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3:~

s»

DEFENCE

AND

ninAto

A BOOK FOR THIS TIME.

BY LE BOY FOOTE,

Author of Christian Liberty and Its Enemies, '
Pilgrim Notes, Ac.

" Let the Word of Christ dwell m you richly with all Wisdom.'

OTTAWA,

1878.

Co the iftleifare of the youth
an6 the itomfort of the Ageb, is this
Little Uolume respectfully bebicateb,
by

1U3S7S

. /--t\S^Nm<C'

•'«»"^'".»N.»»,*"«,»%<»

Contend for the faith, etc 1

Unitarianism . . g

Universalisra . . . . . . . . 9

Spii'itualism 10

Popery ; Annihilationism 13

Mormonism . . . . 14

Novel Reading, Theatre Going, etc . . . . 15

Rebuilding the Temple . . 20

The Jews 22

Letter to a Young Christian 27

Adam in Innocency 36

Noah's Failm-e 39

Amelek 1 . . . . 40

Dead to the Law, etc 41

The Coming of Christ 43

Choosing a Bride for Isaac 45

Enoch and Elijah 46

The Tabernacle as a Type ol' Christ 47

The Half Shekel Gift.* 49

Sin Met in Clirist's Person 51

Gideon's Army 54

Power of Circumstances 55

Delivering Truth . . . . 57

The Narrow and Broad Way 60

Christian Relationships 63

Ruth and Boaz 66

• »AGB.

Hetom of the Jews 68

Priesteraft and Priesthood 71

Chrifltiaiis and Politics 73

Ood's Divine Order 76

The BeaUty of a Risen Ghnst 76

Heavenly Joys and Earthly Hopes 58

The Disciples to Enuuans 79

The One Body at the Lord's Table 81

The Judicial Death of the-flesh

.The New Heaven and Earth *

The Eye of the Mind . 88

On tiie Exercises of Faith 89

On Piide in Dress ^. ..93

A Profitable story 26

What Christ is for me 31

Seated in Heaven ..32

The Home of the Suol 58

-PUgrim Musings . . -,. ^. -.. .. 53

Christ on the Tree 59

Trust in Christ 60

To Faith 62

My Life, etc 68

"My Home up There 66

That Day 72

The Bible 72

Sunday Musings ^ , ^. ..84

In Christ 86

.. 68

71
.. 78

74»
.. 7«

S8
.. 79

88
89
93

26
31

32
53
53
59
60
62
63
65
72
72
. 84
86

A DEFENCE OF THE TRUTH.

Contend fof^the J^aith once delivered to

THE Saints.

DcAiR CHRISTIAN READER, to yoii this word is ad-
drosfled, as ' ono brought into a place of solemn
responsibility, as an epistle known and read of all
men, of the truth of God as it is in Christ.

It is a placje of divine reality you occupj^ and
one in "^hich you cannot evade, were you so dispos-
ed, the responsible duty of " contending for the
faith once delivered to the saints ". You are a
member of Him who bore, on Calvary's tree, the
penalty of sin, by being made sin, in order that
He might go into death and thus disarm him wh(y
holds the power of death, even the devil. In this^
solemn position how great is the need of faithful-
ness in a scene in which your Lord and Head was
rejected and crucified. You are solemnly enjoined
to exhibit faithfulness as proof of the place yon
occupy, and exert your influence against the cun-
ning craft of a wily enemy, who is incessantly
laboring in these last days, to undermine the faith
of which you should stand as an exponent and de-
fence, and in speaking to you as a Christian^ it is
not merely one in name that is meant, but in whom
*•' Christ is formed the hope of glory", and one
whose body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. Such;
is the position of the true Christian, and to such the
Work IS committed to contend for the faith. But

"the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty in the Lord to to the pulling down of strong-
holds". God calls us out with a stone and a sling,
to contend against the Goliaths of error, who stand
in battle arj*av to defy the armico of the living
God. Clad in our own self-righteousness, •we
avail nothing, but clothed in the Christian armor,
with "God for us, who can be against us?" Wo
live in a time when Sattui is not so much seen as a
roaring lion, as an angel of light. He is cunningly
working in two great currents of influence ; the
delusive displays of fleshly superstitions on the
one hand, and the wily sophistry and philosophy
of error on the other. Both are infidel in character,
for both aim at the underminingof God's holy Word,
and the banishment of its power in the hearts and
lives of His children. Man's finite reason is rising
up, trying to measure and fathom the infinity of
God, and in doing so, is endeavouring to crush the
authority of His divine Word upon the hearts and
consciences of His own people. Advocates of
systematized error are parading their scholastic
cleverness in array against the simplicity of Christ,
and calling upon their hearers to unite in the ex-
altation of man as man, in defiance of the truth of
God that, in man, that is in his flesh " dwelleth
no good thing ". Learned ability would in its pre-
sumption, build a Babel, id which to mount into
the favour of God, who tor four thousand years
tried man, but proved him a failure in every position
of responsibility in which he was placed. Adam
failed in Eden. Man filled the earth with violence
and bloodshed before the flood. 'Noah, became a
sot with the sword of government in his hand in
the post-deluvian world. God's elect' nation the
Jews failed under the law, and sadly and sorrow-
fully has the Church of God failed in her mission
aince her course began on earth, and yet in the face

bl all this evidence of mun's nothingness, we find
him rising up to claim a place for the flesh to glory
in the presence of God.

