It is only artless faith which can\ncause the soul to feel perfectly at home in the presence of the\nrichest unfoldings of the goodness and loving-kindness of God. Faith\nnever says \"if\" or \"why?\" It believes what God says, because He says\nit. It rests, in sweet tranquility, upon every word that proceedeth\nout of the mouth of God. Unbelief looks at circumstances and reasons\nfrom them: faith looks at God, and reasons from Him. Hence the vast\ndifference in their conclusions. Gideon, judging from his\nsurroundings, concluded that Jehovah had forsaken His people. A simple\nfaith would have led him to the very opposite conclusion; it would\nhave enabled him to see and know and remember that Jehovah would ever\nbe true to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, however He might,\nin His governmental dealings, have to hide His face from their\nrebellious and sinful offspring. Faith always counts on God; and God,\nblessed be His name, ever honors faith. He first produces it in us,\nand then owns it.\n\nBut not only does God graciously honor faith; He rebukes our fears. He\nrises above our unbelief, and hushes all our silly reasonings. Thus,\nin His dealings with His chosen servant Gideon, it would seem as\nthough He heard not the \"if\" or the \"why?\" He goes on to unfold His\nown thoughts, to display His own resources, and to fill the soul of\nHis servant with a confidence and a courage which were to lift him\nabove all the depressing influences with which he was surrounded.\n\n\"And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and\nthou shalt save Israel out of the hand of the Midianites: have not I\nsent thee?\" Here we have the true secret of strength: \"The Lord looked\nupon him.\" There was divine power in this look, if Gideon could only\nhave taken it in. But, alas! he was still full of questions. \"And he\nsaid unto Him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my\nfamily is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.\"\n\nThus, unbelief turns the eye in upon self, or out upon our\nsurroundings. It leads us to compare our visible resources with the\nwork to which God is calling us. Jehovah had said, \"Go in this thy\nmight.\" What was the \"might?\" In what did it consist? Was it great\nwealth, lofty position, or great physical power? Nothing of the kind.\n\"Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou\nshalt save Israel.\" This was absolute and unqualified. It left no room\nfor Gideon's \"wherewith?\" It made it very plain that the might with\nwhich he was to deliver Israel was not in himself or in his father's\nhouse, but in the God of Israel. It mattered little whether his\nfamily was rich or poor; whether he was little or great. It was God\nwho was about to use him? What was wealth or greatness to Him? He\ncould use a barley cake or a broken pitcher. Indeed we may observe\nthis special feature in the varied instruments taken up in the book of\nJudges, namely, that \"no flesh shall glory in God's presence.\" How\ndoes human glory fade away before the humiliating fact that Israel's\nhosts were called forth to battle under the leadership of a woman!\nWhat a stain on human pride in the fact of deliverance coming through\nthe agency of a \"left-handed man\"!\n\nBut, on the other hand, we find that just in proportion as man's glory\nfades away, the divine glory shines out. The humbler the instrument,\nthe more we see the power of God. What difference does it make to the\nAlmighty God whether His instrument be left-handed or right-handed--a\nman or a woman--a dwarf or a giant? The instrument is nothing: God is\nall in all. True, He deigns to use instruments; but all the power is\nHis, and His shall be the eternal and universal praise. Gideon had to\nlearn this; and so had Moses; and so have we all. It is an invaluable\nlesson. We are all so prone to think of _our_ competency for any work\nor service which may lie before us, when we ought to remember that of\nall His works that are done upon the earth, God is the doer of them.\nOur sufficiency is of Him. We can do nothing; and if we could do\naught, it would be badly done. The human finger can only leave a soil\nbehind. The works of men perish like their thoughts. The work of God\nabideth forever. Let us remember these things, that we may walk\nhumbly and lean ever and only on the mighty arm of the living God.\nThus the soul is kept in a well-balanced condition, free from\nself-confidence and fleshly excitement, on the one hand; and from\ngloom and depression, on the other. If we can do nothing,\nself-confidence is the height of presumption. If God can do every\nthing, despondency is the height of folly.\n\nBut in the case of Gideon, as in that of all God's servants, we\nobserve two things worthy of our deepest attention. In the first\nplace, we have the divine commission, as embodied in those weighty\nwords, \"_Have not I sent thee?_\" And in the second place, we have the\nassurance of the divine presence, as set forth in these encouraging\nwords, \"_Surely I will be with thee_.\"\n\nThese are the two grand points for all who will serve God in their day\nand generation. They must know that the path they tread has been\nmarked out distinctly by the hand of God; and, furthermore, they must\nhave the sense of His presence with them along the path. These things\nare absolutely essential. Without them we shall waver and vacillate.\nWe shall be running from one line of work to another. We shall take up\ncertain work, go on with it for a while, and then abandon it for\nsomething else. We shall work by fits and starts; our course will be\nfaltering, our light flickering: \"Unstable as water, we shall not\nexcel.\" We shall never succeed at anything. There will be no\ncertainty, no stability, no progress.\n\nThese are weighty matters for all of us. It is of immense importance\nfor every servant of Christ, every child of God, to know that he is at\nhis divinely appointed post, and at his divinely given work. This will\ngive fixedness of purpose, moral elevation, and holy independence. It\nwill preserve us from being tossed about by human thoughts and\nopinions--being influenced by the judgment of one or another. It is\nour happy privilege to be so sure that we are doing the very work\nwhich the Master has given us to do, that the thoughts of our fellows\nrespecting us shall have no more weight with us than the pattering of\nrain on the window.\n\nNot--be it carefully observed--that we should, for a moment\ncountenance, much less cultivate, a spirit of haughty independence.\nFar away be the thought! We as Christians, can never, in one sense, be\nindependent one of another. How can we, seeing we are members one of\nanother? We are united to one another and to our risen Head in glory,\nby the one Spirit who is with us and in us. The most intense\nindividuality--and our individuality should be as intense as our unity\nis indissoluble--can never touch the precious truth of the one body\nand one Spirit.\n\nAll this is divinely true, and most fully and thankfully owned. But,\nat the same time, we must insist upon the truth of our individuality,\nand of our personal responsibility. This must be maintained with all\npossible energy and decision. Each servant has to do with his Lord, in\nthat particular sphere of work to which he has been called. And,\nmoreover, each should know his work, and give himself to it diligently\nand constantly. He should possess the holy certainty and authority\nimparted to the soul by that divine and powerful sentence, \"Have not I\nsent thee?\"\n\nIt will perhaps be said, \"We are not all Gideons or Joshuas. We are\nnot all called to occupy such a prominent place or tread such a\nbrilliant path as those illustrious servants.\" True; but we are called\nto serve; and it is essential to every servant to know his commission,\nto understand his work, and to be fully assured in his own soul that\nhe is doing the very work which the Lord has given him to do, and\ntreading the very path which the hand of God has marked out for him.\nIf there be any uncertainly as to this, we do not see how there can be\nany progress.\n\nBut there is more than this. It is not enough to know that we are\ntreading the divinely appointed path. We want to realize the divine\npresence. We want to have the precious words made good in our\nexperience, \"Surely I will be with thee.\" This completes the servant's\nequipment. The divine commission and the divine presence are all we\nwant; but we must have these in order to get on. With these priceless\nrealities it matters not who we are. The Lord can use a feeble woman,\na left-handed man, a cake of barley meal, or a broken pitcher. The\ninstrument is nothing. God is the workman. Unbelief may cry out, \"O my\nLord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is _poor_ in\nManasseh, and I am the _least_ in my father's house.\" Faith can cry\nout in reply, \"What of all this if God be for us? Does He want the\nrich or the noble? What are riches or greatness to Him? Nothing.\" \"Ye\nsee your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the\nflesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath\nchosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God\nhath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which\nare mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are\ndespised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to\nnought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence\" (1\nCor. i. 26-29).\n\nThese are wholesome words for all of us. It is an unspeakable mercy\nfor every dear servant of Christ to be kept in the abiding sense of\nhis own utter nothingness--to be taught to realize, in some measure,\nthe depth, fulness, and power of that one brief but most comprehensive\nstatement, \"Apart from Me ye can do nothing.\" There is not a single\nbranch in all the vine, however imposing or wide-spreading it may seem\nto be, which, if separated from the parent stem by the thickness of a\ngold leaf, can produce the very smallest atom of fruit. There must be\nthe abiding realization of our vital union with Christ,--the\npractical, living, abiding in Him, by faith, day by day, in order to\nbring forth any fruit that God can accept. It is as we abide in Christ\nthat the living sap circulates freely through us, and gives forth the\nhealthy bud, the green leaf, and the seasonable fruit.\n\nHere lies the grand secret of power. It is abiding in the living Vine.\n\"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord\nis; for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that\nspreadeth out her roots by the river; and shall not see when heat\ncometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the\nyear of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit\" (Jer. xvii.\n7, 8).\n\nAll this is intensely personal. We must each, for himself and herself,\ncling by faith to Christ. It is of the very first importance for\nChristians to bear in mind that Christianity is a thoroughly\nindividual thing. We are individual in our repentance, in our faith,\nin our salvation, in our communion, in our service, and in our reward.\nLook at the addresses to the seven churches in Rev. ii., iii. Hearken\nto those pointed words, \"_He_ that hath an ear,\"--\"To _him_ that\novercometh.\" What do they mean? Do they not set forth, in the most\ndistinct and forcible manner, that blessed individuality of which we\nspeak? Unquestionably. But do they touch unity? Not in the smallest\ndegree. They leave its sacred domain wholly untouched. \"There is one\nbody and one Spirit.\" This must ever hold good, spite of all the ruin\nand failure of the professing Church. Nevertheless, the writings of\nJohn are pre-eminently individual.[22] From the opening lines of his\nGospel to the closing sentence of his Apocalypse, we trace this\nfeature. He shows us the Philips, the Simons, the Andrews, and the\nNathanaels coming, in their individuality, to Jesus. He tells us of a\nJewish ruler here, and a Samaritan sinner there, who were drawn by the\nFather to Jesus. He tells us of the good Shepherd who calleth His\nsheep by name. He tells us of the branches clinging to the living\nVine. Thus it is in John's Gospel; and when we turn to his Epistles,\nwe find the same principle running through them all. He writes to an\nelect lady, and to his beloved Gaius; and if he once speaks of \"the\nChurch,\" it is but to weep over its departed glory, and to raise amid\nits ruins that warning note for individual ears, \"_Look to\nyourselves_.\" And as to the Revelation, it ends as it begins, with a\nsolemn appeal \"_to him that heareth_.\"\n\n  [22] Eternal life and its manifestations--first in our Lord, and then\n  in the children of God--being the general line of truth in John's\n  Gospel and epistles, is individual and personal. In Paul's epistles\n  the unity of the saints as baptized by one Spirit into one body, with\n  what flows from it, is brought out. [ED.]\n\n\nPART IV.\n\nThe more closely we study the narrative of the Lord's dealings with\nGideon, the more we must be struck with the marvelous way in which He\nprepares him for his after course. Like all God's servants, in all\nages, Gideon had to undergo a course of secret training and\ndiscipline, ere he was fit to appear in public. The space of time\noccupied in this training may vary, as may also the character of the\ndiscipline; but of this we may rest assured that all who will be used\nof God in public must be taught of God in private. It is a fatal\nmistake for any one to rush into prominence without proper equipment,\nand that equipment can only be attained in the secret of the divine\npresence. It is in profound and hallowed retirement with God that\nvessels are filled, and instruments fitted for His work.\n\nLet us never forget this. Moses had to spend forty years at \"the back\nside of the desert\" ere he was fit to enter upon his public career.\nDavid had to feed his father's flock, ere he was called to rule the\nnation of Israel. He slew a lion and a bear in secret, ere he was\ncalled to slay Goliath in public. The great apostle of the Gentiles\nspent three years in Arabia, notwithstanding his very remarkable\nconversion and call. The apostles spent three years and a half in\ncompanionship with their Master, and then had to tarry until they were\nendued with power from on high. Thus it has been with all those who\nhave ever been called to occupy a prominent place in the Lord's work;\nand even the blessed Master Himself--though surely needing no\ntraining or discipline, inasmuch as He was ever perfect,--to set us an\nexample, spent thirty years in retirement ere He came forth in public.\n\nAll this is full of most wholesome instruction for our souls. Let us\nseek to take it in and profit by it. No one can ever get on in public\nwork without this private teaching in the school of Christ. It is this\nwhich gives depth, solidity, and mellowness to the character. It\nimparts a tone of reality and a fixedness of purpose most desirable in\nall who engage in any department of the Lord's work. It will\ninvariably be found that where anyone goes to work without this divine\npreparation, there is shallowness and instability. There may perhaps\nfor a time be more flash and show in those superficial characters than\nin those who have been educated in the school of Christ; but it never\nlasts. It may create a momentary sensation, but it soon passes away\nlike the morning cloud or the early dew. Nothing will stand but that\nwhich is the direct result of private communion with God--secret\ntraining in His presence--the excellent discipline of the school of\nGod.\n\nLet us see how all this is exemplified in Gideon's case. It is very\nevident that this honored servant was called to pass through deep\nexercises of soul before ever he took a single step in public action,\nyea, before he ever unfurled the standard of testimony in his father's\nhouse. He had to begin with himself, with his own personal condition,\nwith his own heart. Those who will be used for others must begin with\nthemselves. So Gideon found it. Let us pursue his history.\n\n\"And the Lord said unto Gideon, Surely I will be with thee, and thou\nshalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto Him, If now I\nhave found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest\nwith me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and\nbring forth my present, and set it before thee. And He said, I will\ntarry till thou come again. And Gideon went in and made ready a kid,\nand unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour; the flesh he put in a\nbasket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto Him\nunder the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him,\nTake the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and lay them upon this rock,\nand pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put\nforth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh\nand the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock and\nconsumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the\nLord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was\nan angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I\nhave seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto\nhim, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die\" (Judges vi.\n16-23).\n\nHere we reach a profoundly interesting stage of Gideon's preparatory\ncourse. He is called to enter practically and experimentally into the\ngreat and universal law for the servants of God, namely, \"When I am\nweak, then I am strong.\" This is a most precious law, and one which\nforms an indispensable element in the education of all Christ's\nservants. Let no one imagine that he can ever be used in the Lord's\nwork, or ever make progress in the divine life, without some measure\nof real entrance into this invaluable principle. We hold it to be\nabsolutely essential in forming the character of the true servant of\nChrist. Where it is not known, where it has not been felt, where it\nhas not been to some extent realized, there is sure to be\nunsubduedness, unbrokenness, self-occupation, in some form or another.\nThere will be more or less of self-confidence, and various points and\nangles turning up here and there, and acting as a sad hindrance to all\nthat is good, useful, and holy.\n\nOn the other hand, when one has learnt that great family motto quoted\nabove--when one has learnt, in the divine presence to say, \"When I am\nweak, then I am strong,\"--when nature has been weighed in the balance\nof the sanctuary, there you will always find a measure of brokenness,\nsoftness, and tenderness of spirit; and not only so, but also\nlargeness of heart, and readiness for every good work, and that lovely\nelasticity of mind which enables one to rise above all those petty,\nselfish considerations, which so sadly hinder the work of God. In\nshort, the heart must first be broken, then made whole; and, being\nmade whole, be undividedly given to Christ and to His blessed service.\nIt is impossible to run the eye along the brilliant array of Christ's\nworkmen, and not see the truth of this. Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah,\nJeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, in Old Testament times; and Peter,\nPaul, and John, in those of the New, all stand before us as vivid\nillustrations of the value of broken material. All those beloved and\nhonored servants had to be broken in order to be made whole--to be\nemptied in order to be filled--to learn that, of themselves, they\ncould do nothing, in order to be ready, in Christ's strength, for\nanything and everything.\n\nSuch is the law of the household--the law of the vineyard--the law of\nthe kingdom. So Gideon found it in his day. His \"alas!\" was followed\nby Jehovah's \"Peace; fear not,\" and then he was ready to begin. He had\nbeen brought face to face with the angel of God, and there he learnt\nnot only that his family was poor in Manasseh, and he the least in his\nfather's house, but that in himself he was perfectly powerless, and\nthat all his springs must be found in the living God. Priceless lesson\nthis, for the son of Joash, and for us all!--a lesson not to be learnt\nin the schools and colleges of this world, but only in the deep and\nholy retirement of the sanctuary of God.\n\nAnd now let us see what was Gideon's first act after his fears were\nhushed, and his soul filled with divine peace. His very first act was\nto build an altar. \"Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord,\nand called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the\nAbi-ezrites.\" He takes the happy place of a worshiper, and his worship\nis characterized by the revelation of the divine character. He calls\nhis altar by that precious title, \"The Lord send peace.\" He had gone\nthrough many and deep exercises of soul--exercises which none can know\nsave those who are called out into a prominent place amongst God's\npeople. He felt the ruin and the weakness of all around him. He felt\nthe fallen and humiliating condition of his beloved people. He felt\nhis own littleness, yea, his own emptiness, and nothingness. How could\nhe come forward? How could he smite the Midianites? How could he save\nIsrael? Who was sufficient for these things? It is all very well for\nthose persons who live an easy, irresponsible kind of life; who know\nnot the toils, the cares, and anxieties connected with the public\nservice of Christ and the testimony for His name in an evil day. These\nknow nothing of Gideon's painful exercises of soul; nothing of the\npressure upon his spirit as he looked forth from beneath the shade of\nhis father's oak-tree, and contemplated the dangers and\nresponsibilities of the battle-field. They can enter but feebly into\nthe meaning of those words of one high up in the school of Christ, \"We\nhad the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in\nourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead.\"\n\nThese are weighty words for all Christ's servants; but we must be His\nservants in reality, in order to enter into their deep significance.\nIf we are content to live a life of indolence and ease, a life of\nself-seeking and self-pleasing, it is impossible for us to understand\nsuch words, or indeed to enter into any of those intense exercises of\nsoul through which Christ's true-hearted servants and faithful\nwitnesses, in all ages, have been called to pass. We invariably find\nthat all those who have been most used of God in public have gone\nthrough deep waters in secret. It is as the sentence of death is\nwritten practically upon _self_, that the power of resurrection-life\nin Christ shines out. Thus Paul could say to the Corinthians, \"Death\nworketh in us; but life in you.\" Marvelous words! Words which let us\ninto the profound depths of the apostle's ministry. What a ministry\nmust that have been which was carried on upon such a principle as\nthis! What power! what energy! Death working in the poor earthen\nvessel, but streams of life, heavenly grace, and spiritual power\nflowing into those to whom he ministered.\n\nThis, reader, we may depend upon it, is the true secret of all\neffective ministry. It is an easy matter to talk about ministry; to\nset up to be ministers of Christ; but oh, how has the professing\nChurch departed from the divine reality of ministry! Alas! the heart\nsinks at the bare thought of it. Where are the Pauls, the Gideons, and\nthe Joshuas? Where are the deep heart-searchings and profound soul\nexercises which have characterized Christ's servants in other days? We\nare flippant and wordy, shallow and empty, self-sufficient and\nself-indulgent. Need we wonder at the small results? How can we expect\nto see life working in others when we know so little about death\nworking in us?\n\nMay the eternal Spirit stir us all up, and work in us a more powerful\nsense of what it is to be the true-hearted, single-eyed, devoted\nservants of Jesus Christ!\n\n\nPART V.\n\nWe are now to contemplate Gideon called forth into action. He has\nreceived his commission from Jehovah. His questions have been\nanswered, his fears hushed, his heart tranquilized, and he is enabled\nto build an altar. All this had reference to his own personal\ncondition, to the state of his own soul, to the attitude of his own\nheart as in the sight of God.\n\nThus it must ever be. We must all begin in this way, if we are ever to\nbe used of God to act on others. We must have to do with God in the\nsecret of our own souls, else we shall prove to be but sorry workmen\nin the sequel. All who go forth in public work without this secret\ntraining, are sure to prove flimsy and shallow. Self must be measured\nin the divine presence. We must learn that nature is of no account in\nthe Lord's work. \"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith\nthe Lord of hosts\" (Zech. iv. 6).\n\nIt was not until Gideon had gone through somewhat of this holy\ndiscipline in secret that he was led out into service. And let us\ncarefully note where he had to commence. \"It came to pass the same\nnight, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock,\neven the second bullock, of seven years old\"--for Jehovah knew how\nmany bullocks Joash had, and the age of each--\"and throw down the\naltar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by\nit. And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this\nrock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a\nburnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.\"\n\nHere we see that Gideon had to begin _at home_. He was called to\nunfurl the standard of testimony in the very bosom of his family--in\nthe very centre of his father's house. This is intensely interesting,\nand deeply practical. It teaches a lesson to which we should all bend\nour ears and apply our hearts. Testimony must begin at home. It will\nnever do to rush forth into public work while our private and domestic\nways are anything but what they ought to be. It is useless to set\nabout throwing down the altar of Baal in public, while the selfsame\naltar remains standing at home.\n\nThis is of the very first importance. We are all of us imperatively\ncalled upon to show piety at home. Nothing is more sorrowful than to\nmeet with persons who, abroad amongst their fellow men or their fellow\nChristians, are marked by a high tone of spirituality--a style of\nspeaking which would lead one to suppose them far beyond the ordinary\nlevel of Christians, and yet when you come to close quarters with\nthem--when you become acquainted with their private life and ways,\ntheir actual history from day to day, you find them very far indeed\nfrom bearing testimony for Christ to those with whom they come in\ncontact. This is most deplorable. It dishonors the Lord Jesus, grieves\nthe Spirit, stumbles and repulses young believers, gives occasion to\nthe enemy to speak reproachfully, and to our brethren to speak\ndoubtfully of us.\n\nSurely these things ought not to be. There ought to be a testimony\nyielded at home. Those who see most of us should see most of Christ in\nus. Those who know us best ought best to know that we are Christ's.\nBut alas! how often is it otherwise! How often the home circle is just\nthe place where the lovely traits of Christian character are least\nexhibited! The wife or the husband, the parent or the child, the\nbrother or the sister, the master or the servant, the fellow-servant\nor some other companion in daily life, is just the one in whose sight\nwe least display the beauteous fruits of divine life. It is in private\nlife that all our weak points come out--our oddities and\npeculiarities, our silly tendencies and sinful tempers: instead of\nwhich it ought to be in that very sphere that the grace of Jesus is\nmost faithfully manifested.\n\nChristian reader, let us not turn away from the word of reproof, of\nadmonition, or exhortation. It may not be pleasant; but, we may rest\nassured, it is salutary. It may not be agreeable to the flesh; but it\nis wholesome to the soul. We are called, like Gideon, to begin at\nhome, if we would prove helpful to our brethren, or act effectively\nagainst the common foe.\n\nNo doubt there are difficulties involved in this home testimony. It is\noften very hard, for example, for a child to bear witness against the\nworldliness of a parent, or of the whole family; but where there is\nhumility of mind and simple dependence upon God, He maintains and\ncarries us through marvelously. One thing is certain, there is nothing\nlike decision. \"The first blow is half the battle,\" yea, the whole\nbattle is often gained by a single blow, when that blow is dealt in\nfull communion with the mind of Christ.\n\nOn the other hand, where there is weakness and vacillation--playing\nfast and loose with the truth of God, trifling with divine principles\nand one's own conscience, a looking at consequences and a weighing of\nprobable results--there the enemy is sure to have the upper hand, and\nthe testimony altogether fails. God acts with those who act for Him.\nThis is the grand secret of their success; but where the eye is not\nsingle, there is no real progress, no divine result.\n\nHere is where so many of us signally fail. We are not whole hearted,\nnot decided, not thoroughly out-and-out for Christ. Hence there is no\nresult for God, no action on others. We have no idea of what may be\naccomplished by a single devoted heart, one earnest and energetic\nsoul. Such an one may be used to raise up a standard round which\nthousands will flock who might never have had the courage or energy to\nunfurl the standard themselves.\n\nLook at Gideon. See how he wrought for God, and how God wrought with\nhim. \"Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord\nhad said unto him; and so it was, because he feared his father's\nhousehold, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day,\nthat he did it by night. And when the men of the city rose early in\nthe morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove\nwas cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon\nthe altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done\nthis thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the\nson of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto\nJoash, Bring out thy son that he may die; because he hath cast down\nthe altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by\nit.\"\n\nThis is what we may call striking at the very root of the matter. The\nworship of Baal is completely overturned. This was no trifle. We have\nlittle idea of what it cost the son of Joash to do this thing; but by\nthe grace of God he did it. True, it may have been with fear and\ntrembling, still he did it. He dealt one vigorous blow at the entire\nsystem of Baal, and it crumbled into dust beneath his feet. No half\nmeasures would have availed. It would have been of no possible use to\npick a stone here and there out of the idol's altar; the whole fabric\nhad to be overturned from its very foundation, and the idol itself\ndegraded in the very presence of its deluded worshipers. A bold\ndecisive stroke was needed, and that stroke was given by the hand of\nGideon the son of Joash, God's \"mighty man of valor.\"\n\nThere is nothing, we repeat, like plain decision--bold, uncompromising\nfaithfulness for Christ, cost what it may. Had Gideon been less\ndecided, had his line of action been less thorough, his father Joash\nwould not have been so perfectly won over. It needed just such a\nmethod of dealing with Baal to convince a rational person that the\nworship of such a god was a sham and a falsehood. \"And Joash said unto\nall that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? _will ye save\nhim?_ he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is\nyet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one\nhath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him\nJerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown\ndown his altar.\"\n\nThis was very simple reasoning, \"If he be a god, let him plead for\nhimself.\" Gideon's decided course had brought matters to a point. Baal\nwas either a reality or a most complete delusion. If the former, let\nhim plead for himself. If the latter, who would think of pleading for\nhim? Nothing could be simpler. Gideon's action was a complete success.\nThe worship of Baal was overturned; and the worship of Jehovah Elohim\nset up instead.\n\nThus we see that the divine work in the soul of Gideon is making very\nrapid but very real progress. He is conducted from strength to\nstrength. How little idea had he, when first the divine voice fell on\nhis ear, that, in so short a time, he would take so bold a step. If\nany one had said to him then, \"In a few hours you will overturn the\nworship of Baal in the very midst of your father's house,\" he would\nnot have believed it. But the Lord led him along, step by step, gently\nyet firmly; and as the heavenly light broke in upon his soul, his\nconfidence and courage grew.\n\nThus it is the Lord ever deals with His servants. He does not expect\nthem to run before they have learnt to walk; but where the heart is\ntrue, and the purpose honest and firm, He graciously supplies the\nneeded strength, moment by moment. He causes mountains of difficulty\nto remove, rolls away many a dark and heavy cloud, fortifies the\nheart, and girds up the loins of the mind, so that the very feeblest\nare armed with giant strength, and the coward heart filled with\nwonder, love, and praise at the triumph of divine grace.\n\nHaving broken down Baal's altar, Gideon is now led to encounter\nMidian's hosts. \"Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the\nchildren of the east were gathered together, and went over, and\npitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon\nGideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abi-ezer was gathered after him.\nAnd he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also was gathered\nafter him; and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and\nunto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.\"\n\nIn short there was a thorough awakening. The tide of spiritual energy\nrose majestically, and bore hundreds and thousands upon its bosom. The\nwork which had begun in Gideon's heart was extending itself far and\nwide, throughout the length and breadth of the land. The Spirit of the\nLord was displaying His mighty energy, and multitudes were stirred up\nto gather round the standard which the hand of faith had unfurled.\n\nBut just at this point, it would seem that Gideon's faith needed fresh\nconfirmation. It may be his spirit was overawed when he saw the mighty\nhost of the uncircumcised mustering before him; and then, for a\nmoment, his courage failed, and his heart craved a fresh sign from the\nLord. \"And Gideon said unto God, If Thou wilt save Israel by my hand,\n_as Thou hast said_\"--alas! the poor heart can place its unbelieving\n\"if\" right in front of the word of God who cannot lie--\"behold, I\nwill put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the\nfleece only, and if it be dry upon all the earth beside, _then shall I\nknow_ that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, _as Thou hast said_.\"\n\nHow marvelous! And yet we need not marvel if we know aught of our own\nhearts. Anything for the poor human heart but the naked word of the\nliving God. A sign, a token, something that the eye can see. The word\nof God is not enough for unbelieving nature.\n\nBut oh! the matchless grace of God! His unupbraiding love! His tender\nconsiderateness! He graciously meets the weakness of His poor servant,\nfor \"It was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the\nfleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, _a bowl full\nof water_.\" What condescending grace! Instead of severely rebuking\nGideon's unbelieving \"if,\" He graciously confirms his wavering faith\nby superabounding evidence.\n\nAnd yet all this sufficed not. Gideon seeks still further\nconfirmation. \"And he said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot\nagainst me, and I will speak but this once. Let me prove, I pray Thee,\nbut this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece,\nand upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night:\nfor it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew upon all the\nground.\" Such is the abounding grace and patience of the God with whom\nwe have to do. Forever adored be His holy Name! Who would not trust\nHim, and love Him, and serve Him?\n\n\nPART VI.\n\nWe shall now ask the reader to open his Bible at the seventh chapter\nof the book of Judges. Here Gideon's companions are brought before us;\nand their history, as well as that of their leader, is full of\ninterest and profit for us. They had to be trained and tested as well\nas he. Let us ponder the narrative.\n\n\"Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him,\nrose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host\nof the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of\nMoreh, in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that\nare with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their\nhands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand\nhath saved me.