And what is the legitimate result of this clever
Babel building ? Let the annals of Jacobinic in-
trigue and Communist blood-thirstiness answei*.
Let the record of human excesses, of legionary
despair, of reckless lust for power and satanic
service echo the result! Wherever the solemn
obedience of God's own Word has been displaced
by the false philosophy and cunning craftiness of
men " whereby they lie in wait to deceive ", anarchy
and confusion, social discord and unhinging of
wholesome restraint, as well at. c'eiiancc of law and
order, have been the swift-rip- ning results in a
temporal point of view. Grloomy despair — a
" fearful looking iV>r of jud^aient whkli will devour
iae adversaries , and going into death without God
and without hope, to meet an endless eternity of
«uifering in the lake of fire, is the spiritual conse-
quence. In the face of these soJemn realities, what
is every true Christian man and woman's duly in
the land ? What is it, we ask again ? Surely to
stand firm, with judgment sharpened, and discern-
ment quickened to meet the wily foe ! We are
called to stand [with a face of flint to " resist the
devil that he may flee from us ", to take ^' the sword
of the Spirit which is the Word of God, whereby
we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
But the enemy is craftily endeavouring to disarm
us of our faithful weapon, by questioning the au-
thenticity of the Word of God. Just as he raised
a doubt in Eve's mind by the question ^' Yea hath
God said ? " So is he now endeavouring to give
the lie to what God declares in His woiid. His
question is to-day, as of old. Yea, hath God said ?
And how is he asking this question ? Through the
"Cleverness of learned infidel minds, and leaders of

schools of thought, who have no place in their
hearts for the truth of God, and are striving to
deaden its pow r in the \hearts of Christians, by
denying its authority, and thus weakening the tes-
timony for Christ in their lives. And who are the
most dangerous in this anti-Christian work ? Not
the openly avowed, rank-minded infidel, with his
scandalous denials of solemnly attested truths ! Not
the hardened sinner rolling in his sin, whose daily
life-fruit is but to be seen to be loathed and despis-
ed. No, but your learned advocate of some high-
sovLxiding pretended theology, taking the name of God
and Christ, upon which to build a '* form of godli-
ness, while he denies the power thereof". Some
exponent of false doctrine that tries to put man
in an unregenerated condition, into a position to
merit favour from God, on the strength of his own
righteous walk and power of obedience.

Mark, too, reader, the nearer a line of pretension
runs to the truth, without arriving at the truth,
the more dangerous and seductive i ts character. It
is with this class of tactics, Satan is the most ef-
fectually standing in the way of God's work in
these days. His great forte now is, not outward
violence and persecution, but occupation of heart
with falsehood and false doctrine. Solemn truth to
admit, but true as it is solemn, a heart occupied
with error has no relish for the truth, and Satanic
tigency aims to occupy the minds of the young be-
fore a sufficient love for the truth gains a hold in
the heart to resist evil. ,

Novel reading, infidel productions, sickl}- senti-
mentality, and even religious formality, are largely
employed by the enemy to gain ground in the
souls of children, before the truth, and then in an
adult a^e, the seeds of a false theology quickly
take and bring forth their pernicious fruits. Oceans
of corrupted intellectuality are flooding the land,

If
r

;

the productions of talented minds seared and poison-
ed by error, and becoming in turn, [instruments to
disseminate that error which has .found a willing
lodgment in their hearts, instead of the healthful
souT-nourishing truths of God's holy Word. And
this serpentine stream is meandering everywhere !
It is not confined to channels of corrupt associa-
tions and the homes of the ungodly. It is casting
its corrupting breath upon the minds of the youth
of Christian households, and finding a resting-
place on the shelf with the precious Word of
&6d. It is coming in the form of religious fiction
and breeding a curiosity in jthe minds of the youth
to look into graver error, thus leading away from
the truth as it is in Christ ; instead of toward it.
Christian parent or guardian, a deep and solemn
responsibility hangs over you, as to the kind of read-
ing you place in the hands of your care. '' Just as
the twig is bent [the tree's inclined ". If you. fill
the minds of your children with sickly sentimen-
tality, instead of wholesome truth, and thereby
sow to the wind, you must expect to reap the
whirlwind of infidelity and rebellion to God in their
lives. And where is the remedy ? Let judgment
begin at the house of God. Begin with yourself by
the exercise of judgment and determination to
battle for the truth, against the sly stream of error
creeping into your household. Cast out the money
changers of error from the temple of your own
fireside, and youi* own earnestness will soon find
an echo in the hearts of your children, and set them
against the coiTupting stream. Eject even the fic-
tion of Sunday School literature, and put homely
honest truth into the hands of your children, and*
God will bldss your efforts.

Although reference is made to hindrance to
thd truth, in a general sense in this brief effort,
it will aid in the object of the wcxk to particular-

'4'

■ *

ize, to call things by their right names, and show
their special line of tactics in opposition to the
work of God.

Now, mark, reader, we dp not wish to throw
detraction upon any work that has for its object
God's glory, and really it requires much wisdom
and discernment to detect the craft of Satan in all
its workings, but still if we are walking in faith
and after the Spirit, we are privileged to know
and be able to judge for the ** spiritual man judgeth
all things, though he himself is judged of no man",
and the Christian has " an unction from the Holy
One and knows all things ". Further, he has the
unerring Word of God which " was forever settled
in heaven ".

This is his authority and the safe one upon which
he can act. Claiming this ground upon it would
we " try the spirits, whether they be of God ",
knowing that if we use the weapons which Hepro-
vides us, in the spirit of dependence upon Him,
we can count on Him for blessing and success, in
the eflForts put forth. It is proposed then to pre-
sent what is believed to ^be one of the most
dangerous of false doctrines," viz.,

VNITARIANI8M.

It is not important to note the origin of this sys-
tem, so much as its pretensions, and effects of its
working. It pretends to acknowledge God, to regard
Jesus Christ as a Son of God, with a divine nature,
as being a good example for all men to imitate,
but denies Him being God, in direct opposition to
the words of Scripture which declare that, " In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God ". " And the Word

4 \

was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth " (John i. 1, 14).

The denial of the Godhead Jof Christ, in effect
denies His divinity, for one cannot really exist
without the other, and to call Him the Son of God
with a divine Tiature, and yet deny His Godhead, is
but a mere play upon words without reality, in
order to deceive. Here Satanic craft shows itself,
and the more the supportei's of Unitarianism pro-
fess of the truth of God, and maintain their character
as Unitarians, the more apt are they to lead astray.
Their craft is far more dangerons than that of Eome,
for the latter presents such flagrant absurdities as
to be easily seen and avoided by any one with any
degree of spiritual discernment ; but the mouth-
pieces of Unitarianism, with scholastic ability and
clever verbiage (for it requires learned ability to
successfully propagate error) descant largely on
man's power of reason, and appeal to the egotism
of self-righteous people to claim a right to judge
for themselves out of their unregenerate natural
hearts, which God's own word declai^es are '* deceit-
ful and desperately wicked^ \ Here comes in one of the
three things which Eve saw in the forbidden fruit,
which are " of the world and not of the Father,"
namely, the ptide of life. The fruit was " good to
make one wise," but the ''wisdom of man is foolish-
ness with God, and the natural man understandeth

not the things which be of God for they are

spiritually discerned." How then can human rea-
son measure God's purposes, and arrive at any just
conceptions of Mis workings or their object? The
best that man can do, in his proudest estate, is to
own his failure — his nothingness, lay his mouth in
the dust and own himself a sinner j — that God may
come in and raise him up by faith in the accomp-
lished work of His own Son upon the cross. He

will then possess that love '' which vaunteth not
itself ", and instead of cavilling at God, in the work-
ing out of His wise purposes, will say, in the quiet
submission of an obedient child, " Father, Thy will,
but not mine, be done". Here is the legitimate
antidote for all the uplifcedness of heart and ex-
altation of human righteousness, seen in the fol-
lowers of XJnitarianism.

Jewish infidelity is a strong characteristic of
XJnitarianism. I was much struck with the name,
^' The Chubch of The Messiah," over the door of
the Unitarian building in Montreal, '* The Church
of the Messiah," thought I;, "why here is Judaism
over again, only inverted." And what is meant by
this is, the same infidel spirit that denies His com-
ing as He did come, and regards Him as an impos-
tor, in Judaism, tries to prove Him such in the
false reasonings and cunning detractions of XJni-
tarianism. VVhat shall I say more ? Simply this,
dear reader, out of love for your soul's eternal in-
terests and welfare, beware of Satan's will-o'-wisps
that would lure you into the quagmires of unbelief
and infidelity, and drown every ray of faith in
your soul. ''Beware lest any man spoil you thro'
philosophy and vain deceit, ''for such is XJnitarianism
with all its craft, its guile, its reasonings and ap-
peals to the natural man within you, whether you
be a Christian or not.

The old nature, in every man, loves to be flat-
tered, to be made something of; and Satan knows
bow, through wise, clever men, to work upon him
and thus get him arrayed against the truth of God.
But God's Word commands the Christian to reckon
himself dead, and to walk in the energy of the Holy
Ghost) and bring forth fruit unto God in humility
and fear lest self should in some way get a place
and take the glory.