\"\n\nThe clear and soul-stirring blast of Gideon's trumpet had drawn around\nhim a very large and imposing company; but this company had to be\ntested. It is one thing to be moved by the zeal and energy of some\nearnest servant of Christ, and it is quite another thing to possess\nthose moral qualities which alone can fit a man to be an earnest\nservant himself. There is a vast difference between following in the\nwake of some devoted man of God, and walking with God ourselves--being\npropped up and led on by the faith and energy of another, and leaning\nupon God in the power of individual faith for ourselves.\n\nThis is a serious consideration for all of us. There is always great\ndanger of our being mere imitators of other people's faith; of copying\ntheir example without their spiritual power; of adopting their\npeculiar line of things without their personal communion. All this\nmust be carefully guarded against. We specially warn the young\nChristian reader against it. Let us be simple, and humble, and real.\nWe may be very _small_, our sphere very narrow, our path very retired;\nbut it does not matter in the least, provided we are precisely what\ngrace has made us, and occupying the sphere in which our blessed\nMaster has set us, and treading the path which He has opened before\nus. It is by no means absolutely necessary that we should be great, or\nprominent, or showy, or noisy in the world; but it is absolutely\nnecessary that we should be real and humble, obedient and dependent.\nThus our God can use us, without fear of our vaunting ourselves; and\nthen, too, we are safe, peaceful, and happy. There is nothing more\ndelightful to the true Christian, the genuine servant of Christ, than\nto find himself in that quiet, humble, shady path where _self_ is lost\nsight of, and the precious light of God's countenance enjoyed--where\nthe thoughts of men are of small account, and the sweet approval of\nChrist is everything to the soul.\n\nFlesh cannot be trusted. It will turn the very service of Christ into\nan occasion of self-exaltation. It will use the very name of Him who\nmade Himself nothing in order to make itself something. It will build\nup its own reputation by seeming to further the cause of Him who made\nHimself of none. Such is flesh! Such are we in ourselves! Silly,\nself-exalting creatures, ever ready to vaunt ourselves, while\nprofessing to be nothing in ourselves, and to deserve nothing but the\nflames of an everlasting hell.\n\nNeed we marvel at the testing and proving of Gideon's companions? All\nmust be tested and proved. The service of Christ is a very solemn and\na very holy thing; and all who take part therein must be self-judged,\nself-distrusting, and self-emptied; and not only so, but they must\nlean, with unshaken confidence, upon the living God. These are the\ngrand qualities that go to make up the character of the true servant\nof Christ, and they are strikingly illustrated on the page of\ninspiration which now lies open before us.\n\nLet us proceed with the narrative.\n\n\"The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the\nMidianites into their hands.... Now, therefore, go to, proclaim in the\nears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him\nreturn and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the\npeople twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.\"\n\nHere the first grand test is applied to Gideon's host--a test designed\nto bring out the measure of the heart's simple confidence in Jehovah.\nA coward heart will not do for the day of battle; a doubting spirit\nwill not stand in conflict. The same principle is set forth in\nDeuteronomy xx. 8: \"And the officers shall speak further unto the\npeople, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and\nfaint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his\nbrethren's heart faint as well as his heart.\"\n\nFaint-heartedness is terribly contagious. It spreads rapidly. It\nwithers the arm that should bear the shield, and paralyses the hand\nthat should wield the sword. The only cure for this malady is simple\nconfidence in God, a firm grasp of His faithfulness, a child-like\ntrust in His word, true personal acquaintance with Himself. We must\nknow God for ourselves, in such a way that His word is everything to\nus, and that we can walk alone with Him, and stand alone with Him in\nthe darkest hour.\n\nReader, is it thus with thee? Hast thou this blessed confidence in\nGod--this solid hold of His word? Hast thou, deep down in thy heart,\nsuch an experimental knowledge of God and His Christ as shall sustain\nthee even though thou hadst not the support or sympathy of another\nbeliever under the sun? Art thou prepared to walk alone in the world?\n\nThese are weighty questions, and we feel the need of pressing them\nupon the Church of God at the present moment. There is a wide\ndiffusion of the precious truth of God, and numbers are getting hold\nof it. Like the blast of Gideon's trumpet, so the clear testimony\nwhich has widely gone forth of late years has attracted many; and\nwhile we quite feel that there is real ground for thankfulness in\nthis, we also feel that there is ground for very serious reflection\nindeed. Truth is a most precious thing, if it be truthfully found and\ntruthfully held: but let us remember that in exact proportion to the\npreciousness of the truth of God so is the moral danger of trafficking\ntherein without a self-judged heart and an exercised conscience. What\nwe really need is faith--unfeigned, earnest, simple faith, which\nconnects the soul, in living power, with God, and enables us to\novercome all the difficulties and discouragements of the way. Of this\nfaith there can be no imitation. We must either possess it in reality\nor not at all. A sham faith will speedily come to the ground. The man\nwho attempts to walk by faith, if he have it not, must speedily totter\nand fall. We cannot face the hosts of Midian unless we have full\nconfidence in the living God. \"Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let\nhim return.\" Thus it must ever be. None can go to battle save those\nwho are braced up by a faith that grasps the unseen realities of\neternity, and endures as seeing Him who is invisible. May this faith\nbe ours, in larger measure, beloved reader.\n\nIt is full of instruction for the heart to notice the effect of the\nfirst test upon the host of Gideon. It thinned his ranks amazingly.\n\"There returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there\nremained ten thousand.\" This was a serious reduction. But it is far\nbetter to have ten thousand that can trust God than ten thousand times\nten thousand who cannot. Of what use are numbers, if they be not\nenergized by a living faith? None whatever. It is comparatively easy\nto flock around a standard raised by a vigorous hand; but it is a\ntotally different thing to stand, in personal energy, in the actual\nbattle. Nought but genuine faith can do this; and hence when the\nsearching question is put, \"Who can trust God?\" the showy ranks of\nprofession are speedily thinned.\n\nBut there was yet another test for Gideon's companions. \"And the Lord\nsaid unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto\nthe water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that\nof whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go\nwith thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with\nthee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the\nwater: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the\nwater with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by\nhimself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.\nAnd the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth,\nwere three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon\ntheir knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the\nthree hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the\nMidianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man\nunto his place\" (vii. 4-7).\n\nHere then we have another great moral quality which must characterize\nthose who will act for God and His people, in an evil day. They must\nnot only have confidence in God, but they must also be prepared to\nsurrender self. This is a universal law in the service of Christ. If\nwe want to swim in God's current, we must sink self; and we can only\nsink self in proportion as we trust Christ. It is not, need we say, a\nquestion of salvation; it is a question of service. It is not a\nquestion of being a child of God, but of being a proper servant of\nChrist. The thirty-one thousand seven hundred that were dismissed from\nGideon's army, were just as much Israelites as the three hundred that\nremained; but they were not fitted for the moment of conflict: they\nwere not the right men for the crisis. And why? Was it that they were\nnot circumcised? Nay. What then? They could not trust God and\nsurrender self. They were full of fear when they ought to have been\nfull of faith. They made refreshment and comfort their object instead\nof conflict.\n\nHere, reader, lay the true secret of their moral unfitness. God cannot\ntrust those who do not trust Him and sink self. This is pre-eminently\nsolemn and practical. We live in a day of easy profession and\nself-indulgence. Knowledge can, now-a-days, be picked up at very small\ncost. Scraps of truth can be gathered, second hand, in all directions.\nTruth which cost some of God's dear servants years of deep\nsoul-ploughing and heart-searching exercise, is now in free\ncirculation and can be intellectually seized and flippantly professed,\nby many who know not what soul-ploughing or heart-exercise means.\n\nBut let us never forget--yea, let us constantly remember--that the\nlife of faith is a reality; service is a reality; testimony for\nChrist, a reality. And further let us bear in mind that if we want to\nstand for Christ in an evil day--if we would be men for the crisis,\ngenuine servants, true witnesses--then verily we must learn the true\nmeaning of those two qualities, namely, confidence in God, and\nself-surrender.\n\n\nPART VII.\n\nThere is something peculiarly striking in the fact that out of the\nmany thousands of Israel, in the days of Gideon, there were only three\nhundred men who were really fit for conflict with the Midianites; only\nthis small band fit for the occasion. This truly is a suggestive and\nadmonitory fact. There were hundreds of thousands of true\nIsraelites--truly circumcised sons of Abraham--members of the\ncongregation of the Lord, who were by no means up to the mark, when it\nwas a question of war to the knife with Midian--a question of genuine\nconfidence in God and self-surrender. We are safe in saying that the\nmen who were morally fitted for the grand crisis in the day of battle\nwere not one in a thousand. How solemn! Not one in a thousand who\ncould trust God and deny self.\n\nChristian reader, is not this something worthy of deep and serious\nthought? Does it not, very naturally, suggest the inquiry as to\nwhether it is otherwise at this moment? Is it not painfully evident\nthat we live in a day in the which little is known of the blessed\nsecret of confidence in God, and still less of the exercise of\nself-surrender? In point of fact, these things can never be rightly\nseparated. If we attempt to divorce self-surrender from confidence in\nGod, it will land us in the deep and dark delusions of monasticism,\nasceticism, or ritualism. It will issue in nature trying to subdue\nnature. This, we need hardly say, is the direct opposite of\nChristianity. This latter starts with the glorious fact that the _old\nself_ has been condemned and set aside by the cross of Christ, and\ntherefore it can be practically surrendered, every day, by the power\nof the Holy Ghost. This is the meaning of those fine words in\nColossians iii., \"Ye _are_ dead, and your life is hid with Christ in\nGod.\" He does not say, \"Ye _ought to be_ dead.\" No; but \"ye _are_\ndead.\" What then? \"Mortify your members which are on the earth.\" So\nalso in the profound and precious teaching in Romans vi., \"How shall\nwe that _are_ dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that\nso many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto\nHis death?\" What then? \"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead\nindeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.\"\n\nHere then lies the secret of all true self-surrender. If this be not\nunderstood and practically entered into, it will simply be _self_ in\none form trying to subdue _self_ in another. This is a fatal delusion.\nIt is a snare of the devil into which earnest souls are in imminent\ndanger of falling, who sigh after holiness of life, but do not know\nthe power of accomplished redemption, and the indwelling of the Holy\nGhost--are not built upon the solid foundation of Christianity.\n\nWe specially warn the reader against this insidious error. It\ndistinctly savors of monasticism or asceticism. It clothes itself in\nthe garb of pietism and sanctimoniousness, and is peculiarly\nattractive to a certain class of ardent spirits who long for victory\nover the lusts, passions, and tendencies of nature; but, not knowing\nhow to attain it, are turning their back upon Christ and His cross,\nand betaking themselves to the resources of a spurious religion.\n\nIt is against this most mischievous and delusive system that the\napostle warns us, in Colossians ii., \"Let no man,\" he says, \"beguile\nyou of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels,\nintruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up\nby his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, from which all the body\nby joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together,\nincreaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with\nChrist from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the\nworld, are ye subject to ordinances\"--such as, \"touch not; taste not;\nhandle not; which all are to perish with the using--after the\ncommandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of\nwisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not\nin any honor to the satisfying of the flesh\" (Colossians ii. 18-23).\n\nWe deem it needful to say thus much lest any of our readers should at\nall mistake us on the subject of self-surrender. We desire it to be\ndistinctly understood that the only possible ground of self-surrender\nis the knowledge of accomplished redemption, and our union with Christ\nthrough the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the essential basis of\nall Christian conduct. In short, a known salvation is the basis; the\nHoly Ghost indwelling, the power; and the word of God, the directory\nof all true self-surrender.\n\nBut what did Gideon and his companions know of these things? Nothing,\nas Christians now know them. But they had confidence in God, and\nfurther, they did not make their own refreshment or comfort their\nobject, but simply took it up by the way as a means to an end. Herein\nthey teach a fine lesson even to those whose privilege it is to walk\nin the full light of New Testament Christianity. If they, in the dim\ntwilight in which they lived, could trust God, and surrender self for\nthe moment, even in measure, then what shall we say for ourselves who,\nwith all our light and privileges, are so ready to doubt God and seek\nour own things?\n\nIs it not painfully evident that, in this our day of light and\nprivilege, there is but little moral preparedness for the path of\nservice and conflict which we are called to tread? Alas! alas! we\ncannot deny it. There is a deplorable lack of genuine trust in the\nliving God, and of the true spirit of self-surrender. Here, we may\nrest assured, is the deep secret of the whole matter. God is not\npractically known and habitually trusted; self is exalted and\nindulged. Hence our unfitness for the warfare, our failure in the day\nof battle. It is one thing to be saved, and quite another thing to be\na soldier; and we cannot shake off the painful conviction that, in\nthis day of widely extended profession, the proportion of workmen and\nwarriors would not be found a whit greater than it was in the days of\nGideon and his companions. The fact is, we want men of faith, men\nwhose hearts are fixed and their eyes single; men so absorbed with\nChrist and His cause that they have no time for aught beside. We\ngreatly fear that, if the double test which was applied to Israel in\nthe days of Gideon, were to be applied now to those who stand on the\nvery highest platform of profession, the practical result would not\ndiffer very materially.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWe shall only touch on two more leading points, and then leave our\nreaders to meditate closely upon the whole subject for themselves.\n\nThe close of Judges vii. shews us Gideon and his companions completely\nvictorious. \"The cake of barley bread,\" and \"the broken pitchers,\"\nproved a match for all the power of the Midianites, although they \"lay\nalong in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude, and their camels\nwere without number, as the sand by the sea-side for multitude.\" God\nwas with those represented by the cake of barley bread and broken\npitchers, as He will ever be with those who are prepared to take the\nlow place; prepared to be nothing, but to make Him their all in all;\nprepared to trust Him and to sink self. This, let it never be\nforgotten, is the great root principle in all service and in all\nconflict. Without it, we can never succeed; with it, we can never\nfail. It matters not what the difficulties, or what the numbers and\npower of our enemies, all must give way before the presence of the\nliving God; and that presence will ever accompany those who trust Him\nand sink self.\n\nNor is this all. Not only is firm trust in God and self-surrender the\nsecret of victory over external enemies; it is also the secret of\novercoming, disarming, and melting down proud and jealous brethren,\nthough these latter are often far more difficult to deal with than\nopen enemies. Thus no sooner had Gideon reached the point of victory\nover the uncircumcised, than he was called to encounter the petty and\ncontemptible jealousy of his brethren, \"And the men of Ephraim said\nunto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not when\nthou wentest to fight the Midianites? And they did chide with him\nsharply\" (chapter viii. 1).\n\nAll this was most uncalled for and unworthy. Had they not heard the\nsound of the trumpet calling Israel to the battle field? Had they not\nheard that the standard was unfurled? Why had they not rushed to the\nbattle at the first? It was an easy matter to come in at the close and\nreap the spoil, and then find fault with the one who had been God's\nreal instrument on the occasion.\n\nHowever, we shall not dwell upon the unlovely conduct of the men of\nEphraim; but turn, for a moment, to the exquisite way in which Gideon\nwas enabled to meet them. \"And he said unto them, What have I done now\nin comparison of you?... God hath delivered into your hands the\nprinces of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in\ncomparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him when he had\nsaid that.\"\n\nHere, Christian reader, is the true way to vanquish jealous and\nenvious brethren. The cake of barley bread and the broken pitcher can\nvanquish jealous Ephraimites as well as hostile Midianites. A\nself-hiding spirit is the grand secret of victory over envy and\njealousy, in all their odious forms. It is difficult, if not\nimpossible, to quarrel with a man who is down in the dust, in true\nself-abasement. \"What have I done now in comparison of you?\" This is\nthe language of one who had learnt something of the real meaning of\nself-surrender; and we may safely assert that such language must ever\ndisarm the envy and jealousy of the self-occupied and self-sufficient.\nMay we know more of the truth of this!\n\nWe must now look at the closing scene of Gideon's remarkable\nhistory--a scene full of admonition for every servant of Christ. From\nit we learn that it is easier to gain a victory than to make a good\nuse of it; easier to reach a position than to occupy it aright. We\nshall quote the passage. \"Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon,\nRule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for\nthou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto\nthem, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you:\nthe Lord shall rule over you.\"\n\nSo far, this was very fine. It was in full keeping with the\nself-surrender of Gideon's previous course. Every true servant of\nChrist will ever seek to connect souls with his Master, and not with\nhimself. Gideon would not indeed displace Jehovah as the ruler of\nIsrael. But, alas! his great victory fills his mind, and he will make\na perpetual glory of it by an ephod (a priestly garment) of gold; and\nthis, simply because his self-surrender was not complete. There has\nbeen but One whose self-surrender was, and that One must, in all\nthings, have the pre-eminence. \"And Gideon said unto them, I would\ndesire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings\nof his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were\nIshmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And\nthey spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of\nhis prey.... And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city,\neven in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which\nthing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house\" (chapter viii.\n22-27).\n\nSuch is man, even the best of men, when left to himself. Here we see\nthe very man who had led his brethren on to victory over Midian, now\nleading them into dark and abominable idolatry. The earrings of the\nIshmaelites did what their swords could not do; and the love-tokens of\nthe men of Israel proved far more dangerous than the sharp chidings of\nthe men of Ephraim. The latter drew out a lovely spirit of\nself-emptiness: the former proved a snare to Gideon and to the whole\nhouse of Israel.\n\nReader, let us remember all this. If Gideon had refused the earrings\nas well as the throne, it would have been well for him and for his\nbrethren; but the devil laid a snare for him into which he fell and\ncarried all his brethren with him. May we all take warning from\nGideon's fall, and draw encouragement from Gideon's victories. May we\nremember that it is one thing to gain a victory, and another to make\ngood use of it; it is easier to reach a position than to occupy it\naright. May God grant to the reader and writer of these lines, more\nsimple confidence in Himself, and more of the true spirit of\nself-surrender! May such be the result of our meditations upon Gideon\nand his companions.\n\n                                                         C. H. M.\n\n\n\n\n\"My Beloved\"\n\n(Cant. 5:9.)\n\n\n    Oh what is thy Beloved?--they oft inquire of me;\n    And what in my Beloved so passing fair I see.\n    Is it the heavenly splendor in which He shines above--\n    His riches and dominions, that won my heart's best love?\n\n    Oh no! 'tis not His glories;--He's worthy of them all.\n    'Tis not the throne and sceptre, before which angels fall!\n    I view with heart exulting each crown His head adorns;\n    But, oh, He looks most lovely, _wearing His crown of thorns_.\n\n    I'm glad to see His raiment, than snow more spotless white,\n    Refulgent with its brightness, more dazzling than the light;\n    But more surpassing lovely His form appears to me,\n    When stripp'd, and scourged, and bleeding, _He hung upon the tree_.\n\n    With warmest adoration I see Him on the throne,\n    And join the loud hosannas that His high virtues own;\n    But, oh, most blessed Jesus, I must confess to Thee,\n    More than the throne of glory _I love that sacred tree_.\n\n    I joy to see the diadems upon Thy royal brow,\n    The state, and power, and majesty in which Thou sittest now;\n    But 'tis _Thyself_, Lord Jesus, makes heaven seem heaven to me--\n    _Thyself_, as first I knew Thee, _uplifted on the tree_.\n\n    Though higher than the highest, most mighty King Thou art,\n    Thy grace, and not Thy greatness, first touched my rebel heart.\n    Thy sword, it might have slain me; Thine arrows drunk my blood;\n    But 'twas _Thy cross_ subdued me, and won my heart to God.\n\n    Thy sceptre rules creation; Thy _wounded hand_ rules me:\n    All bow before Thy footstool; I but the _nail-prints_ see.\n    Aloud they sound Thy titles, Thou Lord of lords most high;\n    One thrilling thought absorbs me--_this Lord for me did die_.\n\n    Oh, this is my Beloved! there's none so fair as He:\n    The chief among ten thousand, He's all in all to me.\n    My heart, it breaks with longing to dwell with Him above,\n    Who wooed me first, and won me _by His sweet dying love_.\n\n                                                      J. G. DECK\n\n\n\n\nETERNAL PUNISHMENT\n\n\nWe have received a communication on the deeply solemn subject of\neternal punishment, from a person whose initials are \"C. D. S.,\" and\nwho would seem to be the exponent of the feelings of a very numerous\nclass. Our correspondent does not, by any means, write as an objector,\nor a caviler, but as an honest inquirer; and we are not sorry to be\ncalled upon to bear a clear and decided testimony on a point of such\ngrave moment. He asks us to let him know \"what the Holy Ghost has\ntaught us on the subject,\" and we cheerfully comply.\n\nWe believe the Word of God most clearly and fully teaches the eternity\nof punishment. The word which is rendered \"everlasting,\" or \"eternal,\"\noccurs about seventy times in the New Testament. We shall give some\nexamples. \"To be cast into _everlasting_ fire.\" (Matt. xviii. 8.)\n\"That I may have _eternal_ life.\" (Matt. xix. 16.) \"These shall go\naway into _everlasting_ punishment.\" (Matt. xxv. 46.) And in the same\nverse, \"The righteous unto life _eternal_.\" \"Is in danger of _eternal_\ndamnation.\" (Mark iii. 29.) \"They may receive you into everlasting\nhabitations.\" (Luke xvi. 9.) \"In the world to come, life\n_everlasting_.\" (Luke xviii. 30.) \"He that believeth on the Son hath\n_everlasting_ life.\" (Jno. iii. 15, 16, 36; v. 24.) \"The commandment\nof the _everlasting_ God.\" (Rom. xvi. 26.) \"An exceeding and _eternal_\nweight of glory.\" (2 Cor. iv. 17.) \"The things which are not seen are\n_eternal_.\" (_v._ 18.) \"A house not made with hands, _eternal_ in the\nheavens.\" (Chap. v. 1.) \"They shall be punished with _everlasting_\ndestruction.\" (2 Thess. i. 9.) \"Hath given us _everlasting_\nconsolation.\" (Chap. ii. 16.) \"In Christ Jesus with _eternal_ glory.\"\n(2 Tim. ii. 10.) \"The author of _eternal_ salvation.\" (Heb. v. 9.)\n\"Having obtained _eternal_ redemption.\" (Chap. ix. 12.) \"Who through\nthe _eternal_ Spirit offered Himself without spot to God.\" (v. 14.)\n\"The promise of _eternal_ inheritance.\" (v. 15.) \"Called us unto His\n_eternal_ glory.\" (1 Pet. v. 10.) \"Into the _everlasting_ kingdom of\nour Lord and Saviour.\" (2 Pet. i. 11.) \"This is the true God and\n_eternal_ life.\" (1 Jno. v. 20.) \"Suffering the vengeance of _eternal_\nfire.\" (Jude 7.)\n\nNow, we are aware that the opposers of the doctrine of eternal\npunishment endeavor to prove that the word \"everlasting\" does not mean\neverlasting in the Greek; and this is one reason why we have quoted\nsuch a number of passages in which the Greek word \u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 (_aionios_)\noccurs, and in which the Holy Ghost applies it in such a variety of\nways. The word which is applied to the punishment of the wicked is\nalso applied to the life which believers possess, to the salvation and\nredemption in which they rejoice, to the glory to which they look\nforward, to those mansions in which they hope to dwell, and to the\ninheritance which they expect to enjoy. Moreover, it is applied to\nGod, and to the Spirit. If, therefore, it be maintained that the word\n\"everlasting\" does not mean everlasting when applied to the punishment\nof the wicked, what security have we that it means everlasting when\napplied to the life, blessedness, and glory of the redeemed? What\nwarrant has any one, be he ever so learned, to single out seven\ninstances from the seventy in which the Greek word \u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 is used,\nand say that in those seven it does not mean everlasting, but that in\nall the rest it does? They have none whatever. Men may reason as they\nwill about divine benevolence and goodness--about its being\ninconsistent with the mercy of God to permit such a thing as eternal\npunishment--as to the strange want of proportion between a few years\nof sin and an endless eternity of punishment; a single line of holy\nScripture is amply sufficient, in our judgment, to sweep away ten\nthousand such reasonings, even though supported by the learned dogma\nthat \"everlasting\" does not mean everlasting in the Greek. \"Where\ntheir worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.\" (Mark ix. 46.)\nSolemn statement! Let men beware of trifling with it, or reasoning\nabout it. Let them believe it, and flee from the wrath to come--flee\nnow to Jesus, who died on Calvary's cursed tree to deliver us from\neverlasting burnings.\n\nBut not only is the eternity of punishment clearly laid down in\nScripture--as clearly as the eternity of God Himself, or of any thing\npertaining to Him; we believe it also flows as a necessary truth from\nother truths which are generally received without a single question.\nTake, for instance, the immortality of the soul. Did the fall of man\ntouch this question? We believe not. Man was made the possessor of an\nimmortal spirit, by the breath of the Almighty; and we have no\nauthority whatsoever to say that his fall made any difference as to\nthis. Immortal he was, as to his soul, immortal he is, and immortal he\nmust be. Yes, he must live forever somewhere. Tremendous thought! Many\ndo not like it. They would fain be able to say, \"Let us eat and drink,\nfor to-morrow we die.\" They would like to pass away as the beasts that\nperish; and this very desire, we doubt not, has been, in many cases,\nthe parent of the notion that punishment is non-eternal. \"The wish is\nfather to the thought.\" But, ah! man must face that dreadful reality,\n_ETERNITY_. Saved or unsaved, there is no escaping that. He must\neither deny the immortality of the soul, or admit the eternity of\npunishment.\n\nAgain, take the doctrine of the atonement. If any thing less than\neternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite\nsacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Could nothing less\nthan the peerless, priceless, divine sacrifice of the Son of God\ndeliver any one from hell fire, and that fire not be eternal? Did\nJesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of\nour guilt, and those consequences be only temporary? We can never\nadmit any such proposition. Grant us the truth of an infinite\nsacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.\n\nWe attach no weight whatever to the argument drawn from the lack of\nproportion between a few years of sin and an eternity of woe. We do\nnot believe that this is the true way to measure the matter. The cross\nis the only measure by which to reach a true result; and we believe\nthe deniers of eternal punishment offer dishonor to the cross by\nlowering it into a means of deliverance from a doom which is not\neternal in its duration.\n\nAnd now, one word as to the idea of its being incompatible with the\ncharacter of God to allow such a thing as eternal punishment. Many\nseem to attach great weight to this. They appear to think that eternal\nmisery could never comport with divine mercy and goodness. But those\nwho urge this plea seem to forget that there is another side of the\nquestion, which must be looked at if we would reach a sound conclusion\non the point. What about divine justice, holiness, and truth? Are\nthese things not to be taken into account? Can we base an argument on\nsome of the divine attributes and leave others out? Surely not. We\nmust look at them all. The cross of Christ has harmonized them all, in\nthe view of all created intelligences. In that cross, God has set\nforth His perfect love to the sinner; but He also has set forth His\nperfect hatred of sin. Now, if a man deliberately rejects that only\nway of escape--that perfect remedy--that divine provision, what is to\nbe done? God cannot let sin into His presence. He is of purer eyes\nthan to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. Will the deniers of\neternal punishment tell us what is to be done? How is this question to\nbe settled? They say, by annihilation,--that is, by man's perishing\nlike a beast. Ah, this will never do! \"The Lord God breathed into his\nnostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.\" (Gen. ii.\n7.) Was this ever revoked? Is there a shadow of foundation in the\nentire book of God for the theory of annihilation? If there is, let it\nbe produced. We look upon it as a most miserable subterfuge--a\npitiable attempt to get rid of the awful thought of eternity. But it\nwill not do. Let man but cast his eye on the page of inspiration, and\nthere he sees that tremendous word, \"ETERNITY\"! \"ETERNITY\"!\n\"ETERNITY\"! Let him but lend his ear to the voice that issues from the\ndepth of his moral being, and he will hear the same soul-subduing\nword, \"Eternity\"! \"Eternity\"! \"Eternity\"! He cannot get rid of it; he\ncannot shake it off. He is shut up to the stern fact that he must live\nforever.\n\nWell, then, what about his sin? That cannot get into God's presence.\nGod and sin can never be together. This is a fixed principle. God is\ngood, no doubt, and the proof of His goodness is the gift of His Son.\nBut then He is holy; and between holiness and sin there must be an\neternal separation; so that we are forced to the same solemn\nconclusion, namely, that all who die in their sins--all who die in the\nrejection of God's infinite provision for the forgiveness of sins,\nwill have to endure the consequences of those sins in the lake that\nburneth with fire and brimstone throughout the countless ages of\neternity.[23]\n\n  [23] Has the reader ever pondered Jno. iii. 36? There is marvelous\n  power in it. It completely demolishes two special heresies of the day,\n  namely, universalism and annihilationism. It tells the universalist\n  that \"he that believeth not the Son _shall not see life_,\" and it\n  tells the annihilationist that \"the wrath of God _abideth_ on\" the\n  unbeliever. If he \"shall not see life,\" he cannot be restored; and if\n  \"the wrath of God _abideth on him_,\" he cannot be annihilated.\n\nWe will not argue the matter further in this paper; but we would most\nearnestly beseech the unconverted reader to pause and seriously\nconsider this most momentous question. Let him not be deceived by vain\nwords; let him not hearken to a false criticism, which would fain\npersuade him that \"eternal\" does not mean eternal in the Greek; for,\noh, most assuredly, it does mean eternal, whether in Hebrew, Greek,\nLatin, or English. \"Eternal\" can never mean temporal, or \"temporal\"\neternal, in any language under heaven. And furthermore, let him not\nhearken to a false sentimentality, which would fain persuade him that\nGod is too kind to consign any of His creatures to hell fire. God was\nso kind as to \"give His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in\nHim might not perish, but have everlasting life.\" But God is too holy\nto let sin into heaven; and hence, instead of feeding himself with the\nvain hope (if hope it can be called,) of annihilation, let him build\nupon the sure Word of God, which tells him of full, free, and\neverlasting salvation through the blood of the Lamb. Our God has no\npleasure in the death of a sinner. His long-suffering is salvation,\nnot willing that any should perish, but that all should come to\nrepentance. There is no reason why the reader should perish. God waits\nto be gracious. Mercy's door stands wide open, and the sword of\njudgment is in the scabbard. But the moment is rapidly approaching\nwhen all shall be changed, and then all who die in their sins will\nprove, by bitter experience, that, notwithstanding all the arguments\nfounded upon a false criticism and a false sentimentality, _the\npunishment of sin is and must be eternal_.\n\n                                                         C. H. M.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\"_And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the\nbody, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will\nforewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him which after He hath killed\nhath power to cast into hell;--yea, I say unto you, Fear Him._\" (Luke\nxii. 4, 5.)\n\n\n\n\n  PAPERS\n\n  ON\n\n  THE LORD'S COMING\n\n  By C. H. M.\n\n  _Author of Notes on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,\n  Numbers, and Deuteronomy._\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                 PAGE\n\n  INTRODUCTORY                                      5\n\n  THE FACT ITSELF                                  13\n\n  THE DOUBLE BEARING OF THE FACT                   23\n\n  \"THE COMING\" AND \"THE DAY\"                       32\n\n  THE TWO RESURRECTIONS                            49\n\n  THE JUDGMENT                                     56\n\n  THE JEWISH REMNANT                               64\n\n  CHRISTENDOM                                      73\n\n  THE TEN VIRGINS                                  81\n\n  THE TALENTS                                      90\n\n  CONCLUDING REMARKS                               98\n\n\n\n\nPAPERS ON THE LORD'S COMING\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY\n\nThe attentive reader of the New Testament will find in its pages three\nsolemn and weighty facts presented to his view; namely, first, That\nthe Son of God has come into this world and gone away; secondly, That\nthe Holy Ghost has come down to this earth, and is here still; and,\nthirdly, That the Lord Jesus is coming again.\n\nThese are the three great subjects unfolded in the New Testament\nScriptures; and we shall find that each of them has a double bearing:\nit has a bearing upon the world and a bearing upon the church; upon\nthe world, as a whole, and upon each unconverted man, woman and child\nin particular; upon the church, as a whole, and upon each individual\nmember thereof, in particular. It is impossible for any one to avoid\nthe bearing of these three grand facts upon his own personal condition\nand future destiny.\n\nAnd, be it noted, we are not speaking of doctrines--though, no doubt,\nthere are doctrines--but of facts--facts presented in the simplest\npossible manner by the various inspired writers employed to set them\nforth. There is no attempt at garnishing or setting off. The facts\nspeak for themselves; they are recorded and left to produce their own\npowerful effect upon the soul.\n\nI. And, first of all, let us look at the fact that the Son of God has\nbeen in this world of ours. \"God so loved the world that he gave his\nonly begotten Son.\" \"The Son of God has come.\" He came in perfect\nlove, as the very expression of the heart and mind, the nature and\ncharacter of God. He was the brightness of God's glory, and the\nexpress image of His person, and yet a lowly, humble, gracious, social\nman; one who was to be seen, from day to day, about the streets; going\nfrom house to house; kind and affable to all; easily approached by the\nvery poorest; taking up little children in His arms, in the most\ntender, gentle, winning way; drying the widow's tears; soothing the\nstricken and sorrowing heart; feeding the hungry, healing the sick;\ncleansing the poor leper; meeting every form of human need and misery;\nat the bidding of all who stood in need of succor and sympathy. \"He\nwent about doing good.\" He was the unwearied servant of man's\nnecessities. He never thought of Himself, or sought His own interest\nin any one thing. He lived for others. It was His meat and His drink\nto do the will of God, and gladden the sad and weary hearts of the\nsons and daughters of men. His loving heart was ever flowing out in\nstreams of blessing to all who felt the pressure of this sin-stricken,\nsorrowful world.\n\nHere, then, we have a marvellous fact before our eyes. This world has\nbeen visited--this world has been trodden by that blessed One of whom\nwe have spoken--the Son of God--the Creator and Sustainer of the\nuniverse--the lowly, self-emptied and loving, gracious Son of\nMan--Jesus of Nazareth--God over all blessed for ever, and yet a\nspotless, holy, absolutely perfect man. He came in love to men--came\ninto this world as the expression of perfect love to those who had\nsinned against God, and deserved nothing but eternal perdition because\nof their sins. He came not to crush, but to heal--not to judge, but to\nsave and to bless.\n\nWhat has become of this blessed One? How has the world treated Him? It\nhas cast Him out! It would not have Him! It preferred a robber and a\nmurderer to this holy, gracious, perfect Man. The world got its\nchoice. Jesus and a robber were placed before the world, and the\nquestion was put, \"Which will you have?\" What was the answer? \"Not\nthis man, but Barabbas.\" \"The chief priests and elders persuaded the\nmultitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The\ngovernor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye\nthat I release unto you? They said, Barabbas\" (Matt. xxvii. 20, 21).\nThe religious leaders and guides of the people--the men who ought to\nhave led them in the right way--persuaded the poor ignorant multitude\nto reject the Son of God, and accept a robber and a murderer instead!\n\nReader, remember, you are in a world that has been guilty of this\nterrible act. And not only so, but, unless you have truly repented and\nbelieved on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are part and parcel of that\nworld, and you lie under the full guilt of that act. This is most\nsolemn. The whole world stands charged with the deliberate rejection\nand murder of the Son of God. We have the testimony of no less than\nfour inspired witnesses to this fact. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all\nbear record that the whole world--the Jew and the Gentile--kings and\ngovernors, priests and people--all classes, sects and parties, agreed\nto crucify the Son of God--all agreed to murder the only perfect man\nthat ever appeared on this earth--the perfect expression of God--God\nover all blessed for ever. We must either pronounce the four\nevangelists to be false witnesses, or admit that the world as a whole,\nand each constituent part thereof, is stained with the awful crime of\ncrucifying the Lord of glory.\n\nThis is the true standard by which to measure the world, and by which\nto measure the condition of every unconverted man, woman and child in\nthe world. If I want to know what the world is I have only to reflect\nthat the world is that which stands charged before God with the\ndeliberate murder of His Son. Tremendous fact! A fact which stamps the\nworld, in the most solemn manner, and places it before us in\ncharacters of appalling blackness. God has a controversy with this\nworld. He has a question to settle with it--an awful question--the\nmere mention of which should make men's ears to tingle and their\nhearts to quake. A righteous God has to avenge the death of His Son.\nIt is not merely that the world accepted a vile robber and murdered an\ninnocent man; this, in itself, would have been a dreadful act. But\nno; that innocent man was none other than the Son of God, the beloved\nof the Father's heart.\n\nWhat a thought! The world will have to account to God for the death of\nHis Son--for having nailed Him to a cross between two thieves! What a\nreckoning it will be! How red will be the day of vengeance! How\nawfully crushing the moment in the which God will draw the sword of\njudgment to avenge the death of His Son! How utterly vain the notion\nthat the world is improving! Improving!--though stained with the blood\nof Jesus. Improving!--though under the judgment of God for that act.\nImproving!--though having to account to a righteous God for its\ntreatment of the beloved of His soul, sent in love to bless and save.\nWhat blind fatuity! What wild folly! Ah, no! reader, improvement there\ncan be none till the besom of destruction and the sword of judgment\nhave done their terrible work in avenging the murder--the deliberately\nplanned and determinedly executed murder of the blessed Son of God. We\ncannot conceive any delusion more fatally false than to imagine that\nthe world can ever be improved while it lies beneath the awful curse\nof the death of Jesus. That world which preferred Barabbas to Christ\ncan know no improvement. There is naught before it save the\noverwhelming judgment of God.\n\nThus much as to the weighty fact of the absence of Jesus, in its\nbearing upon the present condition and future destiny of the world.\nBut this fact has another bearing. It bears upon the church of God as\na whole, and upon the individual believer. If the world has cast\nChrist out, the heavens have received Him. If man has rejected Him,\nGod has exalted Him. If man has crucified Him, God has crowned Him. We\nmust carefully distinguish these two things. The death of Christ,\nviewed as the act of the world--the act of man--involves naught but\nunmitigated wrath and judgment. On the other hand, the death of\nChrist, viewed as the act of God, involves naught but full and\neverlasting blessedness to all who repent and believe. A passage or\ntwo from the divine word will prove this.\n\nLet us turn for a moment to Psalm lxix., which so vividly presents our\nblessed and adorable Lord suffering from the hand of man, and\nappealing to God for vengeance. \"Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving\nkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy\ntender mercies. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in\ntrouble: hear me speedily: draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it:\ndeliver me, because of mine enemies. Thou hast known my reproach, and\nmy shame, and my dishonor: _mine adversaries are all before thee_.\nReproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I\nlooked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters,\nbut I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst\nthey gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table become a snare before\nthem: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become\na trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their\nloins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and\nlet thy wrathful anger take hold of them,\" etc. (verses 16-28).\n\nAll this is deeply and impressively solemn. Every word of this appeal\nwill have its answer. Not a syllable of it shall fall to the ground.\nGod will assuredly avenge the death of His Son. He will reckon with\nthe world--with men for the treatment which His only begotten Son has\nreceived at their hands. We deem it right to press this home upon the\nheart and conscience of the reader. How awful the thought of Christ\nmaking intercession _against_ people! How appalling to hear Him\ncalling upon God for vengeance upon His enemies! How terrible will be\nthe divine response to the cry of the injured Son!\n\nBut let us look at the other side of the picture. Turn to Psalm xxii.,\nwhich presents the blessed One suffering under the hand of God. Here\nthe result is wholly different. Instead of judgment and vengeance, it\nis universal and everlasting blessedness and glory. \"I will declare\nthy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I\npraise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of\nJacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.... My\npraise shall be of thee in the great congregation; I will pay my vows\nbefore them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they\nshall praise the Lord that seek him; your heart shall live for ever.\nAll the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and\nall the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the\nkingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor among the nations.... A\nseed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a\ngeneration. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto\na people that shall be born, that he hath done this\" (verses 22-31).\n\nThese two quotations present, with great distinctness, the two aspects\nof the death of Christ. He died, as a martyr, for righteousness, under\nthe hand of man. For this, man will have to account to God. But He\ndied, as a victim, for sin, under the hand of God. This is the\nfoundation of all blessing to those that believe in His name. His\nmartyr-sufferings bring down wrath and judgment upon a godless world:\nHis atoning sufferings open up the everlasting well-springs of life\nand salvation to the church, to Israel, and to the whole creation. The\ndeath of Jesus consummates the world's guilt; but secures the church's\nacceptance. The world is _stained_, and the church _purged_, by the\nblood of the cross.\n\nSuch is the double bearing of the first of our three great New\nTestament facts. Jesus has come and gone--come, because God loved the\nworld--gone, because the world hated God. If God were to ask the\nquestion--and He will ask it--\"What have you done with my Son?\" What\nis the answer? \"We hated Him, cast Him out, and crucified Him. We\npreferred a robber to Him.\"\n\nBut, blessed for ever be the God of all grace, the Christian, the true\nbeliever, can look up to heaven and say, \"My absent Lord is there, and\nthere for me. He is gone from this wretched world, and His absence\nmakes the entire scene around me a moral wilderness--a desolate\nwaste.\"\n\n_He is not here._ This stamps the world with a character unmistakable\nin the judgment of every loyal heart. The world would not have Jesus.\nThis is enough. We need not marvel at any tale of horror now. Police\nreports, grand jury calendars, the statistics of our cities and towns\nneed not surprise us. The world that could reject the divine\npersonification of all human goodness, and accept a robber and a\nmurderer instead, has proved its moral turpitude to a degree not to be\nexceeded. Do we wonder when we discover the hollowness and\nheartlessness of the world? Are we surprised when we find out that it\nis not to be trusted? If so, it is plain we have not interpreted\naright the absence of our beloved Lord. What does the cross of Christ\nprove? That God is love? No doubt. That Christ gave His precious life\nto save us from the flames of an everlasting hell? Blessedly true, all\npraise to His peerless name! But what does the cross prove as regards\nthe world? That its guilt is consummated, and its judgment sealed. The\nworld, in nailing to the cross the One who was perfectly good, proved,\nin the most unanswerable manner, that it was perfectly bad. \"If I had\nnot come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have\nno cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I\nhad not done among them the works which none other man did, they had\nnot had sin; but now have they both seen and hated both me and my\nFather. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that\nis written in their law, They hated me without a cause\" (John xv.\n22-26).\n\nII. But we must now glance for a moment at our second weighty fact.\nGod the Holy Ghost has come down to this earth. It is now over\neighteen long centuries since the blessed Spirit descended from\nheaven; and He has been here ever since. This is a stupendous fact.\nThere is a divine Person on this earth; and His presence--like the\nabsence of Jesus--has a double bearing: it has a bearing upon the\nworld, and a bearing upon the church--upon the world as a whole, and\nupon every man, woman and child therein; upon the church as a whole,\nand upon every individual member thereof in particular. As regards the\nworld, this august witness descended from heaven to convict it of the\nterrible crime of rejecting and crucifying the Son of God. As regards\nthe church, He came as the blessed Comforter, to take the place of the\nabsent Jesus, and comfort by His presence and ministry the hearts of\nHis people. Thus, to the world, the Holy Ghost is a powerful\n_Convicter_; to the church he is a precious _Comforter_.\n\nA passage or two of holy Scripture will establish these points in the\nheart and mind of the pious reader who bows in lowly reverence to the\nauthority of the divine word. Let us turn to chapter xvi. of John's\nGospel. \"But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you\nasketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things\nunto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the\ntruth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,\nthe Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him\nunto you. And when he is come, he will _convict_ (\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03be\u03b5\u03b9) the world\nof sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they\nbelieve not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye\nsee me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is\njudged\" (verses 5-11).\n\nAgain in John xiv. we read, \"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And\nI will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that\nhe may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the\nworld cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:\nbut ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you\"\n(verses 15-19).\n\nThese quotations prove the double bearing of the presence of the Holy\nGhost. We cannot attempt to dwell upon this subject in this brief\nintroduction; but we trust the reader may be led to study it for\nhimself, in the light of holy Scripture; and we are persuaded that the\nmore he thus studies it, the more deeply he will feel its interest\nand immense practical importance. Alas! that it should be so little\nunderstood; that Christians should so little see what is involved in\nthe personal presence of the eternal Spirit, God the Holy Ghost, on\nthis earth--its solemn consequences as regards the world, and its\nprecious results as regards the assembly as a whole, and each\nindividual member in particular.\n\nOh! that God's people everywhere may be led into a deeper\nunderstanding of these things; that they may consider what is due to\nthat divine Person who dwells in them and with them; that they may\nhave a jealous care not to \"grieve\" Him in their private walk, or\n\"quench\" Him in their public assemblies!\n\nWe shall, if God permit, enter, in our next paper, upon the third\nfact, which is the immediate subject of the series of papers which we\npropose to write, namely: The coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus\nChrist. May God the Spirit open this most glorious subject in living\npower and freshness to our souls, so that we may, in truth and\nreality, be waiting for God's Son from heaven.\n\n\nTHE FACT ITSELF\n\nIn approaching this most glorious subject, we feel that we cannot do\nbetter than to lay before the reader the distinct testimony of holy\nScripture to the broad fact itself, that our Lord Jesus Christ will\ncome again--that He will leave the place which He now occupies on His\nFather's throne, and come in the clouds of heaven, to receive His\npeople to Himself; to execute judgment upon the wicked; and set up His\nown everlasting and universal kingdom.\n\nThis fact is as clearly and fully set forth in the New Testament as\neither of the other two facts to which we have already referred. It is\nas true that the Son of God is coming from heaven, as that He is gone\nto heaven, or that the Holy Ghost is still on this earth. If we admit\none fact, we must admit all: and if we deny one, we must deny all;\ninasmuch as all rest upon precisely the same authority. They stand or\nfall together. Is it true that the Son of God was refused, cast out,\ncrucified? Is it true that He has gone away into heaven? Is it true\nthat He is now seated at the right hand of God, crowned with glory and\nhonor? Is it true that God the Holy Ghost came down to this earth,\nfifty days after the resurrection of our Lord; and that He is still\nhere?\n\nAre these things true? As true as Scripture can make them. Then just\nas true is it that our blessed Lord will come again, and set up His\nkingdom upon this earth--that He will literally, and actually, and\npersonally come from heaven, take to Himself His great power and reign\nfrom pole to pole, and from the river to the ends of the earth.\n\nIt may perhaps seem strange to some of our readers that we should deem\nit needful to undertake the proof of such a plain truth as this; but\nbe it remembered that we are writing on this subject as though it were\nperfectly new to the reader; as if he had never heard of such a thing\nas the Lord's second coming; or as if, having heard of it, he still\ncalls it in question. This must be our apology for handling this\nprecious theme in so elementary a manner.\n\nNow for our proofs.\n\nWhen our adorable Lord was about to take leave of His disciples, He\nsought, in His infinite grace, to comfort their sorrowing hearts by\nwords of sweetest tenderness. \"Let not your heart be troubled; ye\nbelieve in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many\nmansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a\nplace for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, _I will come\nagain_, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be\nalso\" (John xiv. 1-3).\n\nHere we may have something most definite. Indeed it is as definite as\nit is cheering and consolatory. \"I will come again.\" He does not say,\nI will send for you. Still less does He say, \"You will come to me\nwhen you die.\" He says nothing of the kind. To send an angel, or a\nlegion of angels, would not be the same thing as coming Himself. No\ndoubt it would be very gracious of Him, and very glorious for us, if a\nmultitude of the heavenly host were sent, with horses of fire and\nchariots of fire, to convey us triumphantly to heaven. But it would\nnot be the fulfilment of His own sweet promise. And most surely He\nwill do what He promised to do. He will not say one thing and do\nanother. He cannot lie or alter His word. And not only this, but it\nwould not satisfy the love of His heart to send an angel or a host of\nangels to fetch us. He will come Himself.\n\nWhat touching grace shines in all this! If I am expecting a very dear\nand valued friend by train, I shall not be satisfied with sending a\nservant or an empty cab to meet him; I shall go myself. This is\nprecisely what our loving Lord means to do. He is gone to heaven; and\nHis entrance there prepares and defines His people's place. Amid the\nmany mansions of the Father's house, there would be no place for us if\nour Jesus had not gone before; and then, lest there should be in the\nheart any feeling of strangeness at the thought of our entrance into\nthat place, He says, with such sweetness, \"I will come again, and\nreceive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also.\"\nNothing short of this can fulfil the gracious promise of our Lord, or\nsatisfy the love of His heart.\n\nAnd be it carefully noted that this promise has no reference whatever\nto the death of the individual believer. Who can imagine that, when\nour Lord said, \"I will come again,\" He really meant that we should go\nto Him through death? How can we presume to take such liberties with\nthe plain and precious words of our Lord? Surely if He meant to speak\nof our going to Him, through death, He could and would have said so.\nBut He has not said so, because He did not mean so; nor is it possible\nthat He could say one thing and mean another. His coming for us, and\nour going to Him, are totally different things; and being different\nideas, they would have been clothed in different language.\n\nThus, for example, in the case of the penitent thief on the cross, our\nLord does not speak of coming to fetch him; but He says, \"To-day shalt\nthou be with me in paradise.\" We really must remember that Scripture\nis as divinely definite as it is divinely inspired, and hence it never\ncould and it never does confound two things so totally different as\nthe Lord's coming and the Christian's falling asleep.\n\nIt may be well, at this point, to remark that there are but four\npassages in the entire New Testament in which allusion is made to the\nsubject of the Christian passing through the article of death. The\nfirst is that passage in Luke xxiii. already referred to: \"To-day\nshalt thou be with me in paradise.\" The second occurs in Acts vii.,\n\"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.\" The third is that most familiar and\nlovely utterance in 2 Corinthians v., \"Absent from the body, present\nwith the Lord.\" The fourth occurs in that charming first of\nPhilippians, \"Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which\nis far better.\"\n\nThese most precious passages make up the sum of Scripture testimony on\nthe interesting question of the disembodied state. There is a passage\nin Revelation xiv. often misapplied to this subject: \"Blessed are the\ndead which die in the Lord _from henceforth_: Yea, saith the Spirit,\nthat they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.\"\nBut this has no application to Christians now, though no doubt all\nsuch who die in the Lord are blessed, and their works do follow them.\nThe reference, however, is to a time yet future, when the church shall\nhave left this scene altogether, and other witnesses make their\nappearance. In a word, Revelation xiv. 13 bears upon apocalyptic\ntimes, and must be so viewed if we would avoid confusion.\n\nWe must now resume our subject, and proceed with our proofs, and in so\ndoing we shall ask the reader to turn to the first chapter of the Acts\nof the Apostles. The blessed Lord had just gone up from this earth,\nin the presence of His holy apostles. \"And while they looked\nsteadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by him\nin white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye\ngazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you\ninto heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into\nheaven\" (verses 10, 11).\n\nThis is intensely interesting, and furnishes a most striking proof of\nour present thesis. Indeed it is impossible to avoid its force. Alas!\nthat any should seek or desire to avoid it! From the manner in which\nthe angelic witnesses speak to the men of Galilee it would seem like\ntautology; but, as we well know, there is--there can be--no such thing\nin the volume of God. It is, therefore, lovely fulness, divine\ncompleteness, that we see in this testimony. From it we learn that the\nself-same Jesus who left this earth, and ascended into heaven, in the\npresence of a number of witnesses, shall _so_ come _in like manner as_\nthey had seen Him go into heaven. How did He go? He went up\npersonally, literally, actually, the very same person who had just\nbeen conversing familiarly with them--whom they had seen with their\neyes, heard with their ears, handled with their hands--who had eaten\nin their presence, and \"showed himself alive after his passion by many\ninfallible proofs.\" Well then, \"He shall so come in like manner.\"\n\n    \"He who with hands uplifted,\n      Went from this earth below,\n    Shall come again all gifted,\n      His blessing to bestow.\"\n\nAnd here we may ask--though it be rather anticipating what may come\nbefore us in a future paper--Who saw the blessed Lord as He went up?\nDid the world? Nay; not one unconverted, unbelieving person ever laid\nhis eyes upon our precious Lord from the moment that He was laid in\nthe tomb. The last sight the world got of Jesus was as He hung on the\ncross, a spectacle to angels, men, and devils. The next sight they\nwill get of Him will be when, like the lightning flash, He shall come\nforth to execute judgment, and tread, in terrible vengeance, the\nwinepress of the wrath of Almighty God. Tremendous thought!\n\nNone, therefore, but His own saw the ascending Saviour, as none but\nthey had seen Him from the moment of His resurrection. He showed\nHimself, blessed be His holy name! to those who were dear to His\nheart. He assured and comforted, strengthened and encouraged their\nsouls by these \"many infallible proofs\" of which the inspired narrator\nspeaks to us. He led them to the very confines of the unseen world,\njust so far as men could go while still in the body; and there He\nallowed them to see Him ascending into heaven; and while they gazed\nupon this glorious sight He sent the precious testimony home to their\nvery hearts. \"This same Jesus\"--no other, no stranger, but the same\nloving, sympathizing, gracious, unchanging friend--\"whom ye have seen\ngo into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go\ninto heaven.\"\n\nIs it possible for testimony to be more distinct or satisfactory?\nCould proof be more clear or conclusive? How can any counter argument\nstand for a moment, or any objection be raised? Either those two men\nin white apparel were false witnesses, or our Jesus shall come again\nin the exact manner in which He went away. There is no middle ground\nbetween those two conclusions. We read in Scripture that, \"in the\nmouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established;\" and\ntherefore in the mouth of two heavenly messengers--two heralds from\nthe region of light and truth, we have the word established that our\nLord Jesus Christ shall come again in actual bodily form, to be seen\nby His own first of all, apart from all others, in the holy intimacy\nand profound retirement which characterized His departure from this\nworld. All this, blessed be God, is wrapped up in the two little words\n\"_as_\" and \"_so_.\"\n\nWe cannot attempt, in a brief paper like the present, to adduce all\nthe proofs which are to be found in the pages of the New Testament. We\nhave given one from the Gospels and one from the Acts, and we shall\nnow ask the reader to turn with us to the Epistles. Let us take, for\nexample, the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. We select this\nepistle because it is acknowledged to have been the earliest of Paul's\nwritings; and further, because it was written to a company of very\nyoung converts. This latter point is valuable, inasmuch as we\nsometimes hear it stated that the truth of the Lord's coming is not\nsuitable to bring before the minds of young believers. That the\nApostle Paul did not think it unsuitable is evident from the fact that\nof all the epistles which he wrote not one contains so much about the\nLord's coming as that which he penned for the newly converted\nThessalonians. The fact is, when a soul is converted and brought into\nthe full light and liberty of the gospel of Christ, it becomes\ndivinely natural for such a one to look for the Lord's coming. That\nmost precious truth is an integral part of the gospel. The first\ncoming and the second coming are most blessedly bound up together by\nthe divine link of the personal presence of the Holy Ghost in the\nchurch.\n\nOn the other hand, where the soul is not established in grace; where\npeace and liberty are not enjoyed; where a defective gospel has been\nreceived, there it will be found that the hope of the Lord's coming\nwill not be cherished, for the simple reason that the soul is, of\nnecessity, occupied with the question of its own state and prospects.\nIf I am not certain of my salvation--if I do not know that I have\neternal life--that I am a child of God--I cannot be looking out for\nthe Lord's return. It is only when we know what Jesus has done for us\nat His first coming that we can with bright and holy intelligence look\nout for His second coming.\n\nBut let us turn to our epistle. Take the following sentences from the\nfirst chapter: \"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but\nalso in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.... So\nthat ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.\nFor from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia\nand Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread\nabroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves\nshow of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye\nturned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and _to\nwait for his Son from heaven_, whom he raised from the dead, even\nJesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come\" (verses 5-10).\n\nHere we have a fine illustration of the effect of a full clear gospel,\nreceived in simple earnest faith. They turned from idols, to serve the\nliving and true God, and to wait for His Son. They were actually\nconverted to the blessed hope of the Lord's coming. It was an integral\npart of the gospel which Paul preached; and an integral part of their\nfaith. Was it a reality to turn from idols? Doubtless. Was it a\nreality to serve the living God? Unquestionably. Well then it was just\nas real, just as positive, just as simple, their waiting for God's Son\nfrom heaven. If we question the reality of one, we must question the\nreality of all, inasmuch as all are bound up together and form a\nbeauteous cluster of practical Christian truth. If you had asked a\nThessalonian Christian what he was waiting for, what would have been\nhis reply? Would he have said, \"I am waiting for the world to improve\nby means of the gospel which I myself have received? or, I am waiting\nfor the moment of my death when I shall go to be with Jesus?\" No. His\nreply would have been simply this, \"I am waiting for the Son of God\nfrom heaven.\" This, and nothing else, is the proper hope of the\nChristian, the proper hope of the church. To wait for the improvement\nof the world is not Christian hope at all. You might as well wait for\nthe improvement of the flesh, for there is just as much hope of the\none as the other. And as to the article of death--though no doubt it\nmay intervene--it is never once presented as the true and proper hope\nof the Christian. It may, with the fullest confidence, be asserted\nthat there is not so much as a single passage in the entire New\nTestament in which death is spoken of as the hope of the believer;\nwhereas, on the other hand, the hope of the Lord's coming is bound\nup, in the most intimate manner, with all the concerns and\nassociations and relationships of life, as we may see in the epistle\nbefore us. Thus, if the apostle would refer to the interesting\nquestion of his own personal connection with the beloved saints at\nThessalonica, he says, \"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of\nrejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at\nhis coming? For ye are our glory and joy.\"\n\nAgain, if he thinks of their progress in holiness and love, he adds,\n\"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward\nanother, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end he\nmay stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our\nFather, _at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ_ with all his saints\"\n(chap. iii. 12, 13).\n\nFinally, if the apostle would seek to comfort the hearts of his\nbrethren in reference to those who had fallen asleep, how does he do\nit? Does he tell them that they should soon follow them? Nay; this\nwould have been in full keeping with Old Testament times, as David\nsays of his departed child, \"I shall go to him, but he shall not\nreturn to me\" (2 Sam. xii. 23). But it is not thus that the Holy Ghost\ninstructs us in 1 Thessalonians--quite the reverse. \"I would not,\" he\nsays, \"have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are\nasleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if\nwe believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which\nsleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by\nthe word of the Lord, that [not they which shall be, but] _we_ which\n_are_ alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent\n[come before or take precedence of] them which are asleep. For the\nLord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of\nthe archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall\nrise first. Then _we_ which are alive and remain shall be caught up\ntogether with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so\nshall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with\nthese words\" (chap. iv. 13-18).\n\nIt is impossible for any proof to be more simple, direct, and\nconclusive than this. The Thessalonian Christians, as we have already\nremarked, were converted to the hope of the Lord's return. They were\ntaught to look out for it daily. It was as much a part of their\nChristianity to believe that He _would_ come, as to believe that He\n_had_ come and gone. Hence it came to pass that when some of their\nnumber were called to pass through death, they were taken aback; they\nhad not anticipated this; and they feared lest the departed should\nmiss the joy of that blissful and longed-for moment of the Lord's\nreturn. The apostle therefore writes to correct their mistake; and, in\nso doing, he pours a fresh flood of light upon the whole subject, and\nassures them that the dead in Christ--which includes all who had or\nshall have fallen asleep; in short, those of Old Testament times as\nwell as those of the New--should rise first, that is, before the\nliving are changed, and all shall ascend together to meet their\ndescending Lord.\n\nWe shall have occasion to refer to this remarkable passage again, when\nhandling other branches of this glorious subject. We merely quote it\nhere as one of the almost innumerable proofs of the fact that our Lord\nwill come again, personally, really, and actually; and that His\npersonal coming is the true and proper hope of the church of God\ncollectively, and of the believer individually.