The next in the list of modern Satanic craft, we
would rate

UNIVERSALISM,

The. advocatesf of this system are generally men
of learned abilities, full of high conceptions of
man's own goodness, talk largely of natural divin-
ity in man, and by clever reasonings endeavour to
work up a large stock of commendable capital out
of the unregenerate heart, and set man ii? a deified
position, in direct opposition to the declarations
and spirit of God's word. They also set forth God's
Love very prominently, deduce many fine conclu-
sions against His Justice, and would set aside the
vindication of His own character — as God — by re-
fusing to admit that He could in any way consign
any of His own creatures to eternal punishment.
In order to sustain their position, opposed as it is
to the word of God, like their Unitarian co-workers,
they endeavour to reason away the force of scrip-
tui'e truth, and flagrantly deny its most positive
declarations as to judgment, which is called in
scripture God's " strange work ". God is Love^ we
know, and judgment is strange or foreign to His
nature, but Satanic craft and man's disobedience
have forced God to deal in judgment. The lake of
fire was created for "the devil and his angels," and
man, by listening to his lie in the Garden of Eden,
put himself under Satan's power, gets death — the
wages of sin, (for Satan holds the power of death,)
and then Satan's portion after tne white-throne
judgment, — the lake of fire, " which is the second
death."

These are solemn realities, reader, which Uni-
versalism denies ; and its first sermon was preached
in Eden when Satan declared to Eve, "Thou shalt
not surely die ".

^he gravest charge that can be laid agaihst the
ropagators of false doctrine is that they mak^
rod a liar ! This is largely done by both Unitar-
ians and XJniversalists. Harp as much as they inay
upoh the love of God, and pretend to honour Hini
with their lips, their heart is far ft*om Htm, and
the hiss of the serpent shrills fbf'th from their most
laudable efforts. Severe as this may sotind, it is
true, and the truth should be uttered that mdn tnay
beware. The evasion of the solemn declarations
of God's word, the attempt to lower the character
of God to the position of tolerating sin, and the
dishonour to Christ in detracting frorn His God-
head, while He declares that " I and my Father are
One", are marked blasphemies which will be visit-
ed by signal judgments before the great white
throne. Would that we cbttld look with a more
charitable eye upon these things, but to run in
sjonpathy with them in our thoughts is but to en-
dorse their absuixiities and give place to Satan.
Reader, be warned in time, before you have given
place in your mind to a favourable view of grave
error and struck hands in its support.

tet us now glance briefly at another great evil,
called

SPIRITUALISM.

It is little more than a quarter of a century since
it began to show its hydra-headed power, and vkA-
umes could scarcely depict the confusion and men-
tal suffering which have resulted from its workings.
The returns of lunatic asylums present a soletnn
charge against it, but what will be that seen at the
judgment of the wicked dead ? Satanic power is

always the same, though it may manifest itself in a
different way under diifel'ent circumstances. What
was commonly despised as the workings of witch-
craft in other days, is now looked upon as not only
tqlerablej but actually lauded by many as the work
of Spiritualism in these days. Satan is more of a
gentleman — as an angel of light — now, and the
same spirit and work that once was hideous and
disgusting to be looked at as witchcraft in other
days, is now clothed in fine appearance, and made
quite acceptable to many as Spiritualism, in these
days. This thought is repeated, that it may be
fully entered into. The same work that was car-
ried on by Satan as a roaring lion, is now wrought
with much success by him as an angel of light.
This should bo borne in mind, that we may be-
ware of his wiles. The propagators of Spiritualism
claim to be benefactors of mankind by healing dis-
ease, pretending to communicate with the spirits
of the departed, and put forth a flood of intelligence,
which not only reveals the weakness and inconsis-
tency of the natural mind, but results in the pro-
pagation of anti-scriptural error as well as gross
sin. The natural phenomena of clairvoyance, mes-
merism and psychology, are perverted and degrad-
ed into vehicles for the dissemination of dark-mind-
ed infidelity, by bad men using them to gain power
over others,and then insinuating unbelief and hatred
to the truth as it is in Christ. Bear this in mind,
reader, anything^ no matter what, that occupies the
heart to the e^iclusion of Christ, drags downward
into unbelief mid hardens the heart. This, Spiri-
tualism effectually does for those who follow its
train and endorse its absurdities. The power of
thought-reading is the principal means by which
it is carried on, and this is what witches of,
yore, and fortune-tellers in these days, ex-
ercise to a great extent. Further than to reason

from cause and eifect, they can do no more than
to enter into the thoughts of any individual apply-
ing to them for information from the so-called spint-
laud. A disbeliever in spiritualism tested a noted
"medium" — as they call persons who have this
thought-reading power — ^wno made it a paying
business to wait upon all who were credulous enough
to call upon him for intelligence from the world of
spirits. This person fixed a date, in his mind, at
which a lady fi*iend of his then living should have
died, applied a wrong age and a false appearance
to her in his mind, and all the little circumstances
pertaining to her, contrary to what they really
were, and when his mind had fully comprehended
this assumed train of circumstances, presented him-
self to the medium for the purpose of communicat-
ing with the spirit of his so-thought departed friend.
The Spiritualist literally read out the arrangement
that was in his mind, which did not contain
a thought of truth, and claimed that to be the true
state of things concerning the lady in question.
Without further parley, the applicant turned upon
him, and exposed his craft by stating the true fea-
tures of the case, and left the wise medium to his
own discomfiture. The legitimate results of Spiri-
tualism are, disbelief of the woixl of God, an oppo-
sition to its wholesome restraints upon the natural
man, and flat denial of the need of atonement in
the death and sacrifice of Christ. Freoloveism and
licentiousness are also results, while insanity and
despair are often found as the dire eifects of its
workings. We leave it with a solemn word of ex-
hortation 10 the reader to touch not the accui'sed
thing.

POPEBY.

What shall we say about this fruit of a fallen nature ?
There is much already published of its history
and doings so that a few words are all that are ne-
cessary here. Its motto is "semper-eadem " (always
the same) and as its character has always been
manifested in non-toleration, selfishness and blood-
shed when it had power, it is quite easy to see that
it would maintain these characteristics were it un-
checked and allowed its full display of power. It
aims at the government of the state and is leaving no
stone unturned to acquire power, that it may wield
it in carrying on its own schemes of ag^andise-
ment, and oppose the free course of the truth of God.
What it comd not do in the past by forcible means
through persecution it is aiming to accomplish
now by cunning craft and secret conniving, and it
behooves every one who has any love at all for the
truth as it is in Christ Jesus^ to watch against its
wiles and offers, lest they get unwittingly drawn
into its influence. As a check upon its dominant
spirit, God will take care to raise up a counteracting
power to fulfil His purposes toward it and it
remains for christians especially to testify a^ to its
true character and warn against its delusions and
craft.

ANNIHILATIOglSM.

There is another fearful delusion that has grown
out of the corruption of the natural heart in these
last days. It is to the effect that the soul and body
are completely annihilated after death that man is
material and perishes as to organism like any ele-
mental substance dissolving into its original const!-

tuents. This satanic consolation is the offshoot of
Christ-rejection, in whom eternal life is found by tli©
one who implicity trusts in His blood shed, as tjifi
atoning sacr^ce. Eternal life is th^t which is above
time-life, that upon which death has no power, and
as that life can exist only in Christ, who destroyed
the power of death by going into it, the believer
must be in Him a new creation, that he may pos-
sess that which onjy Christ can give. But man, rer
jecting Christ, must be busy with invention contrary
to the truth of God, and this annihlation view is a
sort of defence against the solemn judgment of the
white throne which has the lake .of .fire as its sen-
tence, and which God as a righteous Judge will
surely execute upon all who will not own the Lord"
ship of Christ. Eeader, beware of satanic craft, for
these are days when he is working in many ways
to lead astray the unsuspecting.

;- 1

h'4

MORMONISM.

This latter-day delusion of the devil, began its
course about half a century ago, in the fanatical
brain of one Joseph Smith, a native of the State of
New York, U. S. A. After writing the Book of
Mormon, and preaching for some time, he with his
deluded followers, established themselves first at
Kirtland, Ohio. Afterward, in consequence of the
pressure of public optnion, they moved to a location
on the bank of the Mississippi Biver in the South-
ern part of the State of Illinois. Here they built
a city, named it Nauvoo, and made great head way in
converting people to their belief, oy sending mis-
sionaries to the old country, and bringing tl^em to
the new city. In time however they became very

6
IS

Q|t>poxi9US to the people livipg in their neighbor-
hood, lyhen a large force collected, and killed the
prophet Joseph ojaith, w^icl^ bro^e up their settle-
ment in Illinois, and they were forced again to
move. They chose a locality and built a city, near
Great Salt take in what is now the State of Utah
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. They
style themselves "Latter Pay Saints," and with
theiv plurality of wives and corresponding anti-
Christian practises otherwise, may be better nam-
ed Modern Mahommedans. They practise much
craft and misrepresentatipn in the propagation of
their dogmas, and have been implicated in many of
the Ii^dian difficulties that have Aindered the settle-
ment of the western territories. Their course will
undoubtedly be checked and overturned by the arm
qf the law and the force of public; opinion, before
many years.