\n\nWe shall close this paper by reminding the Christian reader that he\ncan never sit down to the table of his Lord without being reminded of\nthis glorious hope, so long as those words shine on the page of\ninspiration, \"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,\nye do show the Lord's death till\"--when? Till ye die? Nay; but--\"_till\nhe come_\" (1 Cor. xi. 26). How precious is this! The table of the Lord\nstands between those two marvellous epochs, the cross and the\nadvent--the death and the glory. The believer can look up from the\ntable and see the beams of the glory gilding the horizon. It is our\nprivilege, as we gather, on each Lord's day, round the Lord's table,\nto show forth the Lord's death, to be able to say, \"This may be the\nlast occasion of celebrating this precious feast; ere another Lord's\nday dawn upon us, He Himself may come.\" Again we say, How precious is\nthis!\n\n\nTHE DOUBLE BEARING OF THE FACT\n\nHaving, as we trust, fully established, in our last paper, the fact of\nthe Lord's coming, we have now to place before the reader the double\nbearing of that fact--its bearing upon the Lord's people, and its\nbearing upon the world. The former is presented, in the New Testament,\nas the coming of Christ to receive His people to Himself; the latter\nis spoken of as \"The day of the Lord\"--a term of frequent use also in\nOld Testament Scriptures.\n\nThese things are never confounded in Scripture, as we shall see when\nwe come to look at the various passages. Christians do confound them,\nand hence it is that we often find \"that blessed hope\" overcast with\nheavy clouds, and associated in the mind with circumstances of terror,\nwrath, and judgment, which have nothing whatever to do with the\n_coming_ of Christ for His people, but are intimately bound up with\n\"The _day_ of the Lord.\"\n\nLet the Christian reader, then, have it settled in his heart, on the\nclear authority of holy Scripture, that the grand and specific hope\nfor him ever to cherish is the coming of Christ for His people. This\nhope may be realized this very night. There is nothing whatever to\nwait for--no events to transpire amongst the nations--nothing to occur\nin the history of Israel--nothing in God's government of the\nworld--nothing, in short, in any shape or form whatsoever, to\nintervene between the heart of the true believer and his heavenly\nhope. Christ may come for His people to-night. There is actually\nnothing to hinder. No one can tell when He _will_ come; but we can\njoyfully say that, at any moment, He _may_ come. And, blessed be His\nname, when He does come for us, it will not be with the accompanying\ncircumstances of terror, wrath, and judgment. It will not be with\nblackness and darkness and tempest. These things will accompany \"the\nday of the Lord,\" as the Apostle Peter plainly tells the Jews in his\nfirst great sermon, on the day of Pentecost, in which he quotes the\nfollowing words from the solemn prophecy of Joel, \"And I will show\nwonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and\nfire and vapor of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and\nthe moon into blood, before\"--what? the coming of the Lord for His\npeople? Nay; but before \"_that great and notable day of the Lord_\ncome.\"\n\nWhen our Lord shall come to receive His people to Himself no eye shall\nsee Him, no ear shall hear His voice, save His own redeemed and\nbeloved people. Let us remember the words of the angelic witnesses in\nthe first of Acts. Who saw the blessed One ascending into the heavens?\nNone but His own. Well, \"He shall so come in like manner as ye have\nseen him go into heaven.\" _As_ was the going, _so_ shall be the\ncoming, if we are to bow to Scripture. To confound the day of the Lord\nwith His coming for His church is to overlook the plainest teachings\nof Scripture, and to rob the believer of his own true and proper hope.\n\nAnd here perhaps we cannot do better than to call the attention of the\nreader to a very important and interesting passage in the second\nEpistle of Peter: \"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables\nwhen we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus\nChrist, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from\nGod the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him\nfrom the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were\nwith him in the holy mount. We have also the word of prophecy more\nsure [or confirmed], whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a\nlight that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the\nday-star arise in your hearts\" (chap. i. 16-19).\n\nThis passage demands the reader's most attentive consideration. It\nsets forth, in the clearest possible manner, the distinction between\n\"the word of prophecy\" and the proper hope of the Christian, namely,\n\"the morning star.\" We must remember that the great subject of\nprophecy is God's government of the world in connection with the seed\nof Abraham. \"When the Most High divided to the nations their\ninheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of\nthe people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the\nLord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance\"\n(Deut. xxxii. 8, 9).\n\nHere then is the scope and theme of prophecy--Israel and the nations.\nA child can understand this. If we range through the prophets, from\nthe opening of Isaiah to the close of Malachi, we shall not find so\nmuch as a single line about the church of God--its position, its\nportion, or its prospects. No doubt the word of prophecy is deeply\ninteresting, and most profitable for the Christian to study; but it\nwill be all this just in proportion as he understands its proper scope\nand object, and sees how it stands in contrast with his own special\nhope. We may fearlessly assert that it is as utterly impossible for\nany one to study the Old Testament prophecies aright who does not\nclearly see the true place of the church.\n\nWe cannot attempt to enter upon the subject of the church in this\nbrief paper. It has been repeatedly referred to and unfolded\nelsewhere, and we can now merely ask the reader to weigh and examine\nthe statement which we here deliberately make, namely, that there is\nnot so much as a single syllable about the church of God, the body of\nChrist, from cover to cover of the Old Testament. Types, shadows,\nillustrations, there are which, now that we have the full-orbed light\nof the New Testament, we can see, understand, and appreciate. But it\nwas not possible for any Old Testament believer to see the great\nmystery of Christ and the church, inasmuch as it was not revealed. The\ninspired apostle expressly tells us that it was \"_hid_,\" not in the\nOld Testament Scriptures, but \"in God,\" as we read in Ephesians iii.,\n\"And to make all men see what is the fellowship [or rather the\nadministration] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world\nhath been _hid in God_, who created all things by Jesus Christ\" (verse\n9). So also in Colossians we read, \"Even the mystery which _hath been\nhid_ from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his\nsaints\" (chap. i. 26).\n\nThese two passages establish the truth of our statement beyond all\nquestion, for those who are willing to be governed absolutely by the\nauthority of holy Scripture; they teach us that the great\nmystery--Christ and the church--is not to be found in the Old\nTestament. Where have we in the Old Testament a word about Jews and\nGentiles forming one body, and being united by the Holy Ghost to a\nliving head in heaven? How could such a thing possibly be, so long as\n\"the middle wall of partition\" stood as an insuperable barrier between\nthe circumcised and the uncircumcised? If one were asked to name a\nspecial feature of the old economy he would at once reply, \"The rigid\nseparation of Jew and Gentile.\" On the other hand, if he were asked to\nname a special feature of the church, or Christianity, he would as\nreadily reply, \"The intimate union of Jew and Gentile in one body.\" In\nshort, the two conditions stand in vivid contrast, and it was wholly\nimpossible that both could hold good at the same time. So long as the\nmiddle wall of partition stood, the truth of the church could not be\nrevealed; but the death of Christ having thrown down that wall, the\nHoly Ghost descended from heaven to form the one body, and link it, by\nHis presence and indwelling, to the risen and glorified Head in the\nheavens. Such is the great mystery of Christ and the church, for which\nthere could be no less a basis than accomplished redemption.\n\nNow we entreat the reader to examine this matter for himself. Let him\nsearch the Scriptures to see if these things be indeed true. This is\nthe only way to get at the truth. We must lay aside all our own\nthoughts and reasonings, our prejudices and predilections, and come,\nlike a little child, to the holy Scriptures. In this way we shall\nlearn the mind of God on this most precious and interesting subject.\nWe shall find that the church of God, the body of Christ, did not\nexist, as a fact, until after the resurrection and ascension of\nChrist, and the consequent descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of\nPentecost. And further, we shall find that the full and glorious\ndoctrine of the church was not brought out until the days of the\nApostle Paul (compare Rom. xvi. 25, 26; Eph. i.-iii.; Col. i. 25-29).\nFinally, we shall see that the actual and unmistakable boundary lines\nof the church's earthly history are Pentecost (Acts ii.) and the\nrapture or taking up of the saints (1 Thess. iv. 13-17).\n\nThus we reach a position from which we can get a view of the church's\nproper hope; and that hope is, most assuredly, \"the bright and morning\nstar.\" Of this hope the Old Testament prophets utter not a syllable.\nThey speak largely and clearly of \"The day of the Lord\"--a day of\njudgment upon the world and its ways (see Isaiah ii. 12-22 and\nparallel Scriptures). But \"the day of the Lord,\" with all its\nattendant circumstances of wrath, judgment, and terror, must never be\nconfounded with His coming for His people. When our blessed Lord comes\n_for_ His people there will be nothing to terrify. He will come in all\nthe sweetness and tenderness of His love to receive His loved and\nredeemed people to Himself. He will come to finish up the precious\nstory of His grace. \"To them that look for Him shall He appear\n(\u03bf\u03c6\u03b8\u03b7\u03c3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9) the second time, without [that is, apart from all question\nof] sin, unto salvation\" (Heb. ix).[24] He will come as a bridegroom\nto receive the bride; and when He thus comes none but His own shall\nhear His voice or see His face. If He were to come this very night for\nHis people--and He may, for aught we know--if the voice of the\narchangel and the trump of God were to be heard to-night, then all the\ndead in Christ--all who have been laid to sleep by Jesus--all the\nsaints of God, both those of old Testament and New Testament times,\nwho lie sleeping in our cemeteries and graveyards, or in the ocean's\ndepths--all these would rise from their temporary sleep. All the\nliving saints would be changed in a moment, and all would be caught up\nto meet their descending Lord, and return with Him to the Father's\nhouse (John xiv. 3; 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17; 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52).\n\n  [24] The clause \"Them that look for him\" refers to all believers. It\n  does not mean, as some suppose, those only who hold the truth of the\n  Lord's second coming. This would make our place with Christ at His\n  coming dependent upon knowledge, instead of upon our union with Him by\n  the presence and power of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God, in the\n  above passage, most graciously takes for granted that all God's people\n  are looking, in some way or another, for the precious Saviour; and\n  verily so they are. They may not see eye to eye as to all the details.\n  They may not all enjoy equal clearness of view or depth and fulness of\n  apprehension; but, most surely, they would all be glad at any moment\n  to see the One who loved them and gave Himself for them.\n\nThis is what is meant by the rapture or catching up of the saints, and\nhas nothing to do directly with Israel or the nations. It is the\ndistinct and only proper hope of the church; and there is not so much\nas a single hint of it in the entire Old Testament. If any one asserts\nthat there is, let him produce it. If there be such a thing, nothing\nis easier than to furnish it. We solemnly and deliberately declare\nthere is no such thing. For all that respects the church--its\nstanding, its calling, its portion, its prospects--we must turn to the\npages of the New Testament, and, of those pages, mainly the Epistles\nof Paul. To confound \"the word of prophecy\" with the hope of the\nchurch is to damage the truth of God, and mislead the souls of His\npeople. That the enemy has succeeded in doing all this, throughout the\nlength and breadth of the professing church, is, alas! too true. And\nhence it is that so very few Christians have really Scriptural\nthoughts about the coming of their Lord. They are looking into\nprophecy for the church's hope--they confound \"the Sun of\nrighteousness\" with \"the Morning Star\"--they mix up the coming of\nChrist _for_ His people, and His coming _with_ them--they make His\n\"coming\" or \"state of presence\" to be identical with His \"appearing\"\nor \"manifestation.\"\n\nAll this is a most serious mistake, against which we desire to warn\nour readers. When Christ comes with His people, \"every eye shall see\nhim.\" When He is manifested, His people will be manifested also. \"When\nChrist our life shall appear [or be manifested], then shall ye also\nappear with him in glory\" (Col. iii. 4). When Christ comes to execute\njudgment, His saints come with Him. \"Behold, the Lord cometh _with_\nten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all\" (Jude 14,\n15). So also in Revelation xix., the rider on the white horse is\nfollowed by the armies in heaven upon white horses, clothed in fine\nlinen, white and clean. These armies are not angels, but saints; for\nwe do not read of angels being clothed in white linen, which is\nexpressly declared, in this very chapter, to be \"the righteousness of\nsaints\" (verse 8).\n\nNow, it is most evident that, if the saints accompany their Lord when\nHe comes in judgment, they must be with Him previously. The fact of\ntheir going to Him is not presented in the book of Revelation, unless\nit be involved--as we doubt not it is--in the catching up of the man\nchild, in chapter xii. The man child is, most surely, Christ; and\ninasmuch as Christ and His people are indissolubly joined in one, they\nare most completely identified with Him, blessed for ever be His holy\nand precious name!\n\nBut, clearly, it does not at all lie within the scope of the book of\nRevelation to give us the coming of Christ _for_ His people, or their\nbeing caught up to meet Him in the air, or their return to the\nFather's house. For these blessed events or facts, we must look\nelsewhere, as, for example, in John xiv. 3; 1 Corinthians xv. 23, 51,\n52; 1 Thessalonians iv. 14-17. Let the reader ponder these three\npassages. Let him drink into his very soul their clear and precious\nteaching. There is nothing difficult about them, no obscurity, no mist\nor vagueness whatever. A babe in Christ can understand them. They set\nforth, in the clearest and simplest possible manner, the true\nChristian hope, which--we repeat it emphatically, and urge it upon the\nreader as the direct and positive teaching of holy Scripture--is the\ncoming of Christ to receive His people, all His people, to Himself, to\ntake them back with Him to His Father's house, there to remain with\nHim, while God deals governmentally with Israel and the nations, and\nprepares the way, by His judicial actings, for bringing in the\nFirst-begotten into the world.\n\nNow, if it be asked, \"Why have we not the coming of Christ for His\npeople in the book of Revelation?\" Because that book is pre-eminently\na book of judgment--a governmental, judicial book, at least from\nchapter i.-xx. Hence even the church is presented as under judgment.\nWe do not see the church in chapters ii. and iii. as the body or the\nbride of Christ; but as a responsible witness on the earth, whose\ncondition is being carefully examined and rigidly judged by Him who\nwalks amongst the candlesticks.\n\nIt would not, therefore, comport with the character or object of this\nbook to introduce, directly, the rapture of the saints. It shows us\nthe church on the earth, in the place of responsibility. This it gives\nus, in chapters ii. and iii., under the head of \"the things that are.\"\nBut from that to chapter xix. there is not a single syllable about the\nchurch on earth. The plain fact is, the church will not be on earth\nduring that solemn period. She will be with her Head and Lord, in the\ndivine retirement of the Father's house. The redeemed are seen in\nheaven, under the title of the twenty-four crowned elders, in chapters\niv., v. There, blessed be God, they will be, while the seals are being\nopened, the trumpets sounded, and the vials poured out. To think of\nthe church as being on the earth, from Revelation vi.-xviii.--to place\nher amid the apocalyptic judgments--to pass her through \"the great\ntribulation\"--to subject her to \"the hour of temptation which shall\ncome upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth\"--would\nbe to falsify her position, to rob her of her chartered privileges,\nand to contradict the clear and positive promise of her Lord.[25]\n\n  [25] We shall have occasion, in a future paper, to show that, after the\n  church has been removed to heaven, the Spirit of God will act both\n  among the Jews, and also among the Gentiles. See Revelation vii.\n\nNo, no, beloved Christian reader; let no man deceive you, by any\nmeans. The church is seen on earth in Revelation ii., iii. She is seen\nin heaven, together with the Old Testament saints, in chapters iv., v.\nWe are not told, in the Revelation, how she gets there; but we see her\nthere, in high communion and holy worship; and then, in chapter xix.,\nthe rider on the white horse comes forth, _with_ His saints, to\nexecute judgment upon the beast and the false prophet--to put down\nevery enemy and every evil, and to reign over the whole earth for the\nblissful period of a thousand years.\n\nSuch is the plain teaching of the New Testament, to which we earnestly\ninvite the attention of our readers. And let no one suppose that our\nobject is to find an easy path for Christians in thus teaching, as we\ndo most emphatically, that the church will not be in \"the great\ntribulation\"--will not come into \"the hour of temptation.\" Nothing of\nthe kind. The fact is, the true and normal condition of the church,\nand therefore of the individual Christian, in this world, is\ntribulation. So says our Lord: \"In the world ye shall have\ntribulation.\" And again, \"We glory in tribulation.\"\n\nIt cannot, therefore, be a question of avoiding that which is our\nappointed portion in this world, if only we are true to Christ. But\nthe fact is, that the entire truth of the church's position and\nprospect is involved in this question, and this is our reason for\nurging it so upon the prayerful attention of our readers.\n\nThe great object of the enemy is to drag down the church of God to an\nearthly level--to set Christians entirely astray as to their divinely\nappointed hope--to lead them to confound things which God has made to\ndiffer, to occupy them with earthly things--to cause them to so mix up\nthe _coming_ of Christ for His people with His _appearing_ in\njudgment upon the world, that they may not be able to cultivate those\nbridal affections and heavenly aspirations which become them as\nmembers of the body of Christ. He would fain have them looking out for\nvarious earthly events to come between them and their own proper hope,\nin order that they may not be--as God would have them--ever on the\nvery tip-toe of expectation, looking out, with ardent desire, for the\nappearing of \"the bright and morning Star.\"\n\nWell doth the enemy know what he is about; and surely we ought not to\nbe ignorant of his devices, but rather give ourselves to the study of\nthe word of God, and thus learn, as we most surely shall, \"the double\nbearing\" of the glorious fact of the Lord's coming.\n\n\n\"THE COMING\" AND \"THE DAY.\"\n\nWe must now ask the reader to turn with us for a little to the two\nepistles to the Thessalonians. As we have already remarked, these\nChristians were converted to the blessed hope of the Lord's return.\nThey were taught to look for Him day by day. It was not merely the\ndoctrine of the advent received and held in the mind, but a divine\nPerson constantly expected by hearts that had learnt to love Him and\nlong for His coming.\n\nBut, as we can easily imagine, the Thessalonian Christians were\nignorant of many things connected with this blessed hope. The apostle\nhad been \"_taken_ from them for a short time, in presence, not in\nheart.\" He had not been allowed to remain long enough amongst them to\ninstruct them in the details of the subject of their hope. They knew\nthat Jesus was to return--that self-same blessed One who had\ngraciously delivered them from the wrath to come. But as to any\ndistinction between His coming _for_ His people and coming _with_\nthem--between His \"state of presence\" and His \"appearing\"--His\n\"coming\" and His \"day,\" they were, at first, wholly ignorant.\n\nHence, as might be expected, they fell into various errors and\nmistakes. It is wonderful how speedily the human mind wanders away\ninto the wildest and grossest confusion and error. We need to be\nguarded on all sides by the pure, solid, all-adjusting truth of God.\nWe must have our souls evenly balanced by divine revelation, else we\nare sure to plunge into all manner of false and foolish notions. Thus\nsome of the Thessalonians conceived the idea of giving up their honest\ncallings. They ceased to labor with their hands, and went about idle.\n\nThis was a great mistake. Even though we were perfectly certain that\nour Lord would come this very night, it would be no reason why we\nshould not, most diligently and faithfully, attend to our daily round\nof duty, and do all that devolved upon us in that particular sphere in\nwhich His good hand has placed us. So far from this, the very fact of\nexpecting the blessed Master would strengthen our desire to have\neverything done as it ought to be up to the very moment of His return,\nso that not so much as a single righteous claim should be left\nneglected. In point of fact, the hope of the Lord's speedy return,\nwhen held in power in the soul, is most sanctifying, purifying, and\nadjusting in its influence upon Christian life, conduct, and\ncharacter. We know, alas! that even this most glorious truth may be\nheld in the region of the understanding, and flippantly professed with\nthe lips, while the heart and the life, the course, conduct, and\ncharacter, remain wholly unaffected by it. But we are expressly taught\nby the inspired Apostle John, that \"every man that hath this hope in\nhim purifieth himself, even as he is pure\" (1 John iii. 3). And, most\nsurely, this \"purifying\" embraces all that which goes to make up our\nwhole practical life, from day to day.\n\nBut there was another grave mistake into which those dear\nThessalonians fell, and out of which the blessed apostle, like a true\nand faithful pastor, sought to recover them. They imagined that their\ndeparted Christian friends would not have part in the joy of the\nLord's return. They feared that they would fail to participate in\nthat blissful and longed-for moment.\n\nNow while it is quite true that this very mistake proves how vividly\nthese Christians realized their blessed hope, still it was a mistake,\nand needed to be corrected. But let us carefully note the correction:\n\"I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which\nare asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For\nif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which\nsleep in Jesus [or are laid to sleep by Jesus] will God bring with\nhim.\"\n\nMark this. He does not seek to comfort these sorrowing friends by the\nassurance that they should, ere long, follow the departed. Quite the\nreverse. He assures them that Jesus would bring the departed back with\nHim. This is plain and distinct, and founded upon the great fact that\n\"Jesus died for us and rose again.\"\n\nBut the apostle does not stop here, but goes on to pour a flood of\nfresh light upon the understanding of His dear children in the faith.\n\"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are\nalive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent [or\nprecede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend\nfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with\nthe trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first [that is,\nbefore the living are changed]. Then we which are alive and remain\nshall be caught up together with them in [the] clouds, to meet the\nLord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore\ncomfort one another with these words.\"\n\nHere, then, we have presented to us what is commonly spoken of amongst\nus as the rapture of the saints--a most glorious, soul-stirring, and\nenrapturing theme surely--the brightest hope of the church of God, and\nof the individual believer. The Lord _Himself_ shall descend from\nheaven with a summons designed only for the ears and the hearts of His\nown. Not one uncircumcised ear shall hear--not one unrenewed heart be\nmoved by, that heavenly voice, that divine trumpet call. The dead in\nChrist, including, as we believe, the Old Testament saints, as well\nas those of the New, who shall have departed in the faith of\nChrist--all those shall hear the blessed sound, and come forth from\ntheir sleeping places. All the living saints shall hear it, and be\nchanged in a moment. And oh! what a change! The poor crumbling\ntabernacle of clay exchanged for a glorified body, like unto the body\nof Jesus.\n\nLook at yonder bent and withered frame--that body racked with pain,\nand worn out with years of acute suffering. It is the body of a saint.\nHow humiliating to see it like that! Yes; but wait a little. Let but\nthe trumpet sound, and in one moment that poor crushed and withered\nframe shall be changed, and made like to the glorified body of the\ndescending Lord.\n\nAnd there, in yonder lunatic asylum, is a poor lunatic. He has been\nthere for years. He is a saint of God. How mysterious! True; we cannot\nfathom the mystery; it lies beyond our present narrow range. But so it\nis; that poor lunatic is a saint of God, an heir of glory. He too\nshall hear the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and leave\nhis lunacy behind him for ever, while he mounts into the heavens, in\nhis glorified body, to meet his descending Lord.\n\nOh! reader, what a brilliant moment! How many sick chambers and beds\nof languishing shall be vacant then! What marvellous changes shall\nthen take place! How the heart bounds at the thought, and longs to\nsing, in full chorus, that lovely hymn,\n\n    \"Christ, the Lord, will come again,\n    None shall wait for Him in vain;\n    I shall then His glory see:\n    Christ will come and call for me.\n\n    \"Then, when the archangel's voice\n    Calls the sleeping saints to rise,\n    Rising millions shall proclaim\n    Blessings on the Saviour's name.\n\n    \"'This is our redeeming God!'\n    Ransomed hosts will shout aloud:\n    Praise, eternal praise, be given.\n    To the Lord of earth and heaven!\"\n\nAmen and amen!\n\nHow glorious the thought of those \"rising millions!\" How truly\ndelightful to be amongst them! How precious the hope of seeing that\nblessed One who loveth us and who gave Himself for us! Such is the\nhope of the Christian, a hope concerning which there is not a single\nline from cover to cover of the Old Testament. \"The word of prophecy\"\nis of all importance. We do well to take heed to it. It is an\nunspeakable mercy for those who find themselves in a dark place to\nhave a bright lamp to cast its light athwart the gloom. But let the\nChristian bear in mind that what he wants is to have \"the day star\narising in his heart;\" in other words, to have his whole heart\ngoverned by the hope of seeing Jesus as the bright and morning Star.\nWhen the heart is thus filled and ruled by the proper Christian hope,\nthen the eye can intelligently scan the prophetic chart: it can take\nin the whole field of prophecy as our God has graciously opened it\nbefore us, and find interest and profit in every page and in every\nline. But, on the other hand, we may rest assured that the man who\nlooks into prophecy in order to find the church or its hope there has\nhis face turned the wrong way. He will find \"the Jew\" there, and\n\"Gentile\" there, but not \"the church of God.\" We earnestly trust that\nnot one of our readers will fail to lay hold of this fact--a fact, we\nmay safely say, of the very deepest moment.\n\nBut it will perhaps be asked, \"Of what use, then, is prophecy? If\nindeed it be true that we cannot find aught about the church on the\nprophetic page, of what possible use can it be to Christians? Why\nshould we be told to take heed to it if it does not immediately\nconcern us?\" We reply, Is nothing of any value to us save what\nimmediately concerns ourselves? Shall we take no interest in anything\nunless we ourselves form the immediate subject thereof? Is it nothing\nto us to have the counsels and purposes and plans of God laid open\nbefore us? Do we lightly esteem the high favor of having the thoughts\nof God communicated to us in His holy word of prophecy? Surely it was\nnot thus that Abraham treated the divine communications made to him\nin Genesis xviii.: \"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?\"\nAnd what was that thing? Did it immediately concern Abraham? Not at\nall. It concerned Sodom and the neighboring cities, and Abraham had no\nstake in them. But did that prevent his interest in the divine\ncommunication. Did it hinder his appreciation of the mark of special\nfavor in his being made the honored and trusted depository of the\nthoughts of God? Surely not. We may safely assert that the faithful\npatriarch highly esteemed the privilege conferred upon him.\n\nAnd so should we. We should study prophecy with all the interest\narising from the fact that therein we have unfolded to us, with divine\nprecision, what God is about to do on this earth with Israel and with\nthe nations. Prophecy is God's history of the future; and just in\nproportion as we love Him shall we delight to study His history; not\nindeed, as some have said, that we may know its truth by its\nfulfilment, but that we may possess all that absolute, that divine\ncertainty as to the future which God's word is capable of imparting.\nNothing can be more absurd, in the judgment of faith, than to suppose\nthat we must wait until the accomplishment of a prophecy to know that\nit is true. What an insult offered--unwittingly, no doubt--to the\npeerless revelation of our God.\n\nBut we must now turn, for a moment, to the solemn subject of \"The Day\nof the Lord.\" This is a term of frequent occurrence in Old Testament\nScriptures. We cannot attempt to quote all the passages; but we shall\nrefer to one or two, and then the reader can follow up the subject for\nhimself.\n\nIn Isaiah ii. we read, \"For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon\nevery one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted\nup, and he shall be brought low.... And the loftiness of man shall be\nbowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord\nalone shall be exalted _in that day_. And the idols he shall utterly\nabolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the\ncaves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his\nmajesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.\"\n\nSo also in Joel ii. \"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm\nin my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for\nthe day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness\nand of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the\nmorning spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there\nhas not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even\nto the years of many generations; ... the earth shall quake before\nthem; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark,\nand the stars shall withdraw their shining; ... for the day of the\nLord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?\"\n\nFrom these and similar passages, we learn that \"the day of the Lord\"\nstands associated with the deeply solemn thought of judgment upon the\nworld--upon apostate Israel--upon man and his ways--upon all that\nwhich the human heart prizes and longs after. In short, the day of the\nLord stands in striking contrast with man's day. Man has the upper\nhand now, the Lord will have the upper hand then.\n\nNow, while it is perfectly true that all the Lord's people can rejoice\nin the prospect of that day, which, though it will open in judgment\nupon the world, shall, nevertheless, be marked by the universal reign\nof righteousness; yet we must remember that the peculiar hope of the\nChristian is not the day with its awful accompaniments of judgment,\nwrath, and terror; but the coming or presence of Jesus, with its\nprecious accompaniments of peace and joy, love and glory. The church\nshall have met her Lord, and returned with Him to the Father's house,\nbefore that terrible day bursts upon the world. It will be her\nblissful portion to taste the ineffable communion of that heavenly\nhome, for an indefinite period previous to the opening of the day of\nthe Lord. Her eyes shall be gladdened by the sight of \"the bright and\nmorning Star,\" long before even \"the Sun of righteousness\" shall\narise, in healing virtue, upon the pious portion of the nation of\nIsrael--the God-fearing remnant of the seed of Abraham.\n\nWe are intensely anxious that the Christian reader should thoroughly\nenter into this grand and important distinction. We feel persuaded\nthat it will have an immense effect upon all his thoughts and views\nand hopes of the future. It will enable him to see, without a single\nintervening cloud, his true prospect as a Christian. It will deliver\nhim from all mist, vagueness, and confusion; and further, it will\ndivest his mind of all that feeling of dread with which so many even\nof the Lord's dear people contemplate the future. It will teach him to\nlook for the Saviour--the blessed Bridegroom--the everlasting Lover of\nhis soul, and not for judgments and terror, eclipses and earthquakes,\nconvulsions and revolutions, it will keep his spirit tranquil and\nhappy, in the sure and certain hope of being with Jesus, ere that\ngreat and terrible day of the Lord come.\n\nSee how the faithful apostle labored to lead his dear Thessalonian\nconverts into the clear understanding of the difference of \"the\ncoming\" and \"the day.\"\n\n\"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I\nwrite unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord\nso cometh as a thief in the night. For when _they_ [not ye] shall say,\nPeace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail\nupon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren,\nare not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye\nare all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not\nof the night, nor of darkness\"--The Lord be praised!--\"Therefore let\nus not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they\nthat sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunken, are drunken\nin the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the\nbreastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of\nsalvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain\nsalvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we\nwake or sleep [that is, are dead or alive] we should live together\nwith him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another,\neven as also ye do\" (1 Thessalonians v. 1-11).\n\nHere we have the distinction set forth with unmistakable clearness.\nThe Lord Himself shall come for us as the Bridegroom. The day of the\nLord shall come upon the world as a thief. Is it possible for contrast\nto be more striking? How can any one confound these two things? They\nare as distinct as any two things can be. A bridegroom and a thief are\nsurely two different things; and just as different are the coming of\nthe Lord for His waiting people and the coming of His day upon a\nslumbering or intoxicated world.