•4

< iWe may next notice

NOVEL-READING, THEATRE^GOING, AND THE
LOVE FOR POPULAR PASTIMES,

It is a delicate matter to denounce what seems
to many well-meaning people to be innocent
amusements ; but when positive evil is the certain
result of their pursuit, the claim of innocency
must give way to that of ipjurious. Faithfulness
in dealing with evils clothed in the garb of seem-
ing ha^^mlessness, soon discovers their true charac-
ter, and arms the unsuspecting with judgment and
discernment to avoid and resist them. The world
is fi^ll of fascinating appearances., which lure the
feet of youth into corruption and $in i^ fbllowed

to their legal termination, and when once their
true character is held up in the clear light of God's
truth, their real deformity appears and reveals a

" Monster of such hideous mien,
That to be hated needs but to be seen."

Take for example theatre-going. What is its real
character, viewed in the light of spiritual discern-
ment. A gratification of the " pride of the eye," a
constant play upon the cravings and tastes of the
natural man, and a means of rousing up the baser
passions of the human machine, ending in ex-
naiistion, demoralization, and early death. No mat-
ter how much so-called respectability you bring
into it, the controlling elements are immorality
and vice.* This cannot be honestly denied. All
the apparent morality of Sl-akespeare and other
noted dramatic writers, will never be able to re-
deem the stage from the drag-down tendency to
demoralization, into which it plunges its votaries.
There is no use of following in the train of evil wVth
a hope of changing the character of its results.
This is doing evil that good may come. Sin is
what it is, and you cannot change it, but you are
in danger of beinff overcome if in any way you
strike hands with it.

To enter a theati*e, and sit under the power of
the influence which it inftises, you come away more
or less affected by that influence. It is positively
contaminating, and every honest soul who tries his
state by God's Word will find he suffers loss by thea-
tre-going. Besides the association you enter, is poi-
soning in the extreme. You are soon known by the
company you keep. If you are a Christian, you
cannot testify for Christ while giving your mind to
the absorption of dach grainless husks as you find
in a theatre. |^Then why spend the energies of a

•• \ii'j0*.: jt-M W it-w^- '

SK7

mmawm

soul redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, in
the diffention of a mass of clever nonser se, promul-
gated oy the dupes of Satan, as all play promoters
surely are. Do not plead innocency for it, when
money, health and Christian testimony ai*e sacrific-
-ed upon its shrime. This is the most lenient view
we can take of the practice of theatre-going. We
mi^ht lift the veil and draw j^our attention to a fai*
•darker side as its ordinary results, but leave it vith
a warning word to beware of its pleas of innocent
pastime, for a serpent lies hidden 'noath its roses,
to sting the unsuspecting with physical and moral
death.

Let us now have a woi*d together on the results
of 1 < )vel-reading. To begin then, we take the ground
that truth and error never harmonize, and a heart
filled with and feeding on fiction,cannot relish truth.
When truth enters such a mind, it conflicts with
and exposes the error there stored up. A lover of
novel-reading soon becomes a hater of God's worc\
The consequent result of novel-reading, is a false
idea of life, a dislike for its sober realities, vapory
■expectation of some future-fancied high condition
in life which not being realized, settles down into
confirmed infidelity and heartless opposition to
the Grospel of Jesus Christ. The diifusion of fic-
tion is [^creating more infidels than any other
means. Those countries where the greatest
number of novels are published and read, confirm
in their statistics, this assertion. France, Germany
4ind the United States, present a fearful record of
fiction (dissemination, and their infidel account
fully corresponds. Let us be honest in this matter
and own the facts which ai'e always " stubboni
thin^" and a fearfully dark account stands against
novel-reading and writing. As long as people are
foolish enough to pay for, and read them, Satan
will furnish clever brains to write them. The

' "'"' V

minds of people should be aroused against the evil
tendences of novel-reading that its power may be
checked and counteracted. The responsibility of
parents and guardians as well as of all who take a
position to disseminate truth, is very great in this
matter. Their example as well as their voices
should be directed against it. There are two great
channels which engross the hearts of men and
womeij and tfeese are easily seen to be truth and
error. The question arises, which will you follow
in, reader. As you imbibe error and endorse
it so you will despise the truth. On the other
hand, if you own the truth and it only and fol-
low its teachings, so you will dislike error and
avoid it. The alternative is before you, " choose
ye this day whom ye will serve.'* Much of the Sun-,
day school literature fosters in its tendency, a
thirst for fiction reading. We ask in the face of
this fact, is there not enough truth that is more
edifying than fiction, to tell the children about
without filling their tender minds with the finely
spun webs of ima^ation which fill the Sunday
school librai'ies? What pampers the flesh more
than the recital of some story, in which clever
human nature has gained great credit for itself
through the inventive brain of some story vendor.
Again we say, fill their minds with good solid
homely truths and it will not only be a means to
show them the need of Christ as a sacrifice and
Saviour, but will arm them with ready weapons
with which to fight the good fight of faith, after
they have become true soldiers of the cross. God
is a God of reality, Christian friends, and if we fail
to take the place He has brought us into, and with
Him "fight the good fight of faith," we sink into
spiritual supineness and tacitly yield to the power
of the world, the flesh and the devil. An appetite
for the truth, is increased and strengthened by

i^i^p

feeding upon it, and the hear;t is su&tained againat
temptaUon by daily nourishment from the word of
God. Especially in youth the mind is an absorbent
rejadily diinking in the influences which surround it,
hence the need of "line upon line, precept upon pre-
cept, here a little and there a little," until the heart
be e&tablihed in grace and the judgment quickened
to resist evil. The charge of narrow-mindedness
may often be bix>ught against us for taking an un-
-compromising stand for the truth. Many will plead
the usefulness of Dickens, Shakespeare, Byron,
and other popular writers as active in drawing^
lines between good and evil,butone thing is certain,,
persons who plead in this strain have never truly
accepted Christ as their Saviour, or have sadly^
foack-slidden into the track of carnal minds from
the soul-nourishing path in which the word of God
would keep them. We are yearly approaching the
margin when the judgment seat of Christ will try
every man's work of what sort it is, and oh how
important that wa build gold, silver, precious stones,
upon Christ our Foundation, instead of "wood, hay,,
stubble" which will surely be burned "though we
are saved so as by fire." And who are the builders ?
Some say, Servants of Christ only. Is not every real
Christiaa a servant of Christ in some way ? If not
ho or she ought to be. Life works should character-
ise our calling and evidence our faith else we soon
cease to testify that we have sprung from death unto
life. How many Christians go on their way in the
world, and fall asleep among the dead unregenerate
world around them, needing the cry "Awake,
thou that sleepost and arise up fr jm among the
dead and Christ shall give thee light " Here is a
call to the sleepy soul of the Christian to shake off
the lethargy of worldly contact, and shine for his
Lord. Again, speaking of the "vessels of honor and
dishonor" in Chri8tendom,the Christian is told "if he

«hall purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel
of honor, fitted for the Master's use." What blessed
inducements are these to arise and cast off the world-
ly weights and shine in a perverse and wicked world.
We have thus briefly reviewed some of the most
prominent and popular hindrances and oppor ents of
the tmth of God, and might extend the list much
farther, but we commit you, dear Christian reader,
"to the Lord and the word of His grace," with the
injunction that, the closer you live to Christ the
better able you will be to detect the craft of your
soul's dire enemies. Remember that God is a God
of reality, and fathoms, with His all-seeing eye,
«very crevice of your heart, and knows all about
you, whether"you care more for His glory than for
your own pleasure and reputation among men, and
is recording every day of your life, to display it at
the judgment seat of Christ. You may succeed
among men by pampering Jto a vitiated and cor-
rupt world, but if you would serve God, you must
not only take sides with Him against it, but
against yourself also. Reader, if you are yet out of
Christ, the true Ark, get within at once, for judg-
ment is coming.

■ i

REBUILDING UP THE TEMPLE.

And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they
strengthened their hands for this good work. But v
when Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah the ser-
vant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian,
heai'd it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us
and said, what is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel
against the king ? (Neh. ii. 18-20). Here we see that
when God's earthly people, the Jews, were return-

wmsmsm

ing from their captivity to rebuild the city and
temple, they were beset by peculiar enemies who
laughed them to scora . And why did they do t hi s ?
Because they had no part nor lot in the work of
Grod's nation. They were enemies in their hearts
to the work which was going forward to God's
glory, hence their outward opposition and accusa-
tions of rebellion against the king. This teaches in
type, the solemn fact that men are constantly rising
up against those who build God's Jerusalem (the
Church) and laugh to scorn the earnest builder for
Christ. The infidel, the Spiritualist, the Uni tarian,
the UniverHalist,the Mormon,the Mahommedan and
the Papist are all laughing to scorn the true Chris-
tian, and falsely accusing him of rebellion, because
he works not under the banner of the prince of the
power of the air, the prince of this world. Header,
are you a Horonite, an Ammonite, an Arabian,
scorning and threatening the builders for the Lord ?
If so consider well your position. "It is hard for
thee to kick against the pricks." If you rush
against the thick bosses of the shield of the Al-
mighty, well may you pause, consider and tremble.
God is a God of reality and will be as sure and
swift in the day of judgment as He is long-suffer-
ing and merciful now. The day of grace is now
going on and will soon terminate in judgment.
" Be wise to-day, 'tis madness to defer " any longer.
"Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salva-
tion." Accept Christ now and bow the knee in
grace, that you may not be forced to bow in judg-
ment, for before Him every knee must bow,,
in Heaven, in earth, in hell.

I'm

I' *

THE JEWS.