\n\nSome perhaps may find a difficulty in the fact that the church in\nSardis is addressed in such solemn words as these, \"If therefore thou\nshalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not\nknow what hour I will come upon thee\" (Rev. iii. 3). The difficulty\nwill vanish when we reflect that, in the case of Sardis, the\nprofessing body is looked upon as having a mere name to live while\ndead. It has sunk to the level of the world, and can only see things\nfrom the world's standpoint. The church has failed utterly; it has\nfallen from its high and holy position; it is under judgment; it\ncannot therefore be cheered by the church's proper hope; but is\nthreatened by the world's terrible doom. We do not see the church here\nas the body or bride of Christ, but as the responsible witness for God\non the earth--the golden candlestick which ought to have held forth\nthe divine light of testimony in this dark world, in the absence of\nher Lord. But alas! the professing church has sunk lower and become\ndarker than even the world itself. Hence the solemn threatening. The\nexception confirms the rule.\n\nWe shall proceed with this subject as presented in 2 Thessalonians.\n\nIt is a fact full of the richest comfort and consolation to the heart\nof a true believer, that our God, in His marvellous grace, ever makes\nthe eater to yield meat, and the strong, sweetness. He brings light\nout of darkness, life out of death, and causes the bright beams of His\nglory to shine amid the most disastrous ruin caused by the enemy's\nhand. The truth of this is illustrated on every page of the inspired\nvolume, and it should fill our hearts with peace and our mouths with\npraise.\n\nHence it is that the varied doctrinal errors and practical evils, into\nwhich the early Christians were permitted to fall, have been overruled\nof God, and used for the instruction, guidance, and solid profit of\nthe church to the close of her earthly history.\n\nThus, for example, the error of the Thessalonian Christians in\nreference to their departed brethren was made the occasion of pouring\nsuch a flood of divine light upon the Lord's coming, and upon the\nrapture of the saints, that it is impossible for any simple mind that\nbows to Scripture ever to fall into a similar mistake. They looked for\nthe Lord to come, and in that they were right. They expected Him to\nset up His kingdom on the earth, and in that they were right, as to\nthe broad fact.\n\nBut they made a great mistake in leaving out the heavenly side of this\nglorious hope. Their intelligence was defective--their faith lacking.\nThey did not see the two parts--the double bearing of the advent of\nChrist--His descent into the air to receive His people to Himself, and\nHis appearing in glory to set up His kingdom in manifested power.\nHence they feared that their departed brethren would necessarily be\nabsent from the sphere of blessing--the circle of glory. This mistake\nis divinely corrected, as we have seen, in the first epistle, chapter\niv. The heavenly side of the hope--the Christian's proper portion--is\nplaced before the heart as the true corrective for the error in\nreference to the sleeping saints. Christ will gather all (and not\nmerely part of) His people to Himself; and if there is to be any\nadvantage--a shade of difference in the matter--it will be on the side\nof those very people about whom they were mourning. \"The dead in\nChrist shall rise first.\"\n\nBut from the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians we learn that those\ndear young converts had been led into another grave error--an error,\nnot as to the dead, but as to the living--a mistake, not respecting\n\"the coming,\" but respecting \"the day of the Lord.\" In the one case\nthey feared that the dead would not participate in thy blissful\ntriumph of \"the coming;\" and in the other case they feared that the\nliving were actually, at the very moment, involved in the terrors of\nthe day.\n\nSuch is the mistake with which the inspired apostle deals in his\nsecond letter to the Thessalonian believers; and nothing can exceed\nthe tenderness and delicacy, and yet withal the wisdom and\nfaithfulness of his dealing.\n\nThe Christians at Thessalonica were passing through intense\npersecution and tribulation; and it is very evident that the enemy, by\nmeans of false teachers, sought to upset their minds, by leading them\nto think that \"the great and terrible day of the Lord\" had actually\narrived, and that the troubles through which they were passing were\nthe accompaniments of that day. If this were so the entire teaching of\nthe apostle was proved false; for if there was one truth that shone\nforth more brightly and prominently in his teaching than another, it\nwas the association and identification of believers with Christ--an\nassociation so intimate, an identification so close, that it was\nimpossible for Christ to appear in glory without His people. \"When\nChrist, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with\nhim in glory.\" But He must appear in order to introduce \"the day.\"\n\nFurthermore, when the day of the Lord does actually arrive it will not\nbe to trouble His people, but, on the contrary, to trouble their\npersecutors. Of this the apostle reminds them, in the most simple,\nforcible manner, in his very opening lines: \"We are bound to thank God\nalways for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith\ngroweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward\neach other aboundeth, so that we ourselves glory in you in the\nchurches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions\nand tribulations that ye endure: which is a manifest token of the\nrighteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the\nkingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: seeing _it is a righteous\nthing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and\nto you who are troubled rest with us_, when the Lord Jesus shall be\nrevealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking\nvengeance on them that know not God [Gentiles], and that obey not the\ngospel of our Lord Jesus Christ [Jews]\" (chapter i. 3-8).\n\nThus, not only was the Christian position involved in this matter, but\nthe very glory of God--His actual righteousness. If, indeed, the day\nof the Lord brought tribulation to Christians, then was there no truth\nin the doctrine--the grand prominent doctrine of Paul's teaching--that\nChrist and His people are one; and moreover it would impugn the\nrighteousness of God. In short, then, if Christians were in\ntribulation, it was morally impossible that the day of the Lord could\nhave set in, for when that day comes, it will be rest for believers,\nas their public recompense, in the kingdom--not merely in the Father's\nhouse; which is not the point here. The tables will be completely\nturned. The church will be in rest, the church's troublers in\ntribulation. During man's day, the church is called to tribulation;\nbut in the day of the Lord all will be reversed.\n\nLet the reader note this carefully. It is not the question of\nChristians suffering tribulation. They are actually called to it in\nthis world, so long as wickedness has the upper hand. Christ suffered,\nand so must they. But the point we want to fasten upon the mind and\nheart of the Christian is, that when Christ comes to set up His\nkingdom, it is utterly impossible that His people can be in trouble.\nThus the entire teaching of the enemy, by which he sought to upset the\nThessalonian believers, was proved to be utterly fallacious. The\napostle sweeps away the very foundation of the whole fabric by the\nsimple statement of the precious truth of God. This is the divine way\nof delivering people from false notions and vain fears. Give them the\ntruth, and error must flee before it. Let in the sunshine of God's\neternal word, and all the mists and clouds of false doctrine must be\nrolled away.\n\nBut let us, for a moment, examine the further teaching of our apostle,\nin this remarkable writing. In so doing, we shall see how thoroughly\nhe establishes the distinction between \"the coming\" and \"the day\"--a\ndistinction which the reader will do well to ponder.\n\n\"Now we beseech you, brethren, by [or on the ground of] the coming of\nour Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, that ye be\nnot soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by\nword, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of the Lord is\npresent.\"[26]\n\n  [26] We have no pretensions whatever to scholarship; we are merely\n  gleaners in the deeply interesting field of criticism in which others\n  have reaped a golden harvest. We do not mean to occupy our readers\n  with arguments in defence of readings given in the text; but we feel\n  that there is no use in giving them what we consider to be erroneous.\n  We believe there is no doubt whatever that the true reading of 2\n  Thessalonians ii. is as we have given it above, \"as that the day of\n  the Lord is present.\" The word \u03b5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd can only be thus rendered.\n  It occurs in Romans viii. 38, where it is translated \"things _present_.\"\n  So also in 1 Corinthians iii. 22, \"things _present_;\" chapter vii. 25,\n  \"_present_ distress;\" Galatians i. 4, \"_present_ evil world;\" Hebrews\n  ix. 9, \"time then _present_.\"\n\nNow, apart altogether from the question of various readings, a\nmoment's reflection will suffice to show the simple minded Christian\nthat the apostle could not possibly mean to teach the Thessalonians\nthat the day of the Lord was not, even then, at hand. Scripture can\nnever contradict itself. No one sentence of divine revelation can\npossibly collide with another. But if the reading given in our\nexcellent Authorized Version were correct, it would stand in direct\nopposition to Romans xiii. 12, where we are plainly and expressly told\nthat \"the day is at hand.\" What \"day?\" The day of the Lord, most\nsurely, which is always the term used in connection with our\nindividual responsibility in walk and service.\n\nThis, we may remark in passing, is a point of much interest and\npractical value. If the reader will take the trouble to examine the\nvarious passages in which \"the day\" is spoken of, he will find that\nthey have reference, more or less, to the question of work, service or\nresponsibility. For instance, \"That ye may be blameless [not at the\n_coming_, but] in the _day_ of our Lord Jesus Christ\" (1 Cor. i. 8).\nAgain, \"Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the _day_ shall\ndeclare it\" (1 Cor. iii. 13). \"Without offence till the day of Christ\"\n(Phil. i. 10). \"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of\nrighteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at\n_that day_\" (2 Timothy iv. 8).\n\nFrom all these passages, and many more which might be adduced, we\nlearn that \"the day of the Lord\" will be the grand time for reckoning\nwith the workers; for the divine appraisal of service; for the\nsettling of all questions of personal responsibility; for the\ndistribution of rewards--the \"ten cities\" and the \"five cities.\"\n\nThus, wherever we turn, in whatever way we look at the subject, we are\nmore and more confirmed in the truth of the clear distinction between\nour Lord's \"coming,\" or \"state of presence,\" and His \"appearing,\" or\n\"day.\" The former is ever held up before the heart as the bright and\nblessed hope of the believer, which may be realized at any moment. The\nlatter is pressed rather upon the conscience, in deep solemnity, as\nbearing upon the entire practical career of those who are set in this\nworld to work and witness for an absent Lord. Scripture never\nconfounds these things, however much we may do it; nor is there a\nsingle sentence from cover to cover of the holy volume which teaches\nthat believers are not always to be looking out for the coming of the\nLord, and eager to bear in mind that \"the day is at hand.\" It is only\n\"that evil servant\"--referred to in our Lord's discourse in Matthew\nxxiv.--that \"says in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming;\" and\nthere we see the terrible results which must ever flow from the\nharboring of such a thought in the heart.\n\nWe shall now return for a moment to 2 Thessalonians ii.--a passage of\nScripture which has given rise to much discussion amongst prophetic\nexpositors, and presented considerable difficulty to the students of\nprophecy.\n\nIt is very evident that the false teachers had been seeking to disturb\nthe minds of the Thessalonians by leading them to think that they\nwere, even then, surrounded by the terrors of the day of the Lord. Not\nso, says the apostle; that cannot be. Before ever that day opens we\nmust all be gathered to meet the Lord in the air. He beseeches them,\non the ground (\u03c5\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1) of the Lord's coming and our gathering together\nunto Him, not to be troubled about the day. He had already opened to\nthem the heavenly side of the Lord's coming. He had taught them that\nthey, as Christians, belonged to the day; that their home and their\nportion and their hope were all in that very region from which the day\nwas to shine out. It was wholly impossible, therefore, that the day of\nthe Lord could involve any terror or trouble to those who were\nactually, through grace, the sons of the day.\n\nBut, further, even in looking at the subject from the earthly side of\nit, the false teachers were all wrong. \"Let no man deceive you by any\nmeans: for [that day shall not come] except there come a falling away\nfirst, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who\nopposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is\nworshipped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing\nhimself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was with you I\ntold you these things. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might\nbe revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already\nwork: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the\nway. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall\nconsume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the\nbrightness of his coming [or the appearing of his presence]. Even him\nwhose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs\nand lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in\nthem that perish; because they received not the love of the truth,\nthat they might be saved\" (verses 3-10).\n\nHere, then, we are taught that ere the day of the Lord arrives, the\nlawless one, the man of sin, the son of perdition, must be revealed.\nThe mystery of iniquity must rise to a head. Man shall set himself up\nin open opposition to God, nay, shall even assume to himself the name\nand the worship of God. All this has to be developed on the earth\nbefore that great and terrible day of the Lord shall burst in judgment\nupon the scene. For the present there is a barrier, a hindrance to the\nmanifestation of this awful personage. We are not told here what this\nbarrier or hindrance is. God may vary it at different times.[27] But we\nlearn, most distinctly, from the book of Revelation that ere the\nmystery of iniquity culminates in the person of the man of sin, the\nchurch shall have been removed from this scene altogether. It is\nimpossible to read, with an enlightened eye, Revelation iv., v. and\nnot see that the church shall be in the very innermost circle of\nheavenly glory ere a single seal is opened, a single trumpet sounded,\na single vial poured out. We do not believe that any one can\nunderstand the book of the Apocalypse who does not see this.\n\n  [27] Some have considered that the hinderer or hindrance was the Roman\n  empire; others that it is the Holy Ghost in the church. To this latter\n  we have inclined for many years, though it may be there is a measure\n  of truth in the former. This, at least, we know from other parts of\n  Scripture, that ere the lawless one appears on the scene, the church\n  will have been safely and blessedly housed in her own eternal home\n  above--her prepared place. How precious the thought of this!\n\nWe may have occasion to go more freely into this profoundly\ninteresting point by-and-by. We can only now entreat the reader to\nstudy the subject for himself. Let him ponder Revelation iv., v., and\nask God to interpret their precious contents to his soul. In this way\nwe feel persuaded that he will learn that the twenty-four crowned\nelders set forth the heavenly saints, who shall be gathered round the\nLamb, in glory, before a single line of the prophetic portion of the\nbook is fulfilled.\n\nAnd here we must close this paper; but ere doing so we should like to\nput a very plain question to the reader--a question which can only be\nanswered rightly in the immediate presence of God. It is this, What\nis it thou art looking for? What is thy hope? Art thou looking forward\nto certain events which are to transpire on this earth, such as the\nrevival of the Roman empire, the development of the ten kingdoms; the\ngathering back of the Jews to their own land of Palestine; the\nrebuilding of Jerusalem; the appearance of Antichrist; the great\ntribulation; and finally, the appalling judgments which shall, most\nsurely, usher in the day of the Lord?\n\nSay, beloved friend, are these the things which fill the vision of thy\nsoul? Is it for these thou art looking and waiting? If so, be assured\nof it thou art not governed by the church's proper hope. It is quite\ntrue that all these things which we have named shall come to pass in\ntheir appointed time; but not one of them should be allowed to come\nbetween thee and thy proper hope. They all stand on the prophetic\npage: they are all recorded in God's history of the future; but they\nwere never intended to cast a shadow athwart the Christian's bright\nand blessed hope. That hope stands forth in glorious relief from the\nbackground of prophecy. What is it? Yes, we again say, what is it? It\nis the appearing of the bright and morning Star--the coming of the\nLord Jesus, the blessed Bridegroom of the church.\n\nThis, and naught else, is the true and proper hope of the church of\nGod. \"I will give him the morning star\" (Rev. ii. 23). \"Behold the\nbridegroom cometh\" (Matt. xxv.). When, we may ask, does the morning\nstar appear in the natural world? Just before the dawning of the day.\nWho sees it? The one who has been watching during the dark and dreary\nhours of the night. How plain, how practical, how telling the\napplication? The church is supposed to be watching--to be lovingly\nwakeful--to be looking out--to be putting forth that inquiry of the\nintensely longing heart, \"Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?\" Alas!\nthe church has failed in this. But that is no reason why the\nindividual believer should not be in the full present power of the\nblessed hope. \"Let _him_ that heareth say, Come.\" This is deeply\npersonal. Oh! that the writer and the reader of these lines may\nrealize habitually the purifying, sanctifying, elevating power of this\nheavenly hope! May we understand and exhibit the practical power of\nthose words of the apostle John, \"Every man that hath this hope in him\npurifieth himself, even as he is pure.\"\n\n\nTHE TWO RESURRECTIONS\n\nIt may be that some of our readers will feel startled by the title of\nthis paper. Accustomed, from their earliest days, to look at this\ngreat question through the medium of Christendom's standards of\ndoctrine and confessions of faith, the idea of two resurrections has\nnever once entered their minds. Nevertheless Scripture does speak, in\nthe most distinct and unequivocal terms, of a \"resurrection of life,\"\nand a \"resurrection of judgment\"--two resurrections, distinct in\ncharacter, and distinct in time.\n\nAnd not only so, but it informs us that there will be at least a\nthousand years between the two. If men teach otherwise--if they build\nup systems of divinity, and set forth creeds and confessions of faith\ncontrary to the direct and positive teaching of holy Scripture, they\nmust settle that with their Lord, as must all who commit themselves to\ntheir guidance. But remember, reader, it is your bounden duty and ours\nto hearken only to the authority of the word of God, and to bow down,\nin unqualified submission, to its holy teaching.\n\nLet us, then, reverently inquire, what saith the Scripture on the\nsubject indicated at the head of this article? May God the Spirit\nguide and instruct!\n\nWe shall first quote that remarkable passage in chapter v. of John's\nGospel: \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and\nbelieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not\ncome into judgment; but is passed from death unto life. Verily,\nverily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead\nshall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall\nlive. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the\nSon to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute\njudgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for\nthe hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear\nhis voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the\nresurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the\nresurrection of judgment.\"[28]\n\n  [28] The English reader should be informed that, in the entire passage,\n  John v. 22-26, the words \"judgment,\" \"condemnation,\" \"damnation,\" are\n  all expressed by the same word in the original, and that word is\n  simply \"judgment,\" \u03ba\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2, the process, not the result. It\n  is much to be deplored that our Authorized Version should not have so\n  rendered the word throughout. It would have made the teaching of the\n  passage so very much clearer. It is with extreme reluctance that we\n  ever venture to touch our unrivalled English Bible, but it is, at\n  times, absolutely necessary for the truth's sake, and for the sake of\n  our readers. As to the rendering of verse 24, it really comes to the\n  same thing whether we say \"condemnation\" or \"judgment,\" inasmuch as if\n  there be judgment at all, its issue must be condemnation. But why not\n  be accurate?\n\nHere, then, we have, indicated in the most unmistakable terms, the two\nresurrections. True, they are not distinguished as to time, in this\npassage; but they are as to character. We have a _life_ resurrection;\nand a _judgment_ resurrection, and nothing can be more distinct than\nthese. There is no possible ground here on which to build the theory\nof a promiscuous resurrection. The resurrection of believers will be\neclectic; it will be on the same principle, and partake of the same\ncharacter as the resurrection of our blessed and adorable Lord; it\nwill be a resurrection from among the dead. It will be an act of\ndivine power, founded upon accomplished redemption, whereby God will\ninterpose on behalf of His sleeping saints, and raise them up from\namong the dead, leaving the rest of the dead in their graves for a\nthousand years (Revelation xx. 5).\n\nThere is an interesting passage in Mark ix. which throws great light\non this subject. The opening verses contain the record of the\ntransfiguration; and then we read, \"As they came down from the\nmountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things\nthey had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they\nkept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what\nthe rising from [\u03b5\u03ba, from among] the dead should mean.\"\n\nThe disciples felt that there was something special, something\nentirely beyond the ordinary orthodox idea of the resurrection of the\ndead, and verily so there was, though they understood it not then. It\nlay beyond their range of vision at that moment.\n\nBut let us turn to Philippians iii., and hearken to the breathings of\none who thoroughly entered into and appreciated this grand Christian\ndoctrine, and fondly cherished this glorious and heavenly hope. \"That\nI may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship\nof his sufferings, being made conformable unt\u03b5\u03bao his death: if by any\nmeans I might attain unto the resurrection from among the dead\"\n[\u03b5\u03be\u03b1\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd] (verses 10, 11).\n\nA moment's just reflection will suffice to convince the reader that\nthe apostle is not speaking here of the great broad truth of \"the\nresurrection of the dead,\" inasmuch as every one must rise again. But\nthere was something specific before the heart of this dear servant of\nChrist, namely, \"a resurrection from among the dead\"--an eclectic\nresurrection--a resurrection formed on the model of Christ's\nresurrection. It was for this he longed continually. This was the\nbright and blessed hope that shone upon his soul and cheered him amid\nthe sorrows and trials, the toils and the difficulties, the buffetings\nand the conflicts of his extraordinary career.\n\nBut, it may be asked, \"Does the apostle always use this distinguishing\nlittle word (\u03b5\u03ba) when speaking of resurrection?\" Not\nalways. Turn, for example, to Acts xxiv. 15: \"And have hope toward\nGod, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a\nresurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.\" Here, there is\nno word to indicate the Christian or heavenly side of the subject, for\nthe simplest possible reason that the apostle was speaking to those\nwho were utterly incapable of entering into the Christian's proper\nhope--far more incapable than even the disciples in Mark ix. How could\nhe possibly unbosom himself in the presence of such men as Tertullus,\nAnanias, and Felix? How could he speak to them of his own specific and\nfondly cherished hope? No; he could only take his stand on the great\nbroad truth of resurrection, common to all orthodox Jews. Had he\nspoken of a \"resurrection from among the dead,\" he could not have\nadded the words, \"which they themselves also allow,\" for they did not\n\"allow\" anything of the kind.\n\nBut oh! what a contrast between this precious servant of Christ,\ndefending himself from his accusers, in Acts xxiv., and unbosoming\nhimself to his beloved brethren, in Philippians iii.! To the latter he\ncan speak of the true Christian hope in the full-orbed light which the\nglory of Christ pours upon it. He can give utterance to the inmost\nthoughts, feelings, and aspirations of that great, large, loving\nheart, with its earnest throbbings after the life-resurrection in the\nwhich he shall be satisfied as he wakes up in the likeness of his\nblessed Lord.\n\nBut we must return, for a moment, to our first quotation, from John v.\nIt may perhaps present a difficulty to some of our readers in laying\nhold of the truth of the Christian's hope of resurrection, that our\nLord makes use of the word \"hour\" in speaking of the two classes.\n\"How,\" it is argued, \"can there be a thousand years between the two\nresurrections, when our Lord expressly tells us that all shall occur\nwithin the limits of an hour?\"\n\nTo this question we have a double reply. In the first place, we find\nour Lord making use of the self-same word, \"hour,\" at verse 25, where\nHe is speaking of the great and glorious work of quickening dead\nsouls. \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now\nis, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they\nthat hear shall live.\"\n\nNow, here we have a work which has been going on for nearly nineteen\nlong centuries. During all that time, here spoken of as an \"hour,\" the\nvoice of Jesus, the Son of God, has been heard calling precious souls\nfrom death to life. If, therefore, in the very same discourse, our\nLord used the word \"hour\" when speaking of a period which has already\nextended to well-nigh two thousand years, what difficulty can there be\nin applying the word to a period of one thousand years?\n\nSurely, none whatever, as we judge. But even if any little difficulty\nyet remained it must be thoroughly met by the direct testimony of the\nHoly Ghost in Revelation xx., where we read, \"But the rest of the dead\nlived not again till the thousand years were finished. _This is the\nfirst resurrection._ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the\nfirst resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they\nshall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with him a\nthousand years\" (verses 5, 6).\n\nThis settles the question absolutely and forever, for all those who\nare willing to be taught exclusively by holy Scripture, as every true\nChristian ought to be. There will be two resurrections, the first and\nthe second: and there will be a thousand years between the two. To the\nformer belong all the Old Testament saints--referred to in Hebrews\nxii. under the title of the spirits of just men made perfect--then the\nchurch of the firstborn ones--and finally all those who shall be put\nto death during \"the great tribulation,\" and throughout the entire\nperiod between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of Christ\nin judgment upon the beast and his armies, in Revelation xix.\n\nTo the latter, on the other hand, belong all those who shall have died\nin their sins, from the days of Cain, in Genesis iv., down to the last\napostate from millennial glory, in Revelation xx.\n\nHow solemn is all this! How real! How soul-subduing! If our Lord were\nto come to-night what a scene would be enacted in all our cemeteries\nand graveyards! What tongue, what pen can portray--what heart can\nconceive--the grand realities of such a moment? There are thousands of\ntombs in which lie mingled the ashes of the dead _in_ Christ and the\nashes of the dead _out_ of Christ. In many a family vault may be\nfound the ashes of both. Well, then, when the voice of the archangel\nis heard all the sleeping saints shall rise from their graves, leaving\nbehind them those who have died in their sins, to remain in the\ndarkness and silence of the tomb for a thousand years.\n\nYes, reader, such is the direct and simple testimony of the word of\nGod. True, it does not enter into any curious details. It does not\nfurnish any food for a morbid imagination or idle curiosity. But it\nsets forth the solemn and weighty fact of a first and second\nresurrection--a resurrection of life and everlasting glory, and a\nresurrection of judgment and everlasting misery. There is, positively,\nno such thing in Scripture as a promiscuous resurrection--a common\nrising of all at the same time. We must abandon this idea altogether,\nlike many others which we have received to hold, in which we have been\ntrained from our earliest days, which have grown with our growth and\nstrengthened with our strength, until they have become actually\ningrained as a part of our very mental, moral, and religious\nconstitution, so that to part with them is like the sundering of limb\nfrom limb, or rending the flesh from our bones.\n\nNevertheless it must be done if we really desire to grow in the\nknowledge of divine revelation. There is no greater hindrance to our\ngetting into the thoughts of God than having our minds filled with our\nown thoughts, or the thoughts of men. Thus, for example, in reference\nto the subject of this paper, almost all of us have, at one time, held\nthe opinion that all will rise together, both believers and\nunbelievers, and all stand together to be judged. Whereas, when we\ncome to Scripture, like a little child, nothing can be simpler,\nnothing clearer, nothing more explicit than its teaching as to this\nquestion. Revelation xx. 5 teaches us that there will be an interval\nof a thousand years between the resurrection of the saints and the\nresurrection of the wicked.\n\nIt is of no use to speak of a resurrection of spirits. Indeed it is a\nmanifest piece of absurdity; for inasmuch as spirits cannot die they\ncannot be raised from the dead. Equally absurd is it to speak of a\nresurrection of principles. There is no such thing in Scripture. The\nlanguage is as plain as plainness itself. \"The rest of the dead lived\nnot again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first\nresurrection.\" Why should any one seek to set aside the plain force of\nsuch a passage? Why not bow to it? Why not get rid, at once, of all\nour old and fondly cherished notions, and receive with meekness the\nengrafted word?\n\nReader, does it not seem plain to thee that if Scripture speaks of a\n_first_ resurrection, then it must follow that all will not rise\ntogether? Why should it be said, \"Blessed and holy is he that hath\npart in the first resurrection,\" if all are to rise at the same time?\n\nIn fact it seems to us impossible for any unprejudiced mind to study\nthe New Testament and yet hold to the theory of a promiscuous\nresurrection. It is due to the glory of Christ, the Head, that His\nmembers should have a specific resurrection--a resurrection like His\nown--a resurrection from among the dead. And verily, so they shall.\n\"Behold I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all\nbe changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last\ntrump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised\nincorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put\non incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this\ncorruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have\nput on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is\nwritten, Death is swallowed up in victory. O, death, where is thy\nsting? O, grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and\nthe strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us\nthe victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved\nbrethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of\nthe Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the\nLord\" (1 Corinthians xv.).\n\n\nTHE JUDGMENT\n\nThere is something peculiarly painful in the thought of having so\nfrequently to come in collision with the generally received opinions\nof the professing church. It looks presumptuous to contradict, on so\nmany subjects, all the great standards and creeds of Christendom. But\nwhat is one to do? Were it indeed a mere question of human opinion it\nmight seem a piece of bold and unwarrantable temerity for any one\nindividual to set himself in direct opposition to the established\nfaith of the whole professing church--a faith which has held sway for\ncenturies over the minds of millions.\n\nBut we would ever impress upon our readers the fact that it is not at\nall a question of human opinion or of a difference of judgment amongst\neven the very best of men. It is entirely a question as to the\nteaching and authority of holy Scripture. There have been, and there\nare, and there will be, schools of doctrine, varieties of opinion, and\nshades of thought; but it is the obvious duty of every child of God\nand every servant of Christ to bow down in holy reverence, and hearken\nto the voice of God in Scripture. If it be merely a matter of human\nauthority, it must simply go for what it is worth; but, on the other\nhand, if it be a matter of divine authority, then all discussion is\nclosed, and our place--the place of all--is to bow and believe.\n\nThus, in our last paper we were led to see that there is no such thing\nin Scripture as a general resurrection--a common rising of all at the\nsame time. We trust our readers have, like the Bereans of old,\nsearched the Scriptures as to this, and that they are now prepared to\naccompany us in our examination of the word of God as to the subject\nof the judgment.\n\nThe great question at the outset is this, Does Scripture teach the\ndoctrine of a general judgment? Christendom holds it; but does\nScripture teach it? Let us see.\n\nIn the first place, as to the Christian individually, and the church\nof God, collectively, the New Testament sets forth the precious truth\nthat there is no judgment at all. So far as the believer is concerned\njudgment is past and gone. The heavy cloud of judgment has burst upon\nthe head of our divine Sin-bearer. He has exhausted, on our behalf,\nthe cup of wrath and judgment, and planted us on the new ground of\nresurrection, to which judgment can never, by any possibility, apply.\nIt is just as impossible that a member of the body of Christ can come\ninto judgment as that the divine Head Himself can do so. This seems a\nvery strong statement to make; but is it true? If so, its strength is\npart of its moral value and glory.\n\nFor what, let us ask, was Jesus judged on the cross? For His people.\nHe was made sin for us. He represented us there. He stood in our\nstead. He bore all that was due to us. Our entire condition, with all\nits belongings, was dealt with in the death of Christ; and so dealt\nwith that it is utterly impossible that any question can ever be\nraised. Has God any question to settle with Christ, the Head? Clearly\nnot. Well, then, neither has He any question to settle with the\nmembers. Every question is divinely and definitively settled, and, in\nproof of the settlement, the Head is crowned with glory and honor, and\nseated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens.\n\nHence, to suppose that Christians are to come to judgment, at any\ntime, or on any ground, or for any object whatsoever, is to deny the\nvery foundation truth of Christianity, and to contradict the plain\nwords of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has expressly declared, in\nreference to all who believe in Him, that they \"shall not come into\njudgment\" (John v. 24).\n\nIn point of fact, the idea of Christians being arraigned at the bar of\njudgment to try the question of their title and fitness for heaven is\nas absurd as it is unscriptural. For example, how can we think of Paul\nor the penitent thief standing to be judged as to their title to\nheaven after having been there already for nearly two thousand years?\nBut thus it must be if there be any truth in the theory of a general\njudgment. If the great question of our title to heaven has to be\nsettled at the day of judgment, then clearly it was not settled on the\ncross; and if it was not settled on the cross, then most surely we\nshall be damned; for if we are to be judged at all it must be\naccording to our works, and the only possible issue of such a judgment\nis the lake of fire.\n\nIf, however, it be maintained that Christians shall only stand in the\njudgment in order to make it manifest that they are clear through the\ndeath of Christ, then would the day of judgment be turned into a mere\nformality, the bare thought of which is most revolting to every pious\nand well regulated mind.\n\nBut, in truth, there is no need of reasoning on the point. One\nsentence of holy Scripture is better far than ten thousand of man's\nmost cogent arguments. Our Lord Christ hath declared, in the clearest\nand most emphatic terms, that believers \"shall not come into\njudgment.\" This is enough. The believer was judged over eighteen\nhundred years ago in the Person of his Head; and to bring him into\njudgment again would be to ignore completely the cross of Christ in\nits atoning efficacy; and most assuredly God will not, cannot allow\nthis. The very feeblest believer may say, in thankfulness and triumph,\n\"So far as I am concerned, all that had to be judged is judged\nalready. Every question that had to be settled is settled. Judgment is\npast and gone forever. I know my work must be tried, my service\nappraised; but as to myself, my person, my standing, my title, all is\ndivinely settled. The Man who answered for me on the tree is now\ncrowned on the throne; and the crown which He wears is the proof that\nthere remains no judgment for me. I am waiting for a life\nresurrection.\"\n\nThis, and nothing short of this, is the proper language of the\nChristian. It is simply due to the work of the cross that the believer\nshould thus feel and thus express himself. For such a one to be\nlooking forward to the day of judgment for a settlement of the\nquestion of his eternal destiny is to dishonor his Lord and deny the\nefficacy of His atoning sacrifice. It may sound like humility and\nsavor of piety to hover in doubt. But we may rest assured that all who\nharbor doubts, all who live in a state of uncertainty, all who are\nlooking forward to the day of judgment for a final settlement of their\naffairs, all such are more occupied with themselves than with Christ.\nThey have not yet understood the application of the cross to their\nsins and to their nature. They are doubting the word of God and the\nwork of Christ, and this is not Christianity. There is--there can\nbe--no judgment for those who, sheltered by the cross, have planted a\nfirm foot on the new and everlasting ground of resurrection. For such\nall judgment is over forever, and nothing remains but a prospect of\ncloudless glory and everlasting blessedness in the presence of God and\nof the Lamb.\n\nHowever, it is not at all improbable that all this while the mind of\nthe reader has been recurring to Matthew xxv. 31-46 as a Scripture\nwhich directly establishes the theory of a general judgment; and we\nfeel it to be our sacred duty to turn with him for a moment to that\nvery solemn and important passage; at the same time reminding him of\nthe fact that no one Scripture can possibly clash with another, and\nhence if we read, in John v. 24, that believers shall not come into\njudgment, we cannot read in Matthew xxv. that they shall. This is a\nfixed and invulnerable principle--a general rule to which there is,\nand can be, no exception. Nevertheless, let us turn to Matthew xxv.\n\n\"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels\nwith him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before\nhim shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from\nanother, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.\"\n\nNow, it is most necessary to pay strict attention to the precise terms\nmade use of in this Scripture. We must avoid all looseness of thought,\nall that haste, carelessness, and inaccuracy which have caused such\nserious damage to the teaching of this weighty Scripture, and thrown\nso many of the Lord's people into the utmost confusion respecting it.\n\nAnd, first of all, let us see who are the parties arraigned. \"Before\nhim shall be gathered _all nations_.\" This is very definite. It is the\nliving nations. It is not a question of individuals, but of\nnations--all the Gentiles. Israel is not here, for we read in Numbers\nxxiii. 9, that \"the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be\nreckoned among the nations.\" If Israel were to be included in this\nscene of judgment, then would Matthew xxv. stand in palpable\ncontradiction to Numbers xxiii., which is wholly out of the question.\nIsrael is never reckoned amongst the Gentiles, on any ground or for\nany object whatever. Looked at from a divine point of view, Israel\nstands alone. They may, because of their sins, and under the\ngovernmental dealings of God, be scattered among the nations; but\nGod's word declares that they shall not be reckoned among them; and\nthis should suffice for us.\n\nIf then it be true that Israel is not included in the judgment of\nMatthew xxv. then, without proceeding one step further, the idea of\nits being a general judgment must be abandoned. It cannot be general,\nif all are not included; but Israel is never included under the term\n\"Gentiles.\" Scripture speaks of three distinct classes, namely, \"The\nJew, and the Gentile, and the church of God,\" and these three are\nnever confounded. But, further, we have to remark that the church of\nGod is not included in the judgment of Matthew xxv. Nor is this\nstatement based merely upon the fact which has been already gone into\nof the church's necessary exemption from judgment; but also upon the\ngrand truth that the church is taken from among the nations, as Peter\ndeclared in the council at Jerusalem. \"God did visit the Gentiles to\n_take out of them_ a people for his name.\" If then the church be taken\nout of the nations, it cannot be reckoned among them; and thus we have\nadditional evidence against the theory of a general judgment in\nMatthew xxv. The Jew is not there; the church is not there; and\ntherefore the idea of a general judgment must be abandoned as\nsomething wholly untenable.\n\nWho then are included in this judgment? The passage itself supplies\nthe answer to any simple mind. It says, \"Before him shall be gathered\nall _nations_.\" This is distinct and definite. It is not a judgment of\nindividuals, but of nations, as such. And further, we may add that not\none of those here indicated shall have passed through the article of\ndeath. In this it stands in vivid contrast with the scene in\nRevelation xx. 11-15, in the which there will not be one who has not\ndied. In short, in Matthew xxv., we have the judgment of \"the quick;\"\nand in Revelation xx. the judgment of \"the dead.\" Both these are\nreferred to in 2 Timothy iv., \"I charge thee before God, and the Lord\nJesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing\nand his kingdom.\" Our Lord Christ shall judge the living nations at\nHis appearing; and He shall \"judge the dead, small and great,\" at the\nclose of His millennial reign.\n\nBut let us glance, for a moment, at the mode in which the parties are\narranged in the judgment, in Matthew xxv.: \"He shall set the sheep on\nhis right hand, but the goats on the left.\" Now, the almost universal\nbelief of the professing church is that \"the sheep\" represent all the\npeople of God, from the beginning to the end of time; and that \"the\ngoats,\" on the other hand, set forth all the wicked, from first to\nlast. But, if this be so, what are we to make of the third party\nreferred to here, under the title of \"these my brethren?\" The King\naddresses both the sheep and the goats in respect to this third class.\nIndeed the very ground of judgment is the treatment of the King's\nbrethren. It would involve a manifest absurdity to say that the sheep\nwere themselves the parties referred to. If that were so the language\nwould be wholly different, and in place of saying, \"Inasmuch as ye\nhave done it unto one of the least of these my brethren\" we should\nhear the King saying, \"Inasmuch as ye have done it to one another,\"\nor, \"amongst yourselves.\"\n\nWe would beg the reader's special attention to this point. We consider\nthat were there no other argument and no other Scripture on the\nsubject, this one point would prove fatal to the theory of a general\njudgment. It is impossible not to see three parties in the scene,\nnamely, \"the sheep,\" and \"the goats,\" and \"these my brethren;\" and if\nthere are three parties it cannot possibly be a general judgment,\ninasmuch as \"these my brethren\" are not included either in the sheep\nor the goats.\n\nNo, dear reader, it is not a general judgment at all, but a very\npartial and specific one. It is a judgment of living nations, previous\nto the opening of the millennial kingdom. Scripture teaches us that\nafter the church has left the earth a testimony will go forth to the\nnations; the gospel of the kingdom shall be borne, by Jewish\nmessengers, far and wide, over the earth, into those regions which are\nwrapped in heathen darkness. These nations which shall receive the\nmessengers and treat them kindly will be found on the King's right\nhand. Those, on the contrary, who shall reject them and treat them\nunkindly will be found on His left. \"These my brethren\" are Jews--the\nbrethren of the Messiah.\n\nThe treatment of the Jews is the ground on which the nations will be\njudged by-and-by; and this is another argument against a general\njudgment. We know full well that all those who have lived and died in\nthe rejection of the gospel of Christ will have something more to\nanswer for than unkindness to the King's brethren. And, on the other\nhand, those who shall surround the Lamb in heavenly glory will do so\non a very different title from aught that their works can furnish.\n\nIn short, there is not a single feature in the scene, not a single\nfact in the history, not a single point in the narrative which does\nnot make against the notion of a general judgment. And not only so,\nbut the more we study Scripture, the more we know of the ways of God;\nthe more we know of His nature, His character, His purposes, His\ncounsels, His thoughts; the more we know of Christ, His person, His\nwork, His glory; the more we know of the church, its standing before\nGod in Christ, its completeness, its perfect acceptance in Christ; the\nmore closely we study Scripture; the more profoundly we meditate\ntherein--the more thoroughly convinced we must be that there can be no\nsuch thing as a general judgment.\n\nWho that knows aught of God could suppose that He would justify His\npeople to-day and arraign them in judgment to-morrow--that He would\nblot out their transgressions to-day and judge them according to their\nworks to-morrow? Who that knows aught of our adorable Lord and Saviour\nJesus Christ could suppose that He would ever arraign His church, His\nbody, His bride, before the judgment seat in company with all those\nwho have died in their sins? Could it be possible that He would enter\ninto judgment with His people for sins and iniquities of which He has\nsaid, \"I will remember no more!\"\n\nBut enough. We fondly trust that the reader is now most fully\npersuaded in his own mind that there is, and can be, no such thing as\na promiscuous resurrection--no such thing as a general judgment.\n\nWe cannot now enter upon the judgment in Rev. xx. 11-15 further than\nto say that it is a post-millennial scene, and that it includes all\nthe wicked dead, from the days of Cain down to the last apostate from\nmillennial glory. There will not be one there who has not passed\nthrough the article of death--not one there whose name has been set\ndown in life's fair book--not one there who shall not be judged\naccording to his own very deeds--not one there who shall not pass from\nthe dread realities of the great white throne into the everlasting\nhorrors and ineffable torments of the lake that burneth with fire and\nbrimstone. How awful! How terrible! How perfectly dreadful!\n\nO! reader, what sayest thou to these things? Art thou a true believer\nin Jesus? Art thou washed in His precious blood? Art thou sheltered in\nHim from coming judgment? If not, let me entreat thee now, with all\ntenderness and earnestness, to flee, this very hour, from the wrath to\ncome! Flee to Jesus, who now waits to receive thee to His loving\nbosom, and to present you to God in the full value of His atoning\nwork, and in the full credit of His peerless name.\n\n\nTHE JEWISH REMNANT\n\nWe must ask the reader to open his Bible and read Matt. xxiv. 1-44. It\nforms a part of one of the most profound and comprehensive discourses\nthat ever fell on human ears--a discourse which takes in, in its\nmarvellous sweep, the destiny of the Jewish remnant; the history of\nChristendom; and the judgment of the nations. At the last-named\nsubject we have already glanced. It remains for us now to consider the\nsubject of the remnant of Israel, and the history of professing\nChristianity, whether genuine or spurious.\n\nAnd, first, let us look at the Jewish remnant.\n\nIn order to understand Matt. xxiv. 1-44, it will be needful for us to\nplace ourselves at the standpoint of those whom our Lord was\naddressing at the moment. If we attempt to import into this discourse\nthe light which shines in the Epistle to the Ephesians, we shall only\ninvolve our minds in confusion, and miss the solemn teaching of the\npassage which now lies open before us. We shall find nothing about the\nchurch of God, the body of Christ, here. The teaching of our Lord is\ndivinely perfect, and hence we cannot, for a moment, imagine anything\npremature therein. But it would be premature to have introduced a\nsubject which, as yet, was hid in God. The great truth of the church\ncould not be unfolded until Christ, being cut off as the Messiah, had\ntaken His place at the right hand of God, and sent down the Holy\nGhost, to form by His presence the one body, composed of Jew and\nGentile.\n\nOf this we hear nothing in Matt. xxiv. We are entirely on Jewish\nground, surrounded by Jewish circumstances and influences. The scenery\nand the allusions are all purely Jewish. To attempt to apply the\npassage to the church would be to miss completely our Lord's object,\nand to falsify the real position of the church of God. The more\nclosely we examine the Scripture, the more clearly we shall see that\nthe persons addressed occupy a Jewish standpoint, and are on Jewish\nground, whether we think of those very persons whom our Lord was then\naddressing, or those who shall occupy the self-same ground at the\nclose, when the church shall have left the scene altogether.\n\nLet us examine the passage.\n\nAt the close of Matt, xxiii., our Lord sums up His appeal to the\nleaders of the Jewish nation with the following words of awful\nsolemnity: \"Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents,\nye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell?\nWherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and\nscribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them\nshall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to\ncity. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the\nearth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zecharias,\nson of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.\nVerily I say unto you, All these things shall come _upon this\ngeneration_. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,\nand stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have\ngathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens\nunder her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you\ndesolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth till ye\nshall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord\" (verses\n32-39).\n\nThus closes Messiah's testimony to the apostate nation of Israel.\nEvery effort that love, even divine love, could put forth had been\ntried, and tried in vain. Prophets had been sent, and stoned;\nmessenger after messenger had gone and pleaded, and reasoned, and\nwarned, and entreated; but to no purpose. Their mighty words had\nfallen upon deaf ears and hardened hearts. The only return made to all\nthese messengers was shameful handling, stoning, and death.\n\nAt length, the Son Himself was sent, and sent with this touching\nutterance: \"It may be they will reverence my Son, when they see him.\"\nDid they? Alas! no. When they saw Him, there was no beauty that they\nshould desire Him. The daughter of Zion had no heart for her King. The\nvineyard was under the control of wicked husbandmen who wanted to keep\nit for themselves. \"The husbandmen said among themselves, This is the\nheir, come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.\"\n\nThus much as to the moral condition of Israel, in view of which our\nLord spoke those unusually awful words quoted above; and, then, \"He\nwent out and departed from the temple.\" How reluctant he was to do\nthis we know; for, blessed be His name, whenever He leaves a place of\nmercy, or enters a place of judgment, He moves with a slow and\nmeasured pace. Witness the departure of the glory, in the opening\nchapters of Ezekiel. \"Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the\nthreshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the\ncherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my\nsight; when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every\none stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the\nglory of the God of Israel was over them above\" (chap. x. 18, 19).\n\"Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside\nthem; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the\nglory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon\nthe mountain which is on the east side of the city\" (chap. xi. 22,\n23).\n\nThus, with slow and measured pace, did the glory of the God of Israel\ntake its departure from the house at Jerusalem. Jehovah lingered near\nthe spot, reluctant to depart.[29] He had come, with loving alacrity,\nwith His whole heart and with His whole soul, to dwell in the midst\nof His people, to find a home in the very bosom of His assembly; but\nHe was _forced_ away by their sins and iniquities. He would fain have\nremained; but it was impossible; and yet He proved, by the very mode\nof His departure, how unwilling He was to go.\n\n  [29] Contrast with this reluctant departure His ready entrance into the\n  tabernacle in Exodus xl.; and into the temple, 2 Chron. vii. 1. No\n  sooner was the habitation ready for Him, than down He came to occupy\n  it, and fill it with His glory He was as quick to enter as He was slow\n  to depart. And not only so, but ere the book of Ezekiel closes, we see\n  the glory coming back again; and \"Jehovah Shammah\" stands engraved in\n  everlasting characters upon the gates of the beloved city. Nothing\n  changeth God's affection. Whom He loves, and as He loves, He loves to\n  the end. \"The same yesterday, to-day, and forever.\"\n\nNor was it otherwise with Jehovah Messiah, in Matt. xxiii. Witness His\ntouching words, \"How often would I have gathered thy children\ntogether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye\nwould not!\" Here lay the deep secret. \"I _would_.\" This was the heart\nof God. \"_Ye would not._\" This was the heart of Israel. He, too, like\nthe glory in the days of Ezekiel, was forced away; but not, blessed be\nHis name, without dropping a word which forms the precious basis of\nhope as to the brighter days to come, when the glory shall return, and\nthe daughter of Zion shall welcome her King with joyful accents.\n\"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Jehovah.\"\n\nBut, until that bright day dawn, darkness, desolation, and ruin, make\nup the sum of Israel's history. The very thing which the leaders\nsought, by the rejection of Christ, to avert, came upon them, in stern\nand awful reality. \"The Romans shall come, and take away both our\nplace and nation\" How literally, how solemnly this was fulfilled!\nAlas! their place and their nation were gone already, and the\nsignificant movement of Jesus, in Matt. xxiv. 1, was but the passing\nsentence, and writing desolation upon the whole Jewish system. \"Jesus\nwent out and departed from the temple.\" The case was hopeless. All\nmust be given up. A long period of darkness and dreariness must pass\nover the infatuated nation--a period which shall culminate in that\n\"great tribulation\" which must precede the hour of final deliverance.\n\nBut, as in the days of Ezekiel, there were those who sighed and cried\nover the sins and sorrows of the nation, so in the days of Matt. xxiv.\nthere was a remnant of godly souls who attached themselves to the\nrejected Messiah, and who cherished the fond hope of redemption and\nrestoration for Israel. Very dim indeed were their perceptions, and\ntheir thoughts full of confusion. Nevertheless their hearts, as\ntouched by divine grace, beat true to the Messiah, and they were full\nof hope as to Israel's future.\n\nNow, it is of the utmost importance that the reader should recognize\nand understand the position of this remnant, and that it is with it\nour Lord is occupied in His marvellous discourse on the mount of\nOlives. To suppose for a moment that the persons here addressed were\non Christian ground would involve the abandonment of all true thoughts\nof what Christianity is, and the ignoring of a company whose existence\nis recognized throughout the Psalms, the Prophets, and various parts\nof the New Testament. There was, and there always is, \"a remnant\naccording to the election of grace.\" To quote the passages which\npresent the history, the sorrows, the experiences, and the exercises\nof that remnant would demand a volume, and hence we shall not attempt\nit; but we are extremely desirous that the reader should seize the\nthought that this godly remnant is represented by the handful of\ndisciples which gathered round our Lord on the mount of Olives. We\nfeel persuaded that if this be not seen, the true scope, bearing, and\napplication of this remarkable discourse must be lost.\n\n\"And Jesus went out and departed from the temple; and his disciples\ncame to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus\nsaid unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you\nthere shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be\nthrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives the disciples came\nunto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and\nwhat shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world\" (or\nage, \u03b1\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2)?\n\nThe disciples were, naturally, occupied with earthly and Jewish\nobjects and expectations--the temple and its surroundings. This must\nbe borne in mind if we would understand their question and our Lord's\nreply. As yet they had no thought beyond the earthly side of things.\nThey looked for the setting up of the kingdom, the glory of the\nMessiah, the accomplishment of the promises made to the fathers. They\nhad not yet fully taken in the solemn and momentous fact that the\nMessiah was to be \"cut off and have nothing\" (Dan. ix. 26). True, the\nblessed Master had, from time to time, sought to prepare their minds\nfor that solemn event. He had faithfully warned them in reference to\nthe dark shadows that were to gather round His path. He had told them\nthat the Son of Man should be delivered to the Gentiles to be mocked\nand scourged and crucified.\n\nBut they understood Him not. Such sayings seemed dark, hard, and\nincomprehensible; and their hearts still fondly clung to the hope of\nnational restoration and blessing. They longed to see the star of\nJacob in the ascendant. Their minds were full of expectancy as to the\nrestoration of the kingdom to Israel. As yet they knew nothing--how\ncould they?--of that which was to spring out of the rejection and\ndeath of the Messiah. The Lord had no doubt spoken of building an\nassembly; but as to the position and privileges of that assembly, its\ncalling, its standing, its hopes, they knew absolutely nothing. The\nthought of a body composed of Jew and Gentile, united by the Holy\nGhost to a living and glorified Head in the heavens, had never\nentered--how could it have entered?--their minds. The middle wall of\npartition was still standing; and one of their number--the very\nforemost amongst them--had, long after, to be taught, with much\ndifficulty, to take in the idea of even admitting the Gentiles into\nthe kingdom.\n\nAll this, we repeat, must be taken into account, if we would read\naright our Lord's reply to the inquiry as to His coming and the end of\nthe age. There is not a single syllable about the church, as such,\nfrom beginning to end of that reply. Up to verse 14, He passes on to\nthe end, giving a rapid survey of the events which should transpire\namongst the nations. \"Take heed,\" He says, \"that no man deceive you.\nFor many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive\nmany. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars: see that ye be\nnot troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is\nnot yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against\nkingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,\nin divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall\nthey deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall\nbe hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be\noffended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.\nAnd many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because\niniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that\nshall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of\nthe kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all\nnations: and then shall the end come.\"\n\nHere then we have a most comprehensive sketch of the entire period\nfrom the moment in which our Lord was speaking, down to the time of\nthe end. But the reader will need to bear in mind that there is an\nunnoticed interval--a parenthesis, a break--in this period, during\nwhich the great mystery of the church is unfolded.\n\nThis interval or break is entirely passed over in this discourse,\ninasmuch as the time had not arrived for its development. It was as\nyet \"hid in God,\" and could not be unfolded until the Messiah was\nfinally rejected and cut off from the earth and received up into\nglory. The entire of this discourse would have its full and perfect\naccomplishment, although such a thing as the church had never been\nheard of. For, let it never be forgotten, the church forms no part of\nthe ways of God with Israel and the earth. And as to the allusion, in\nverse 14, to the preaching of the gospel, we are not to suppose that\nit is at all the same thing as \"The glorious gospel of the grace of\nGod,\" as preached by Paul. It is styled, \"This gospel of the kingdom;\"\nand, moreover, it is to be preached, not for the purpose of gathering\nthe church, but \"as a witness to all nations.\" We must not confound\nthings which God, in His infinite wisdom, has made to differ. The\nchurch must not be confounded with the kingdom: nor yet the gospel of\nthe grace of God with the gospel of the kingdom. The two things are\nperfectly distinct; and, if we confound them, we shall understand\nneither the one nor the other. And, further, we would desire to press\nupon the reader the absolute necessity of seeing the break,\nparenthesis, or unnoticed interval in which the great mystery of the\nchurch is inserted. If this be not clearly seen, Matt. xxiv. cannot be\nunderstood.\n\nBut we must proceed with our Lord's discourse.\n\nAt verse 15, He seems to call His hearers back a little, as it were,\nto something very specific--something with which a Jewish believer\nwould be familiar from the fact of Daniel's allusion to it. \"When ye,\ntherefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by\nDaniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him\nunderstand): then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.\nLet him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of\nhis house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take\nhis clothes.... But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,\nneither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such\nas was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever\nshall be.\"\n\nAll this is most definite. The quotation from Daniel xii. fixes the\napplication beyond all question. It proves that the reference is not\nto the siege of Jerusalem, under Titus; for we read in Daniel xii.\nthat, \"At that time thy people shall be delivered;\" and, most clearly,\nthey were not delivered in the days of Titus. No; the reference is to\nthe time of the end. The scene is laid at Jerusalem. The persons\naddressed and contemplated are Jewish believers--the pious remnant of\nIsrael, in the great tribulation, after the church has left the scene.\nHow can any imagine that the persons here instructed are viewed as on\nchurch ground? What force would there be to such in the allusion to\nthe winter or the Sabbath day?\n\nThen, again, \"If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or\nthere, believe it not.... If they shall say unto you, Behold he is in\nthe desert, go not forth: Behold he is in the secret chambers,\nbelieve it not.\" What possible application could such words have to\npersons who are instructed to wait for God's Son from heaven, and who\nknow that ere He returns to this earth they shall have met Him in the\nclouds and returned with Him to the Father's house? Could any\nChristian, instructed in his proper hope, be deceived by persons\nsaying that Christ is here or there, in the desert or in the secret\nchambers? Impossible. Such a one is looking out for the Bridegroom to\ncome from heaven; and he knows that it is wholly out of the question\nthat Christ can appear on this earth without bringing all His people\nwith Him.\n\nThus, the simple truth settles everything; and all we want is to be\nsimple in taking it in. The simplest Christian knows full well that\nhis Lord will not appear to him like a flash of lightning, but as the\nbright and morning Star, and hence he understands that Matt. xxiv.\ncannot apply to the church, though most surely the church can study it\nwith interest and profit, as it can all the other prophetic\nScriptures; and, we may add, the interest will be all the more\nintense, and the profit all the deeper, in proportion as we see the\ntrue application of such Scriptures.\n\nLimited space forbids our entering as fully as we could wish into the\nremaining portion of this marvellous discourse; but the more closely\neach sentence is examined, the more fully each circumstance is\nweighed, the more clearly we must see that the persons addressed are\nnot on proper Christian ground. The entire scene is earthly and\nJewish, not heavenly and Christian. There is ample instruction\nsupplied for those who shall find themselves, by-and-by, in the\nposition here contemplated; and nothing can be clearer than that the\nentire paragraph, from verse 15-42, refers to the period which shall\nelapse between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of the Son\nof Man.\n\nSome may perhaps feel a difficulty in understanding verse 34: \"This\ngeneration shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.\" But we\nmust remember that the word \"generation\" is constantly used in\nScripture in a moral sense. It is not to be confined to a certain\nnumber of persons actually living at the time, but takes in the\n_race_. In the passage before us it simply applies to the Jewish race;\nbut the wording is such as to leave the question of time entirely\nopen, so that the heart might ever be kept in readiness for the Lord's\ncoming. There is nothing in Scripture to interfere with the constant\nexpectation of that grand event. On the contrary, every parable, every\nfigure, every allusion is so worded as to warrant each one to look for\nthe Lord's return in his own lifetime, and yet to leave margin for the\nelongation of the time according to the long-suffering grace of a\nSaviour God.\n\n\nCHRISTENDOM\n\nWhat varied thoughts and feelings are awakened in the soul by the very\nsound of the word \"Christendom!\" It is a terrible word. It brings\nbefore us, at once, that vast mass of baptized profession which calls\nitself the church of God, but is not; which calls itself Christianity,\nbut is not. Christendom is dark and a dreadful anomaly. It is neither\none thing nor the other. It is not \"the Jew or the Gentile, or the\nchurch of God.\" It is a corrupt mysterious mixture, a spiritual\nmalformation, the masterpiece of Satan, the corrupter of the truth of\nGod, and the destroyer of the souls of men, a trap, a snare, a\nstumbling-block, the darkest moral blot in the universe of God. It is\nthe corruption of the very best thing, and therefore the very worst of\ncorruptions. It is that thing which Satan has made of professing\nChristianity. It is worse, by far, than Judaism; worse by far than all\nthe darkest forms of Paganism, because it has higher light and richer\nprivileges, makes the very highest profession, and occupies the very\nloftiest platform. Finally, it is that awful apostasy for which is\nreserved the very heaviest judgments or God--the most bitter dregs in\nthe cup of His righteous wrath.\n\nTrue it is, blessed be God, there are a few names even in Chistendom\nwho, through grace, have not denied their garments. There are some\nbrilliant embers amid the smouldering ashes--precious stones amid the\nterrible _d\u00e9bris_. But as to the mass of Christian profession to which\nthe term Christendom applies, nothing can be more appalling, whether\nwe think of its present condition or its future destiny. We doubt if\nChristians generally have anything like an adequate sense of the true\ncharacter and inevitable doom of that which surrounds them. If they\nhad it would solemnize their minds, and cause them to feel the urgent\nneed of standing apart, in holy separation, from Christendom's ways,\nand distinct testimony against its spirit and principles.\n\nBut let us turn again to our Lord's profound discourse on the mount of\nOlives, in which, as we have already observed, He deals with the\nsubject of the Christian profession. This He does in three distinct\nparables, namely, the household servant; the ten virgins; and the\ntalents. In each and all we have the two things noticed above, the\ngenuine and the spurious; the true and the false; the bright and the\ndark; that which is of Christ, and that which is of Satan; that which\nbelongs to heaven and that which emanates from hell.\n\nWe shall glance at the three parables which embody, in their brief\ncompass, a vast mine of most solemn and practical instruction.\n\nTurn to Matt. xxiv. 45-47. \"Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant,\nwhom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in\ndue season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh\nshall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him\nruler over all his goods.\"\n\nHere, then, we have at once the source and object of all ministry in\nthe house of God. \"Whom _his lord_ hath made ruler.\" This is the\nsource. \"To give them meat in due season.\" This is the object.\n\nThese things are of the very highest possible moment, and they are\nworthy of the reader's most profound thought. All ministry in the\nhouse of God, whether in old or New Testament times, is of divine\nappointment. There is no such thing recognized in Scripture as human\nauthority in appointing to the ministry. Neither is there such a thing\nas a self-constituted ministry. None but God can make or appoint a\nminister of any sort or description. Thus, in Old Testament times,\nJehovah appointed Aaron and his sons to the priesthood; and if a\nstranger presumed to meddle with the functions of the holy office, he\nwas to be put to death. Even the king himself dared not touch the\npriestly censer, for we are told of Uzziah, king of Judah, that, \"When\nhe was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; for he\ntransgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the\nLord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest\nwent in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that\nwere valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto\nhim, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the\nLord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to\nburn incense; go out of the sanctuary: for thou hast trespassed:\nneither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God.... _And Uzziah\nthe king was a leper unto the day of his death_\" (2 Chron. xxvi.).\n\nSuch was the solemn result--the awful consequence of man's daring\nintrusion upon that which was wholly of divine appointment. Has this\nno voice for Christendom? Assuredly it has. It sounds a warning note\nin our ears. It tells the professing church, in accents not to be\nmistaken, to beware of human intrusion upon a domain which belongs\nonly to God. \"Every high priest taken from among men is ordained _for_\n[not _by_] men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both\ngifts and sacrifices for sins.... And _no man taketh this honor unto\nhimself_, but he that is called [not of men but] of God, as was\nAaron.\"\n\nNor was this principle of divine appointment confined to the high and\nholy office of the tabernacle. No man dare put his hand to the most\ninsignificant part of that sacred structure unless by Jehovah's direct\nauthority. \"The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See _I have called_ by\nname Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.\"\nNor could Bezaleel choose his companions in labor, or appoint whom he\nwould to the work, any more than he could choose or appoint himself.\nNo; this, too, was divine. \"And I,\" says Jehovah, \"behold _I have\ngiven_ with him Aholiab.\" Thus Aholiab, as well as Bezaleel, held his\ncommission immediately from Jehovah Himself, the only true source of\nall ministerial authority.\n\nNor was it otherwise in the case of the prophetic office and ministry.\nGod alone could make, and fit, and send a prophet. Alas! there were\nthose of whom Jehovah had to say, \"I have not sent them, yet they\nran.\" They were unhallowed intruders upon the domain of prophecy, just\nas there were upon the office of the priesthood; but all such brought\ndown upon themselves the judgment of God.\n\nAnd, may we not ask, Is this great principle changed now? Has ministry\nbeen shifted from its ancient base? Has the living stream been\ndiverted from its divine source? Is it true that this more precious\nand glorious institution has been shorn of its lofty dignities? Can it\nbe possible that, under the times of the New Testament, ministry has\nbeen cast down from its divine excellency? Has it become a mere human\nappointment? Can man appoint his fellow, or appoint himself to any one\nbranch of ministry in the house of God?\n\nWhat answer is to be returned to these questions? No doubtful one,\nthank God; but a distinct and emphatic _No!_ Ministry was, is, and\never shall be, divine; divine in its source; divine in its nature;\ndivine in its every feature and principle. \"There are diversities of\ngifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of\nadministrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of\noperations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all\" (1 Cor.\nxii. 4-6). \"But now hath _God_ set the members every one of them in\nthe body _as it hath pleased him_.\" \"And _God_ hath set some in the\nchurch; first, apostles; secondarily prophets; thirdly, teachers;\nafter that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments,\ndiversities of tongues\" (verses 18, 28). \"But unto every one of us is\ngiven grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore\nhe saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and\ngave gifts unto men.... And he gave some, apostles; and some,\nprophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for\nthe perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the\nedifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the\nfaith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,\nunto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ\" (Eph. iv.\n7-13).\n\nHere lies the grand source of all ministry in the church of God, from\nfirst to last--from the foundation laid in grace, to the topstone, in\nglory. It is divine and heavenly, not human or earthly. It is not of\nman or by man, but of Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised Him\nfrom the dead, and in the power of the Holy Ghost (see Gal. i.). There\nis no such thing recognized in Scripture as human authority in any one\nbranch of ministry in the church. If it be a question of gift, it is\nemphatically stated to be \"the gift of Christ.\" If it be a question of\nassigned position, we are, with equal clearness and emphasis, told\nthat \"God hath set the members.\" If it be a question of local charge,\nwhether elder or deacon, it was entirely of divine appointment, by\napostolic hands or apostolic delegates.\n\nAll this is so clear, so distinct, so palpable, on the very surface of\nScripture, that it is only necessary to say, \"How readest thou?\" And\nthe more we penetrate beneath the surface--the more we are conducted\nby the Eternal Spirit into the profound and precious depths of\ninspiration--the more thoroughly convinced we shall be that ministry,\nin its every department and every branch, is divine in its source,\nnature, and principles. The truth of this shines out in full-orbed\nbrightness, in the Epistles; but we have the germ of it in the words\nof our Lord in Matt. xxv. 45, \"Whom his lord hath made ruler over his\nhousehold.\" The household belongs to the Lord, and He alone can\nappoint the servants, and this He does according to His own sovereign\nwill.\n\nEqually plain is the object of ministry, as stated in this parable,\nand elaborated in the Epistles. \"To give them meat in due season.\"\n\"For the edifying of the body of Christ\"--\"that the church may receive\nedifying.\" It is this that lies near the loving heart of Jesus. He\nwould have His household perfected--His church edified--His body\nnourished and cherished. For this end, He bestows gifts, and maintains\nthem in the church, and will maintain them until they shall be no\nlonger needed.\n\nBut alas! alas! there is a dark side of the picture. For this we must\nbe prepared since we have the picture of Christendom before us. If\nthere is a \"faithful, wise, and blessed servant,\" there is also \"an\nevil servant\" who \"says in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming.\"\nMark this. It is in _the heart_ of the wicked servant that the thought\noriginates as to the delay of the coming.\n\nAnd what is the result? \"He shall begin to smite his fellow servants,\nand to eat and drink with the drunken.\" How awfully this has been\nexemplified in the history of Christendom, we need not say. Instead of\ntrue ministry flowing from the risen and glorified Head in the\nheavens, and promoting the edification of the body, the blessing of\nsouls, and the prosperity of the household, we have a false clerical\nauthority, arbitrary rule, a lording it over God's heritage, a\ngrasping after this world's wealth and power, fleshly ease,\nself-indulgence, and personal aggrandizement, priestly domination in\nits nameless and numberless forms and practical consequences.\n\nThe reader will do well to apply his heart to the understanding of\nthese things. He will need to seize, with clearness and power, the\ndistinction between clericalism and ministry. The one is a thoroughly\nhuman assumption; the other, a purely divine institution. The former\nhas its source in man's evil heart; the latter has its source in a\nrisen and exulted Saviour, who, being raised from the dead, received\ngifts for men, and sheds them forth upon His church, according to His\nown will. That is a positive scourge and curse; this, a divine\nblessing to men. In fine, this in its root-principle, flows from\nheaven and leads back thither; that in its root-principle flows from\nhell and leads thither again.\n\nAll this is most solemn, and it should exert a mighty influence upon\nour souls. There is a day coming when the Lord Christ will deal, in\nsummary justice, with that which man has dared to set up in His house.\nWe speak not of individuals--though surely it is a most serious and\nterrible thing for any one to put his hand unto, or have aught to do\nwith, that on which such awful judgment is about to be executed--but\nwe speak of a positive system--a great principle which runs, in a deep\nand dark current, through the length and breadth of the professing\nchurch--we speak of clericalism and priestcraft, in all its forms and\nin all its ramifications.\n\nAgainst this dreadful thing we solemnly warn our readers. No human\nlanguage can possibly depict the evil of it, nor can human language\nadequately set forth the deep blessedness of all true ministry in the\nchurch of God. The Lord Jesus not only bestows ministerial gifts, but,\nin His marvellous grace, He will abundantly reward the faithful and\ndiligent exercise of those gifts. But as to that which man has set up,\nwe read its destiny in those burning words, \"The lord of that servant\nshall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that\nhe is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his\nportion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of\nteeth.\"\n\nMay the gracious Lord deliver His servants and His people from all\nparticipation in this great wickedness which is perpetrated in the\nvery bosom of that which calls itself the church of God. And, on the\nother hand, may He lead them to understand, to appreciate, and to\nexercise that true, that precious, that divine ministry which emanates\nfrom Himself, and is designed, in His infinite love, for the true\nblessing and growth of that church which is so dear to His heart. We\nare in danger, very great danger, while seeking (as we most surely\nshould) to keep clear of the evil of clericalism--of rushing into the\nopposite extreme of despising ministry.\n\nThis must be carefully guarded against. We have ever to bear in mind\nthat ministry in the church is of God. Its source is divine. Its\nnature is heavenly and spiritual. Its object is the calling out, the\nbuilding up of the church of God. Our Lord Christ imparts the varied\ngifts, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. He holds the great\nreservoir of spiritual gifts. He has never given it up, and He never\nwill. Spite of all that Satan has wrought in the professing church;\nspite of all the actings of \"that evil servant;\" spite of all man's\ndaring assumption of authority which in no wise belongs to him; spite\nof all these things, our risen and glorified Lord \"hath the seven\nstars.\" He possesses all ministerial gift, power, and authority. It is\nHe alone who can make any one a minister. Unless He impart a gift\nthere can be no true ministry. There may be hollow assumption--guilty\nusurpation--empty affectation--worthless talking; but not one atom of\ntrue, loving, divine ministry can there be unless where our sovereign\nLord is pleased to bestow the gift. And even where He does bestow the\ngift that gift must be \"stirred up,\" and diligently cultivated, else\n\"the profiting\" will not \"appear unto all.\" The gift must be exercised\nin the power of the Holy Ghost, else it will not promote the divinely\nappointed end.\n\nBut we are rather anticipating what is yet to come before us in the\nparable of the talents, so we shall close here by simply reminding the\nreader that the weighty subject on which we have been dwelling has\ndirect reference to the coming of our Lord, inasmuch as all true\nministry is carried on in view of that great and glorious event. And\nnot only so, but the counterfeit, the corrupt, the evil thing will be\njudicially dealt with when the Lord Christ shall appear in His glory.\n\n\nTHE TEN VIRGINS\n\nWe now approach that solemn section of our Lord's discourse in which\nHe presents the kingdom of heaven under the similitude of \"Ten\nVirgins.\" The instruction contained in this most weighty and\ninteresting parable is of wider application than that of the servant\nto which we have already referred, inasmuch as it takes in the whole\nrange of Christian profession, and is not confined to ministry either\nwithin the house or outside. It bears directly and pointedly upon\nChristian profession, whether true or false.\n\n\"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which\ntook their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.\" Some have\nconsidered that this parable refers to the Jewish remnant; but it does\nnot seem that this idea is borne out, either by the context in which\nthis parable occurs or by the terms in which it is couched.\n\nAs to the entire context, the more closely we examine it the more\nclearly we shall see that the Jewish portion of the discourse ends\nwith chapter xxiv. 44. This is so distinct as not to admit of a\nquestion. Equally distinct is the Christian portion, extending, as we\nhave seen, from chapter xxiv. 45 to chapter xxv. 30; while from xxv.\n31 to the end, we have the Gentiles. Thus the order and fulness of\nthis marvellous discourse must strike any thoughtful reader. It\npresents the Jew, the Christian, and the Gentile, each on his own\ndistinct ground, and according to his own distinctive principles.\nThere is no merging of one thing in another, no confounding of things\nthat differ. In a word, the order, the fulness, and the\ncomprehensiveness of this profound discourse are divine, and fill the\nsoul \"with wonder, love, and praise.\" We rise from the study of it, as\na whole, with those words of the apostle upon our lips, \"O, the depth\nof the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how\nunsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.\"\n\nAnd then, when we examine the precise terms made use of by our Lord in\nthe parable of the ten virgins we must see that it applies not to Jews\nbut to Christian professors--it applies to us--it utters a voice, and\nteaches a solemn lesson to the writer and the reader of these lines.\n\nLet us apply our hearts thereto.\n\n\"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which\ntook their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.\"\n\nPrimitive Christianity was especially characterized by the fact here\nindicated, namely, a going forth to meet a returning and an expected\nbridegroom. The early Christians were led to detach themselves from\npresent things, and go forth, in the spirit of their minds, and in the\naffections of their hearts, to meet the Saviour whom they loved, and\nfor whom they waited. It was not, of course, a question of going forth\nfrom one place to another; it was not local, but moral, and spiritual.\nIt was the outgoing of the heart after a beloved Saviour whose return\nwas eagerly looked for day by day.\n\nIt is impossible to read the epistles to the various churches and not\nsee that the hope of the Lord's sure and speedy return governed the\nhearts of the Lord's dear people in early days. \"They waited for the\nSon from heaven.\" They knew He was to come and take them away, to be\nwith Himself forever; and the knowledge and power of this hope had the\neffect of detaching their hearts from present things. Their bright,\nheavenly hope caused them to sit loose to the things of earth. \"They\nlooked for the Saviour.\" They believed that He might come at any\nmoment, and hence the concerns of this life were just to be taken up\nand attended to for the moment--properly, thoroughly attended to, no\ndoubt--but only, as it were, on the very tip-toe of expectation.\n\nAll this is conveyed to our hearts, briefly but clearly, by the\nexpression, \"They went forth to meet the bridegroom.\" This could not\nbe intelligently applied to the Jewish remnant, inasmuch as they will\nnot go forth to meet their Messiah, but, on the contrary, they will\nremain in their position and amid their circumstances until He come\nand plant His foot on the mount of Olives. They will not look for the\nLord to come and take them away from this earth to be with Him in\nheaven; but He will come to bring deliverance to them in their own\nland, and make them happy there under His own peaceful and blessed\nreign during the millennial age.\n\nBut the call to Christians was to \"go forth.\" They are supposed to be\nalways on the move; not settling down on the earth, but going out in\nearnest and holy aspirations after that heavenly glory to which they\nare called, and after the heavenly Bridegroom to whom they are\nespoused, and for whose speedy advent they are taught to wait.\n\nSuch is the true, the divine, the normal idea of the Christian's\nattitude and state. And this lovely idea was marvellously realized and\npractically carried out by the primitive Christians. But alas! alas!\nwe are reminded of the fact that we have to do with the spurious as\nwell as the true in Christendom. There are \"tares\" as well as \"wheat\"\nin the kingdom of heaven; and thus we read of these ten virgins, that\n\"five of them were wise, and five were foolish.\" There are the true\nand the false, the genuine and the counterfeit, the real and the\nhollow, in professing Christianity.\n\nYes, and this is to continue unto the time of the end, until the\nBridegroom come. The tares are not converted into wheat, nor are the\nfoolish virgins converted into wise ones. No, never. The tares will be\nburnt and the foolish virgins shut out. So far from a gradual\nimprovement by the means now in operation--the preaching of the gospel\nand the various beneficent agencies which are brought to bear upon the\nworld--we find, from all the parables, and from the teaching of the\nentire New Testament, that the kingdom of heaven presents a most\ndeplorable admixture of evil; a corrupting process; a grievous\ntampering with the work of God, on the part of the enemy; a positive\nprogress of evil in principle, in profession, and in practice.\n\nAnd all this goes on to the end. There are foolish virgins found when\nthe Bridegroom appears. Whence come they if all are to be converted\nbefore the Lord comes? If all are to be brought to the knowledge of\nthe Lord by the means now in operation, then how comes it to pass that\nwhen the Bridegroom comes, there are quite as many foolish as wise?\n\nBut it will perhaps be said that this is but a parable, a figure.\nGranted; but a figure of what? Not surely of a whole world converted.\nTo assert this would be to offer a grievous insult to the holy volume,\nand to treat our Lord's solemn teaching in a manner in which we would\nnot dare to treat the teaching of a fellow mortal.\n\nNo, reader, the parable of the ten virgins teaches, beyond all\nquestion, that when the Bridegroom comes, there will be foolish\nvirgins on the scene, and, clearly, if there are foolish virgins, all\ncannot have been previously converted. A child can understand this. We\ncannot see how it is possible, in the face of even this one parable,\nto maintain the theory of a world converted before the coming of the\nBridegroom.\n\nBut let us look a little closely at these foolish virgins. Their\nhistory is full of admonition for all Christian professors. It is very\nbrief, but awfully comprehensive. \"They that were foolish took their\nlamps, and took no oil with them.\" There is the outward profession,\nbut no inward reality--no spiritual life--no unction--no vital link\nwith the source of eternal life--no union with Christ. There is\nnothing but the lamp of profession, and the dry wick of a nominal,\nnotional, head belief.\n\nThis is peculiarly solemn. It bears down with tremendous weight upon\nthat vast mass of baptized profession which surrounds us, at the\npresent moment, in which there is so much of outward semblance, but so\nlittle of inward reality. All profess to be Christians. The lamp of\nprofession may be seen in every hand; but ah! how few have the oil in\ntheir vessels, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost\ndwelling in their hearts. Without this, all is utterly worthless and\nvain. There may be the vary highest profession; there may be a most\northodox creed; one may be baptized; he may receive the Lord's\nsupper; be a regularly enrolled and duly recognized member of a\nChristian community; be a Sunday-school teacher; an ordained minister\nof religion; one may be all this, and not have one spark of divine\nlife, not one ray of heavenly light, not one link with the Christ of\nGod.\n\nNow there is something peculiarly awful in the thought of having just\nenough religion to deceive the heart, deaden the conscience, and ruin\nthe soul--just enough religion to give a name to live while\ndead--enough to leave one without Christ, without God, and without\nhope in the world--enough to prop the soul up with a false confidence,\nand fill it with a false peace, until the Bridegroom come, and then\nthe eyes are opened when it is too late.\n\nThus it is with the foolish virgins. They seem to be very like the\nwise ones. An ordinary observer might not be able to see any\ndifference, for the time being. They all set out together. All have\nlamps. And, moreover, all turn aside to slumber and sleep, the wise as\nwell as the foolish. All rouse up at the midnight cry, and trim their\nlamps. Thus far there is no apparent difference. The foolish virgins\nlight their lamps--the lamp of profession lighted up with the dry wick\nof a lifeless, notional, nominal faith; alas! alas! a worthless--worse\nthan worthless--thing, a fatal soul-destroying delusion.\n\nBut here the grand distinction--the broad line of demarcation--comes\nout with awful, yea, with appalling clearness. \"The foolish said unto\nthe wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps _are going out_\" (see\nmargin). This proves that their lamps had been lighted; for had they\nnot been lighted, they could not go out. But it was only a false,\nflickering, transient light. It was not fed from a divine source. It\nwas the light of mere lip profession, fed by a head belief, lasting\njust long enough to deceive themselves and others, and going out at\nthe very moment when they most needed it, leaving them in the dreadful\ndarkness of eternal night.\n\n\"Our lamps are going out.\" Terrible discovery! \"The Bridegroom is at\nhand, and our lamps are going out. Our hollow profession is being made\nmanifest by the light of His coming. We thought we were all right. We\nprofessed the same faith, had the same shaped lamp, the same kind of\nwick; but alas! we now find to our unspeakable horror, that we have\nbeen deceiving ourselves, that we lack the one thing needful, the\nspirit of life in Christ, the unction from the Holy One, the living\nlink with the Bridegroom. Whatever shall we do? O ye wise virgins,\ntake pity upon us, and share with us your oil. Do, do, for mercy's\nsake, give us a little, even one drop of that all-essential thing,\nthat we may not perish forever.\"\n\nAh! it is all utterly vain. No one can give of his oil to another.\nEach has just enough for himself. Moreover, it can only be had from\nGod Himself. A man can give _light_, but he cannot give _oil_. This\nlatter is the gift of God alone. \"The wise answered, saying, Not so;\nlest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that\nsell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the\nBridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the\nmarriage; _and the door was shut_.\" It is of no use looking to\nChristian friends to help us or prop us up. No use in flying hither\nand thither for some one to lean upon--some holy man, or some eminent\nteacher--no use building upon our church, or our creed, or our\nsacraments. _We want oil._ We cannot do without it. Where are we to\nget it? Not from man, not from the church, not from the saints, not\nfrom the fathers. We must get it from God; and He, blessed be His\nname, gives freely. \"The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus\nChrist our Lord.\"\n\nBut, mark, it is an individual thing. Each must have it for himself.\nNo man can believe, or get life for another. Each must have to do with\nGod for himself. The link which connects the soul with Christ is\nintensely individual. There is no such thing as second-hand faith. A\nman may teach us religion, or theology, or the letter of Scripture;\nbut he cannot give us oil; he cannot give us faith; he cannot give us\nlife. \"It is the _gift_ of God.\" Precious little word, \"gift.\" It is\nlike God. It is free as God's air; free as His sunlight; free as His\nrefreshing dew-drops. But, we repeat, and with solemn emphasis, each\none must get it for himself, and have it in himself. \"None can by any\nmeans redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: that he\nshould still live forever and not see corruption. For the redemption\nof their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever\" (Psalm xlix. 7-9).\n\nReader, what sayest thou to these solemn realities? Art thou a wise or\na foolish virgin? Hast thou gotten life in a risen and glorified\nSaviour. Art thou a mere professor of religion, content with the mere\nordinary dead routine of church-going, having just sufficient religion\nto make thee respectable on earth, but not enough to link thee with\nheaven?\n\nWe earnestly beseech thee to think seriously of these things. Think of\nthem now. Think how unspeakably dreadful it will be to find thy lamp\nof profession going out and leaving thee in obscure darkness--darkness\nthat may be felt--the outer darkness of an everlasting night. How\nterrible to find the door shut behind that brilliant train which shall\ngo in to the marriage; but shut in thy face! How agonizing the cry,\n\"Lord, Lord, open unto us!\" How withering, how crushing the response,\n\"I know you not.\"\n\nO, beloved friend, do give these weighty matters a place in thy heart\nnow, while yet the door is open, and while yet the day of grace is\nlengthened out in God's marvellous long suffering. The moment is\nrapidly approaching in the which the door of mercy shall be closed\nagainst thee forever, when all hope shall be gone, and thy precious\nsoul be plunged in black and eternal despair. May God's spirit rouse\nthee from thy fatal slumber, and give thee no rest until thou findest\nit in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and at His blessed\nfeet in adoration and worship.\n\nWe must now draw this paper to a close; but, ere doing so, we shall\njust for a moment glance at the wise virgins. The great\ndistinguishing feature which, according to the teaching of this\nparable, marks them off from the foolish virgins is that when starting\nat the first they \"took oil in their vessels with their lamps.\" In\nother words, what distinguishes true believers from mere professors is\nthat the former have in their hearts the grace of God's Holy Spirit;\nthey have gotten the spirit of life in Christ Jesus; and the Holy\nGhost dwelling in them as the seal, the earnest, the unction, and the\nwitness. This grand and glorious fact characterizes now all true\nbelievers in the Lord Jesus Christ--a stupendous, wondrous fact, most\nsurely--an immense and ineffable privilege, which should ever bow our\nsouls in holy adoration before our God and our Lord Jesus Christ,\nwhose accomplished redemption has procured for us this great blessing.\n\nBut how sad to think that, notwithstanding this high and holy\nprivilege, we should have to read, as in the words of our parable,\n\"They all slumbered and slept!\" All alike, wise as well as foolish,\nfell asleep. The Bridegroom tarried, and all, without exception, lost\nthe freshness, fervor, and power of the hope of His coming, and fell\nfast asleep.\n\nSuch is the statement of our parable, and such is the solemn fact of\nthe history. The whole professing body fell asleep. \"That blessed\nhope\" which shone so brightly on the horizon of the early Christians,\nvery speedily waned and faded away; and as we scan the page of church\nhistory for eighteen centuries, from the Apostolic Fathers to the\nopening of the current century, we look in vain for any intelligent\nreference to the church's specific hope--the personal return of the\nblessed Bridegroom. In fact, that hope was virtually lost to the\nchurch; nay, more, it became almost a heresy to teach it. And even\nnow, in these last days, there are hundreds of thousands of professed\nministers of Christ who dare not preach or teach the coming of the\nLord as it is taught in Scripture.\n\nTrue it is, blessed be God, we notice a mighty change within the last\nhalf century. There has been a great awakening. God is, by His Holy\nSpirit, recalling His people to long-forgotten truths, and amongst the\nrest, to the glorious truth of the coming of the Bridegroom. Many are\nnow seeing that the reason why the Bridegroom tarried was simply\nbecause God was long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should\nperish, but that all should come to repentance. Precious reason!\n\nBut they are also seeing that, spite of this long-suffering, our Lord\nis at hand. Christ is coming. The midnight cry has gone forth,\n\"Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.\" May millions\nof voices re-echo the soul-stirring cry until it passes in its mighty\nmoral power, from pole to pole, and from the river to the ends of the\nearth, rousing the whole church to wait, as one man, for the glorious\nappearing of the blessed Bridegroom of our hearts.\n\nBrethren beloved in the Lord, awake! awake! Let every soul be roused.\nLet us shake off the sloth and the slumber of worldly ease and\nself-indulgence--let us rise above the withering influence of\nreligious formality and dull routine--let us fling aside the dogmas of\nfalse theology, and go forth, in the spirit of our minds and in the\naffections of our hearts, to meet our returning Bridegroom. May His\nown solemn words come with fresh power to our souls, \"Watch therefore,\nfor ye know neither the day nor the hour.\" May the language of our\nhearts and our lives be, \"Even so, come, Lord Jesus.\"\n\n    The dark stream of evil is flowing apace:\n    Awake, and be doing, ye children of grace,\n    Let's seek with compassion the souls that are lost,\n    Well knowing the price their redemption has cost.\n    While singing with rapture the Saviour's great love,\n    And waiting for Him to translate us above--\n    \"It may be to-morrow, or even to-night\"--\n    Let our loins be well girded, and lamps burning bright.\n\n\nTHE TALENTS\n\nIt only remains for us now to consider that portion of our Lord's\ndiscourse in which He again takes up the deeply solemn subject of\nministerial responsibility during the time of His absence. That this\nstands closely connected with the hope of His coming is evident from\nthe fact that having summed up the parable of the ten virgins with\nthese most weighty words, \"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the\nday nor the hour,\" He goes on to say, \"For as a man travelling into a\nfar country, who called his servants, and delivered unto them his\ngoods.\"\n\nThere is a material difference between the parable of the talents and\nthat of the servant in chapter xxiv. 45-51. In the latter, we have\nministry inside the house. In the former, on the other hand, we have\nministry abroad in the world. But in each we find the grand foundation\nof all ministry, namely, the gift and authority of Christ. \"He called\n_His own_ servants, and delivered unto them _His_ goods.\" The servants\nare His, and the goods are His. No one but the Lord Christ can put a\nman into the ministry, as none but He can impart spiritual gift. It is\nutterly impossible for any one to be a minister of Christ unless He\ncalls him and fits him for the work. This is so plain as not to admit\nof a single question. A man may be a minister of religion; he may\npreach the doctrines of the gospel, and teach theology; but a minister\nof Christ he cannot possibly be unless Christ calls him to, and gifts\nhim for, the work. If it be a question of ministry inside the house,\nit is \"whom his lord hath made ruler over his house.\" And if it be a\nquestion of ministry abroad in the world, we are told that \"He called\nhis own servants and delivered unto them his goods.\"\n\nThis great root-principle of ministry is powerfully embodied in these\nwords of one of the greatest ministers that ever lived, when he says,\n\"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, _who hath enabled me_, for that he\ncounted me faithful, _putting me into the ministry_\" (1 Tim. i. 12).\n\nThus it must be in every case, whatever be the measure, the character,\nor the sphere of ministry. The Lord Christ alone can put any one into\nthe ministry, and enable him to fulfil it. If it be not this, it will\nbe either a man putting himself into the ministry, or his fellow man\ndoing it, both of which are alike opposed to the mind of God, and to\nall the principles of the true ministry as taught in the word. If we\nare to be guided by Scripture, we must see that all ministry in or out\nof the house must be by divine appointment and divine ability. If it\nbe not thus, it is worse than worthless. A man may set himself up as a\nminister, or he may be set up by his fellows; but it is all utterly\nvain. It is not from heaven--it is not of God--it is not by Jesus\nChrist; and, in the sequel, it will be made manifest and judged as a\nmost horrible and daring usurpation.\n\nIt is of the very last importance that the Christian reader should\nthoroughly seize this grand principle of ministry. It is as simple as\nit is solemn. And, moreover, that it rests on a basis truly divine\ncannot be questioned by any one who bows down--as every Christian\nought--with unqualified and absolute submission, to the authority of\nthe divine word. Let the reader take his Bible, and read carefully\nevery line therein which bears upon the subject of ministry. If he\nturns to the parable of the house-steward, he will read, \"Whom _his\nlord_ hath made ruler.\" He does not make himself ruler; neither is he\nappointed by his fellows. The appointment is divine.\n\nSo, also, in the parable of the talents, the master calls his own\nservants, and delivers unto them his goods. The call and the equipment\nare divine.\n\nWe have another aspect of the same truth in Luke xix. \"A certain\nnobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom,\n_and to return_. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them\nten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy _till I come_.\" The difference\nbetween Luke and Matthew appears to be this: in the former, human\nresponsibility; in the latter, divine sovereignty is prominent. But in\nboth the great root-principle is distinctly maintained and\nunanswerably established, namely, that all ministry is by divine\nappointment.\n\nThe same truth meets us in the Acts of the Apostles. When one was to\nbe appointed to fill the place of Judas, the appeal is made to\nJehovah, \"Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all, show whether of\nthese two _thou hast chosen_; that he may take part of this ministry\nand apostleship.\"\n\nAnd even where it is a question of local charge, as of deacons, in\nchapter vi., or of elders, in chapter xiv., it is by direct apostolic\nappointment. In other words, it is divine. A man could not even\nappoint himself to a deaconship, much less to an eldership. In the\ncase of the former, inasmuch as the deacons were to take charge of the\npeople's property, these latter were, in the grace and lovely moral\norder of the Spirit, permitted to select men in whom they could\nconfide; but the appointment was divine, whether of deacons or elders.\nThus, whether it be a question of gift or of local charge, all rests\non a purely divine basis. This is _the_ all-important point.\n\nAgain, if we turn to the Epistles, the same great truth shines in full\nand undimmed lustre before us. Thus, at the opening of Romans xii., we\nread, \"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that\nis among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to\nthink; but to think soberly, according as _God hath dealt to every man\nthe measure of faith_. For as we have many members in one body, and\nall members have not the same office; so we being many, are one body\nin Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then _gifts_\ndiffering _according to the grace that is given us_,\" etc. In 1 Cor.\nxii. we read, \"_But now hath God set the members every one of them in\nthe body_ as it hath pleased him\" (verse 18). And again, \"_God hath\nset some in the church_, first, apostles,\" etc. (verse 28). So also in\nEphesians iv., \"But unto every one of us is given grace according to\nthe measure of _the gift of Christ_.\"\n\nAll these Scriptures, and many more that might be quoted, go to\nestablish the truth which we are intensely anxious to impress upon\nour readers, namely, that ministry in all its departments, is\ndivine--is of God--is from heaven--is by Jesus Christ. There is\npositively no such thing in the New Testament as human authority to\nminister in the church of God. Turn where we may, throughout its\nsacred pages, and we find only the same blessed doctrine as is\ncontained in that one brief sentence in our parable, \"He called his\nown servants, and delivered unto them his goods.\" The whole New\nTestament doctrine of ministry is embodied here; and we earnestly\nentreat the Christian reader to let this doctrine take full possession\nof his soul, and exert its full sway over his conduct, course and\ncharacter.[30]\n\n  [30] We do not, by any means, restrict the application of the \"talents\"\n  to direct, specific, spiritual gifts. We believe the parable takes in\n  the wide range of Christian _service_: just as the parable of the ten\n  virgins takes in the wide range of Christian _profession_.\n\nBut it may perhaps be asked, \"Is there no adaptation of the vessel to\nthe ministerial gift deposited therein?\" Unquestionably there is; and\nthis very adaptation is distinctly presented in the words of our\nparable, \"Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to\nanother one; to every man _according to his several ability_.\"\n\nThis is a point of deepest interest, and it must never be lost sight\nof. The Lord knows what use He means to make of a man. He knows the\ncharacter of gift which He purposes to deposit in the vessel, and He\nshapes the vessel and moulds the man accordingly. We cannot doubt that\nPaul was a vessel specially formed of God for the place he was\nafterwards to fill, and the work he had to do. And so in every case.\nIf God designs a man to be a public speaker, He gives him lungs, He\ngives him a voice, He gives him a physical constitution adapted to the\nwork which He designs him to do. The gift is from God; but there is\nalways the most distinct reference to the ability of the man.\n\nIf this be lost sight of, our apprehension of the true character of\nministry will be very defective indeed. We must never forget the two\nthings, namely, the divine gift, and the human vessel in which the\ngift is deposited. There is the sovereignty of God, and the\nresponsibility of man. How perfect and how beautiful are all the ways\nof God! But alas! alas! man mars everything, and the touch of the\nhuman finger only dims the lustre of divine workmanship. Still, let us\nnever forget that ministry is divine in its source, its nature, its\npower, and its object. If the reader rises from this paper convinced\nin heart and soul of this grand truth, we have so far gained our\nobject in penning it.\n\nBut it is not improbable the question may be asked, \"What has all this\nsubject of ministry to do with the Lord's coming?\" Much every way.\nDoes not our blessed Lord introduce the subject again and again, in\nHis discourse on the mount of Olives? And is not this entire discourse\na reply to the question of the disciples, \"What shall be the sign of\nthy coming and the end of the age?\" Is not His coming the great\nprominent point of the discourse as a whole, and of each section of it\nin particular? Unquestionably.\n\nAnd what, we may ask, is the next prominent theme? Is it not ministry?\nLook at the parable of the servant made ruler over the household. How\nis he to serve? In view of his Lord's return. The ministry links\nitself on, as it were, to the departing and the return of the Master.\nIt stands between, and is to be characterized by, these two grand\nevents. And what is it that leads to failure in the ministry? Losing\nsight of the Lord's return. The evil servant says in his heart, \"My\nLord delayeth His coming,\" and, as a consequence, \"he begins to smite\nhis fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken.\"\n\nSo also in the parable of the talents. The solemn and soul-stirring\nword is \"Occupy till I come.\" In short, we learn that ministry,\nwhether in the house of God or abroad in the world, is to be carried\non in full view of the Lord's return. \"After a long time the lord of\nthose servants cometh and reckoneth with them.\" All the servants are\nto keep continually before their minds the solemn fact that there is a\nreckoning time coming. This will regulate their thoughts and feelings\nin reference to every branch of their ministry. Hearken to the\nfollowing weighty words in which one servant seeks to animate another,\n\"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who\nshall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom:\npreach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,\nexhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come\nwhen they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts\nshall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they\nshall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto\nfables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work\nof an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready\nto be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought\na good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.\nHenceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the\nLord, the righteous judge, shall give me _at that day_; and not to me\nonly, _but unto all them also that love his appearing_\" (2 Tim. iv.\n1-8).\n\nDoes not this touching and weighty passage show how intimately the\nsubject of ministry stands connected with the Lord's coming? The\nblessed apostle--the most devoted, gifted, and effective workman that\never wrought in the vineyard of Christ--the most skillful steward that\never handled the mysteries of God--the wise master builder--the great\nminister of the church and preacher of the gospel--the incomparable\nservant--this rare and precious vessel carried on his work, fulfilled\nhis ministry, and discharged his holy responsibilities in full view of\n\"_that day_.\" He looked forward, and is still looking, to that solemn\nand glorious occasion when the Righteous Judge shall place on his brow\n\"the crown of righteousness.\" And he adds, with such affecting\nsweetness, \"not to me only, but unto all them also that love his\nappearing.\"\n\nThis is peculiarly touching. There will be a crown of righteousness in\n\"that day,\" not merely for the gifted, laborious, and devoted Paul,\nbut for every one that loves the appearing of our Lord and Saviour\nJesus Christ. No doubt Paul shall have gems in his crown of peculiar\nlustre; but, lest any one should think that the crown of righteousness\nwas only for Paul, he adds these lovely words, \"unto all them also\nthat love his appearing.\" The Lord be praised for such words! May they\nhave the effect of stirring up our hearts, not only to love the\nappearing of our Lord, but also to serve with more intense and\nwhole-hearted devotedness in view of that glorious day! That the two\nthings are very closely connected we may see in the sequel of the\nparable of the talents. We can do little more than quote the words of\nour Lord.\n\nWhen the servants had received the talents, we read, \"Then he that had\nreceived the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them\nother five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also\ngained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the\nearth and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those\nservants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received\nfive talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou\ndeliveredst unto me five talents; behold I have gained besides them\nfive talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and\nfaithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will\nmake thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.\nHe also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou\ndeliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other\ntalents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and\nfaithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will\nmake thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy\nlord.\"\n\nIt is interesting and instructive to note the difference between the\nparable of the talents as given in Matthew, and the parable of the ten\nservants, in Luke xix. In the former, it is a question of divine\nsovereignty; in the latter, of human responsibility. In that, each\nreceives a like sum; in this, one receives five, another two,\naccording to the master's will. Then, when the day of reckoning\ncomes, we find in Luke a definite reward according to the work;\nwhereas in Matthew, the word is, \"I will make thee ruler over many\nthings; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.\" They are not told what\nthey are to have, or how many things they are to rule over. The master\nis sovereign both in His gifts and rewards; and the crowning point of\nall is, \"Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.\"\n\nThis, to a heart that loves the Lord, is beyond everything. True,\nthere will be the ten cities and the five cities. There will be ample,\ndistinct, and definite reward for responsibility discharged, service\nrendered, and work done. All will be rewarded. But above and beyond\nall, shines this precious word, \"Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.\"\nNo reward can possibly come up to this. The sense of the love that\nbreathes in these words will lead each one to cast his \"crown of\nrighteousness\" at the feet of his Lord. The very crown which the\nrighteous Judge shall give, we shall willingly cast at the feet of a\nloving Saviour and Lord. One smile from Him will touch the heart far\nmore deeply and powerfully than the brightest crown that could be\nplaced on the brow.\n\nBut one word ere we close. Who would not work? Who hid his lord's\nmoney? Who proved to be \"a wicked and slothful servant?\" The man who\ndid not know his master's heart--his master's character--his master's\nlove. \"Then he which had received the one talent, came and said, Lord,\nI know thee, [?] that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast\nnot sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed; and I was afraid,\nand went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is\nthine. His Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful\nservant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where\nI have not strewed. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to\nthe exchangers, and then at my coming, I should have received mine own\nwith usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him\nwhich hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given,\nand he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be\ntaken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable\nservant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of\nteeth.\"\n\nHow awfully solemn! How striking the contrast between the two\nservants! One knows, and loves, and trusts, and serves his Lord. The\nother belies, fears, distrusts, and does nothing. The one enters into\nthe joy of his lord, the other is cast out into outer darkness, into\nthe place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. How solemn!\nHow soul-subduing is all this! And when does it all come out? When the\nMaster returns!\n\n     NOTE.--We may add, in connection with the foregoing remarks,\n     on ministry, that every Christian has his and her own\n     specific place and work to do. All are solemnly responsible\n     to the Lord to know their place and fill it, to know their\n     work and do it. This is a plain practical truth, and most\n     fully confirmed by the principle upon which we have been\n     insisting, namely, that all ministry and all work must be\n     received from the Master's hand, carried on under His eye,\n     and in full view of His coming. These things must never be\n     forgotten.\n\n\nCONCLUDING REMARKS\n\nWe must now draw this series of papers to a close; and it is with a\nstrong feeling of reluctance that we do so. The theme is intensely\ninteresting, deeply practical, and abundantly fruitful. Moreover, it\nis very suggestive, and opens up an extensive field of vision for the\nspiritual mind to range through with an interest that never flags,\nbecause the subject is inexhaustible.\n\nHowever, we must, for the present at least, close our meditations on\nthis most marvellous line of truth; but ere doing so, we are anxious\nto call the reader's attention, as briefly as possible, to one or two\nthings which have been barely hinted at in the progress of these\npapers. We should not think of recalling them were it not that we deem\nthem not only interesting, but of real practical value in helping to a\nclearer understanding of many branches of the great subject which has\nbeen engaging our attention.\n\nAnd first, then, the reader who has travelled in company with us\nthrough the various branches of our subject will remember a cursory\nreference to what we ventured to call \"an unnoticed\ninterval--break--or parenthesis\" in the dealings of God with Israel\nand with the earth. This is a point of the deepest interest; and we\nhope to be able to show the reader that it is not some curious\nquestion, a dark mysterious subject, or a favorite notion of some\nspecial school of prophetic interpretation. Quite the contrary. We\nconsider it to be a point which throws a flood of light on very many\nbranches of our general subject. Such we have found it for ourselves,\nand as such we desire to present it to our readers. Indeed we strongly\nquestion if any one can rightly understand prophecy or his own true\nposition and bearings, who does not see the unnoticed interval or\nbreak above referred to.\n\nBut let us turn directly to the word, and open at chapter ix. of the\nbook of Daniel.\n\nThe opening verses of this remarkable section show us the beloved\nservant of God in profound exercise of soul in reference to the sad\ncondition of his much loved people Israel--a condition into which,\nthrough the Spirit of Christ, he most thoroughly enters. Though not\nhaving himself personally participated in these actings which had\nbrought ruin upon the nation, yet he identifies himself, most\ncompletely, with the people, and makes their sins his own in\nconfession and self-judgment before his God.\n\nWe cannot attempt to quote from Daniel's remarkable prayer and\nconfession on this occasion; but the subject which immediately\nconcerns us now is introduced in verse 20.\n\n\"And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the\nsin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the\nLord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking\nin prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the\nbeginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of\nthe evening oblation. And he informed me and talked with me, and said.\nO Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.\nAt the beginning of thy supplications the commandments came forth, and\nI am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore\nunderstand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are\ndetermined [or portioned out] upon thy people, and upon thy holy city,\nto finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make\nreconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting\nrighteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint\nthe Most Holy.\"\n\nNow we cannot, in our limited space, enter upon any elaborate argument\nto prove that the \"seventy weeks,\" in the above quotation, mean really\nfour hundred and ninety years. We assume this to be the fact. We\nbelieve that Gabriel was commissioned to instruct the beloved prophet,\nand to inform him of the fact that, from the going forth of the decree\nto rebuild Jerusalem, a period of four hundred and ninety years was to\nelapse, and that then Israel would be brought into blessing.\n\nThis is as simple and definite as anything can be. We may assert, with\nall possible confidence, that it is not so certain that the sun shall\nrise, at the appointed moment, to-morrow morning, as that at the close\nof the period above named by the angelic messenger, Daniel's people\nshall be brought into blessing. It is as sure as the throne of God.\nNothing can hinder. Not all the powers of earth and hell combined\nshall be allowed to stand in the way of the full and perfect\naccomplishment of the word of God by the mouth of Gabriel. When the\nlast sand of the four hundred and ninetieth year shall have run out of\nthe glass, Israel shall enter upon the possession of all their\ndestined pre-eminence and glory. It is impossible to read Daniel ix.\n24, and not see this.\n\nBut, it may be, the reader feels disposed to ask--and ask, too, with\nastonishment, \"Have not the four hundred and ninety years expired long\nago?\" We reply, Certainly not. Had they done so, Israel would be now\nin their own land, under the blessed reign of their own loved Messiah.\nScripture cannot be broken; nor can we play fast and loose with its\nstatements, as though they might mean anything or everything, or\nnothing at all. The word is precise. \"Seventy weeks are portioned out\nupon thy people.\" Neither more nor less than seventy weeks. If this be\ntaken to mean literal weeks, the passage has no sense or meaning\nwhatever. It would be an insult to our readers to occupy time in\ncombating such an absurdity as this.\n\nBut if, as we are most thoroughly persuaded, Gabriel meant seventy\nweeks of years, then have we a period most distinct and definite\nbefore us--a period extending from the moment in which Cyrus issued\nhis decree to restore Jerusalem, to the moment of Israel's\nrestoration.\n\nStill, however, the reader may feel led to ask, \"How can these things\nbe? It is very much more than four hundred and ninety years, four\ntimes told, since the king of Persia issued his decree, and yet there\nis no sign of Israel's restoration. There must surely be some other\nmode of interpreting the seventy weeks.\"\n\nWe can only repeat our statement, that the four hundred and ninety\nyears are not out yet. There has been a break--a parenthesis--a long\nunnoticed interval. Let the reader look closely at Daniel ix. 25, 26;\n\"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the\ncommandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the\nPrince, shall be seven weeks [49 years] and threescore and two weeks\n[434 years]; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in\ntroublous times;\" or, as the margin reads it, \"in strait of times,\"\nthat is, the street and the wall of Jerusalem were built in the\nshorter of the two periods named, or in forty-nine years. \"And after\nthreescore and two weeks [434 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem],\nshall Messiah be cut off, and have nothing\" (see margin).\n\nHere then we reach the marked, memorable, and solemn epoch. The\nMessiah, instead of being received, is cut off. In place of ascending\nthe throne of David, He goes to the cross. Instead of entering upon\nthe possession of all the promises, He has nothing. His only\nportion--so far as Israel and the earth were concerned--was the\ncross, the vinegar, the spear, the borrowed grave.\n\nMessiah was rejected, cut off, and had nothing. What then? God\nsignified His sense of this act, by suspending for a time His\ndispensational dealings with Israel. The course of time is\ninterrupted. There is a great gap. Four hundred and eighty-three years\nare fulfilled; seven yet remain--a cancelled week, and all the time\nsince the death of the Messiah has been an unnoticed interval--a break\nor parenthesis, during which Christ has been hidden in the heavens,\nand the Holy Ghost has been working on earth in forming the body of\nChrist, the church, the heavenly bride. When the last member shall\nhave been incorporated into this body, the Lord Himself shall come and\nreceive His people to Himself, to conduct them back to the Father's\nhouse, there to be with Him in the ineffable communion of that blessed\nhome, while God will, by His governmental dealings, prepare Israel and\nthe earth for the introduction of the First-begotten into the world.\n\nNow as to this interval and all that was to occur therein, Gabriel\nmaintains a profound reserve. Whether he understood aught of it is not\nthe question. It is clear he was not commissioned to speak of it,\ninasmuch as the time was not come for so doing. He passes, with\nmarvellous and mysterious abruptness, over ages and generations--steps\nfrom headland to headland of the prophetic chart, and dismisses in a\nshort sentence or two, a lengthened period of nearly two thousand\nyears. The siege of Jerusalem by the Romans is thus briefly noticed,\n\"The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and\nthe sanctuary.\" Then, a period which has already lasted for eighteen\ncenturies is thus disposed of, \"And the end thereof shall be with a\nflood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.\"\n\nThen, with intense rapidity, we are conducted on to the time of the\nend, when the last of the seventy weeks, the last seven of the four\nhundred and ninety years, shall be accomplished. \"And he [the Prince]\nshall confirm the covenant with many [of the Jews] _for one week_\n[seven years]; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the\nsacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of\nabominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,\nand that determined shall be poured upon the desolator\" (margin).\n\nHere then we reach the end of the four hundred and ninety years which\nwere determined or portioned out upon Daniel's people. To attempt to\ninterpret this period without seeing the break and the long unnoticed\ninterval, must of necessity plunge the mind in utter confusion. It\ncannot possibly be done. Numberless theories have been started;\nendless calculations and speculations have been attempted; but in\nvain. The four hundred and ninety years are not accomplished yet; nor\nwill they have their accomplishment until the church has left this\nscene altogether, and gone to be with her Lord in her bright heavenly\nhome. Revelation iv., v. show us the place which the heavenly saints\nshall occupy during the last of Daniel's seventy weeks; while from\nchapter vi.-xviii. we have the various actings of God in government,\npreparing Israel and the earth for the bringing in of the\nfirst-begotten in the world.[31]\n\n  [31] It is, we are aware, a question among the expositors, whether the\n  events detailed in Revelation vi.-xviii. will occupy a whole week or\n  only a half. We do not here attempt to offer an opinion. Some consider\n  that the public ministry of John the Baptist and that of our Lord\n  occupied a week, or seven years, and that in consequence of Israel's\n  rejection of both, the week is cancelled, and remains yet to be\n  fulfilled. It is an interesting question; but it in no wise affects\n  the great principles which have been before us, or the interpretation\n  of the book of Revelation. We may add that the expressions \"forty and\n  two months\"--\"twelve hundred and sixty days\"--\"time, times, and the\n  dividing of time\" indicate the period of half a week, or three years\n  and a half.\n\nWe are very anxious to make these matters clear to the reader. It has\ngreatly helped us in the understanding of prophecy, and cleared away\nmany difficulties. We feel thoroughly persuaded that no one can\nunderstand the book of Daniel, or indeed the general scope of\nprophecy, who does not see that the last of the seventy weeks remains\nto be fulfilled. Not one jot or tittle of God's word can ever pass\naway, and seeing He has declared that \"seventy weeks were portioned\nout upon Daniel's people,\" and that at the close of that period they\nshould be brought into blessing, it is plain that this period is not\nyet expired. But unless we see the break, and the dropping of time,\nconsequent upon the rejection of the Messiah, we cannot possibly make\nout the fulfilment of Daniel's seventy weeks, or four hundred and\nninety years.\n\nAnother important fact for the reader to seize is this, the church\nforms no part of the ways of God with Israel and the earth. The church\ndoes not belong to time, but to eternity. She is not earthly, but\nheavenly. She is called into existence during an unnoticed interval--a\nbreak or parenthesis consequent upon the cutting off of the Messiah.\nTo speak after the manner of men, if Israel had received the Messiah,\nthen the seventy weeks or four hundred and ninety years would have\nbeen fulfilled; but Israel rejected her King, and God has retired to\nHis place until they acknowledge their iniquity. He has suspended His\npublic dealings with Israel and the earth, though most surely\ncontrolling all things by His providence, and keeping His eye upon the\nseed of Abraham, ever beloved for the fathers' sake.\n\nMeanwhile He is calling out from Jews and Gentiles that body called\nthe church, to be the companion of His Son in heavenly glory--to be\nthoroughly identified with Him in His present rejection from this\nearth, and to wait in holy patience for His glorious advent.\n\nAll this marks off the Christian's position in the most definite\nmanner possible. His portion and his prospects, too, are thus defined\nwith equal clearness. It is vain to look into the prophetic page in\norder to find the church's position, her calling, or her hope. They\nare not there. It is entirely out of place for the Christian to be\noccupied with dates and historic events, as though he were in anywise\ninvolved therein. No doubt, all these things have their proper place\nand their value, and their interest, as connected with God's dealings\nwith Israel and with the earth. But the Christian must never lose\nsight of the fact that he belongs to heaven, that he is inseparably\nlinked with an earth-rejected, heaven-accepted Christ--that his life\nis hid with Christ in God--that it is his holy privilege to be looking\nout, daily and hourly, for the coming of his Lord. There is nothing to\nhinder the realization of that blissful hope at any moment. There is\nbut one thing that causes the delay, and that is, \"the long-suffering\nof our Lord, not willing that any should perish, but that all should\ncome to repentance\"--precious words these for a lost and guilty world!\nThe salvation is _ready_ to be revealed; and God is _ready_ to judge.\nThere is nothing now to wait for but the gathering in of the last\nelect one, and then--oh! most blessed thought--our own dear and loving\nSaviour will come and receive us to Himself to be with Him where He\nis, and to go no more out forever.\n\nThen when the church has gone to be with her Lord in the heavenly\nhome, God will resume His public actings with Israel. They will be\nbrought into great tribulation, during the week already referred to.\nBut at the close of that period of unexampled pressure and trial,\ntheir long-rejected Messiah will appear for their relief and\ndeliverance. He will come forth as the rider on the white horse,\naccompanied by the heavenly saints. He will execute summary judgment\nupon His enemies, and take to Himself His great power and reign. The\nkingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of\nHis Christ. Satan shall be bound for a thousand years; and the whole\nuniverse shall repose beneath the blissful and benignant rule of the\nPrince of peace.\n\nFinally, at the close of the thousand years, Satan shall be loosed,\nand permitted to make one more desperate effort--an effort issuing in\nhis eternal defeat and consignment to the lake of fire, there to be\ntormented with the beast and the false prophet throughout the\neverlasting ages.\n\nThen follows the resurrection and judgment of the wicked dead, and\ntheir consignment to the lake that burneth with fire and\nbrimstone--tremendous and appalling thought! No heart can\nconceive--no tongue can tell--the horrors of that lake of fire.\n\nBut hardly is there a moment to dwell upon the dark and awful picture,\nere the unutterable glories of the new heavens and the new earth burst\nupon the vision of the soul; the holy city is seen descending from\nheaven, and these seraphic sounds fall upon the ear, \"Behold, the\ntabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they\nshall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their\nGod. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there\nshall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall\nthere be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he\nthat sat upon the throne, said, Behold I make all things new.\"\n\nO beloved Christian reader, what scenes are before us! What grand\nrealities! What brilliant moral glories! May we live in the light and\npower of these things! May we cherish that blessed hope of seeing the\nOne who loved us and gave Himself for us--who would not enjoy His\nglory alone, but endured the wrath of God in order that He might link\nus with Himself, and share with us all His love and glory for ever.\nOh! to live for Christ and wait for His appearing!\n\n    High in the Father's house above\n      My mansion is prepared;\n    There is the home, the rest I love,\n      And there my bright reward.\n\n    With Him I love, in spotless white,\n      In glory I shall shine;\n    His blissful presence my delight,\n      His love and glory mine.\n\n    All taint of sin shall be removed,\n      All evil done away;\n    And I shall dwell with God's Beloved,\n      Through God's eternal day.\n\n\n\n\nA FEW THOUGHTS\n\nON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLDING\n\nPRE-MILLENNIAL DOCTRINE\n\nAND\n\nWAITING FOR THE SON\n\nRev. i. 5-7\n\n\nIn a day like the present, when knowledge on every question is so\nwidely diffused, it is most needful to press upon the conscience of\nthe Christian reader the vast distinction between merely holding the\n_doctrine_ of the Lord's second coming and actually waiting for His\nappearing (1 Thess. i. 10). Many, alas! hold and, it may be,\neloquently preach, the doctrine of a second advent who really do not\nknow _the Person_ whose advent they profess to believe and preach.\nThis evil must be faithfully pointed out and dealt with. The present\nis an age of knowledge--of religious knowledge; but oh! my reader,\nknowledge is not life, knowledge is not power--knowledge will not\ndeliver from sin, or Satan, from the world, from death, from hell.\nKnowledge, I mean, short of the knowledge of God in Christ. One may\nknow a great deal of Scripture, a great deal of prophecy, a great deal\nof doctrine, and, all the while, be dead in trespasses and sins.\n\nThere is, however, one kind of knowledge which necessarily involves\neternal life, and that is the knowledge of God, as He is revealed in\nthe face of Jesus Christ. \"This is life eternal, to know thee the\nonly true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent\" (John xvii. 3).\nNow, it is impossible to be living in the daily and hourly expectation\nof \"the coming of the Son of Man,\" if the Son of Man be not\nexperimentally known. I may take up the prophetic record, and by mere\nstudy, and the exercise of my intellectual faculties, discover the\ndoctrine of the Lord's second coming, and yet be totally ignorant of\nChrist, and living a life of entire alienation of heart from Him. How\noften has this been the case! How many have astonished us with their\nvast fund of prophetic knowledge--a fund acquired, it may be, by years\nof laborious research, and yet, in the end, proved themselves to have\nbeen displaying unhallowed light--light not acquired by prayerful\nwaiting upon God! Surely the thought of this should deeply affect our\nhearts and solemnize our minds, and lead us to inquire whether or not\nwe know the blessed Person who, again and again, announces Himself as\nabout to \"come quickly;\" else, if we know Him not, we may find\nourselves of the number of those addressed by the prophet in the\nfollowing startling words:--\"Woe unto you that desire the day of the\nLord! to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and\nnot light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or\nwent into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit\nhim. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light? even\nvery dark and no brightness in it?\" (Amos v. 18-20).\n\nThe second chapter of Matthew furnishes us with a very striking\nillustration of the difference between mere prophetic knowledge and\nthe knowledge of Christ--between the exercise of the intellect on the\nletter of Scripture, and the drawings of the Father to the Person of\nChrist. The wise men, manifestly led by the finger of God, were in\ntrue and earnest search of Christ, and they found Him. As to\nScriptural knowledge, they could not, for a moment, have competed with\nthe chief priests and scribes; yet what did the Scriptural knowledge\nof the latter do for them? Why, it rendered them efficient instruments\nfor Herod, who called them together for the purpose of making use of\ntheir Biblical knowledge in his deadly opposition to God's Anointed.\nThey were able to give him chapter and verse, as we say. But, my\nreader, while they were assisting Herod by their knowledge, the wise\nmen were, by the drawings of the Father, making their way to Jesus.\nBlessed contrast! How much happier to be a worshipper at the feet of\nJesus, though with slender knowledge, than to be a learned scribe,\nwith a heart cold, dead, and distant from that blessed One! How much\nbetter to have the heart full of lively affection for Christ than to\nhave the intellect stored with the most accurate knowledge of the\nletter of Scripture! What is the melancholy characteristic of the\npresent time? A wide diffusion of Scriptural knowledge with little\nlove for Christ, and little devotedness to His work; abundant\nreadiness to quote Scripture, like the scribes and chief priests, but\nlittle purpose of heart, like the wise men, to open the treasures and\npresent to Christ the willing offerings of a heart filled by the sense\nof what He is. What we want is personal devotedness, and not the mere\nempty display of knowledge. It is not that we would undervalue\nScriptural knowledge; God forbid, if that knowledge be found in\nconnection with genuine discipleship. But if it be not, I ask, of what\nvalue is it? None whatever. The most extensive range of knowledge, if\nChrist be not its centre, will avail just nothing; yea, it will, in\nall probability, render us more efficient instruments in Satan's hand\nfor the furthering of his purposes of hostility to Christ. An ignorant\nman can do but little mischief; but a learned man, without Christ, can\ndo a great deal.\n\nThe verses which stand at the head of this paper present to us the\ndivine basis on which to found all Scriptural knowledge, more\nespecially prophetic knowledge. Before any one can utter his hearty\namen to the announcement, \"Behold he cometh with clouds,\" he must,\nwithout any question, be able to join in the blessed burst of praise,\n\"To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.\"\nThe believer knows the One who is coming, because He has loved him,\nand washed him from his sins. The believer expects the everlasting\nLover of his soul. The meek and lowly One who served, suffered, and\nwas emptied down here, will speedily come in the clouds of heaven,\nwith power and great glory, and _all_ who know Him will welcome Him\nwith glad hosannahs--they will be able to say, \"This is the Lord, _we\nhave waited for_ him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.\"\nBut, alas! there are, it is to be feared, very many who hold and argue\nabout the Lord's coming who are not waiting for Him at all, who are\nliving for themselves in the world, and \"mind earthly things.\" How\nterrible to be found talking about the Lord's coming, and yet, when He\ndoes come, _to be left behind_! Oh! my beloved reader, think of this;\nand if you are really conscious that you know not the Lord, then let\nme entreat of you to behold Him shedding His precious blood to wash\nyou from your sins, and learn to confide in Him, to lean upon Him, to\nrejoice in Him, and IN HIM ALONE.\n\nBut if you can look up to heaven, and say, \"Thank God, I do know Him,\nand I am waiting for Him,\" then let me remind you of what the apostle\nJohn says, as to the practical result of this blessed hope. \"Every man\nthat hath this hope _in him_, purifieth himself, even as _he_ is\npure.\" Yes, this must ever be the result of waiting for the Son from\nheaven; but not at all so of the mere prophetic doctrine. Many of the\nmost impure, profane and ungodly characters, that have made their\nappearance in the world, have held, in theory, the second advent of\nChrist; but they were not _waiting for the Son_, and therefore they\ndid not, and could not purify themselves. It is impossible that any\none can be waiting for Christ's appearing, and not make efforts after\nincreased holiness, separation, and devotedness of heart: \"Behold, I\ncome quickly; blessed is he that watcheth.\" Those who know the Lord\nJesus Christ, and love His appearing, will daily seek to shake off\neverything contrary to their Master's mind; they will seek to become\nmore and more conformed to Him in all things. Men may hold the\ndoctrine of the Lord's coming, and yet grasp the world and the things\nthereof with great eagerness; but the true-hearted servant will ever\nkeep his eye steadily fixed on his Master's return, remembering His\nblessed words, \"I will come again and receive you unto myself, that\nwhere I am, there ye may be also\" (John xiv. 3).\n\n    What a day will that be when the Saviour appears!\n    How welcome to those who have shared in His cross!\n    A crown incorruptible then will be theirs--\n    A rich compensation for suffering and loss.\n\n                                                 C. H. M.","title":"The Lord's Coming. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. II","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":117438}