There are many points of interest, connected with
the Jews which every intelligent Christian should
especially note at the present time. Every earnest
student of the Bible is familiar with their history
from the call oi Abraham down to their rejection of
Christ their true Messiah. But we ask the reader
to go with us back to the time of their captivity in
Babylon, and review their course since that event,
or at least that portion of them known as the two
tribes — ^Judah and Benjamin. These two tribes
continued faithful to the throne of David when the
ten tribes rebelled, and where especially favoured
of God despite their idolatry, until His forbeurance
was exhausted, and they were allowed to be over-
come and carried away captive into Babylon by
the Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzai*. Before this
however, theshechina, or glory, which had been their
cloudy pillar by day and their pillar of fire by
night, to conduct them through the wilderness to
the promised land, and which rested in the temple
after it was built, was seen by Ezekiel in a vision,
to go away to heaven fii^st from the temple, and
then from the city, resting a short space upon the
Mount of Olives before taking its departure from a
sin-cursed earth. The Jews were counted "Lo Am-
mi " (meaning, not my people), by Jehovah ; from
this time forth, as far as temporal government was
concerned, the sceptre of earthly government passed
into the hands of the Gentiles, and the Jews became
subject to the Gentile king. Here begins the "Times
of the Gentiles," symbolized by the image in the
dream of the Babylonish king and interpreted by
Daniel a Jewish captive at Babylon. (See Dan-
iel ii.) The head of gold of the image Jwas the
Babylonian Empire ; the breast and arms of silver
T ras the Medo-Persian Empire ; the belly and

thighs of brass shows the Grecian, and the legs ot
iron the Eoman Etaipire. The feet, part of iron and
clay, show the mixed governments of th6 presetlt
day. The "times Of the Gentiles," or Gentile dom-
inion, will run on until their overthrow by the
Stone cut out of the mountain without hands,which
falls upon the feet of the image And grinds it to
powder. This stone is Christ who will restore a
remnant of the Jews and establish the millennial
reign. But we are desirous of considering more
minutely the past of the Jews. After seventy
years captivity, the two tribes Judah and Benjamin,
tvere allowed to return to Jenisalem to rebuild the
city and temple and establish the Jewish forms of
worship. This return wae for the purpose of Judah
serving as a medium, through whom the Messiah
was to be brought into the world. " He came unto
His own, (the Jewish nation J but His own received
Him not" as a nation, but as many as received Him
(individuals), to them gave He power to become
the sons of God " (John i.). The Jews as a people
over looked the prophecies concerning the humilia-
tion of our Lord and rested only on those prophecies
concerning His exaltation to power, hence they
rejected the poor carpenter and called for His
crucifixion. So great was their depravity thai
they demanded a murderer, instead of their true
Messiah to be released unto them, at the yearly
feast. They became responsible for the murder of
their King to the governor, by saying, " Let His
blofOd be on us and On our children" (Mat. xxvii. 25).
fiow signally and fearfully has this sentence been
oiirried out upon them. For more than 18(W) yeaina
have they been fugitives and a byeword attiong the
nations, known for their covetousness and miserly
spirit ; engaged in the mercenary traffic of the
world, shorn of their former dignity and courtinff
the favour of the Gentiles Whoth they once looked

t>\i

upon as dogs, and scorned association with them*
About thirty yeai'S after they rejected and crucified
their King, the city and temple of Jerusalem were
destroyed by the Koman army under Titus. After
that event they never gathered in any considerable
number at Jerusalem. They have been found in
nearly every city of any size on the world, pursuing
their favorite characteristics of accumulating money
and endeavouring to keep up a part of their ancient
forms of worship. Latterly, however, they are be-
ginning to take a place in the political world. Their
immense wealth commands an influence which
ramifies throughout the civilized world, wherever
money has a value a^d when they draw in their
treasure or expand it, the business of the whole
world feels the movement. This is quite in accor-
dance with the prophecies of scripture concerning
them in these last days. The sum of those proph-
ecies are to the effect that they' are to return to
Jerusalem in a state of apostacy, possessed of great
wealth, to rebuild the city and temple, and then
will they receive the Anti-Christ in accordance
with the Lord's own woi-ds when He was on the
earth, "I come in the name of my Father and' ye
receive me not, one shall come in His own name,
Him ye will receive". The willful king will study
to answer their expectations of what Messiah is to
be to them ; he will have power to even do things
in their sight which seem miraculous, through the
instrumentality of electricity, mesmerism, and nec-
romancy, and so fully does he succeed in deceiving
the Jews that they allow him to set in the temple
to show himself as God. All this, scripture clearly
proves, and to the earnest Christian student of God. s
word, is fraught with the deepest interest as re-
specting the future of Israel. The 2nd chapter of
2 Thess., verses 3 to 9, tells plainly that the man of
Bin or Anti-Christ, will not be revealed while the

ir.L.uiiiiwMi**MIII

Holy Gbost is on the earth, and when the Holy
Ghost leaves the earth, it will be at the coming of
Christ to take up th© Church of God to be ever
with Him. Kev, xii. shows clearly that the Jewish
nation was the mother of Christ, the Man-child,
who was caught up to the throne of God after He
was crucified and risen from the dead. The dragon,
in the person of the Eoman governor Herod, stood
before the woman (the Jewish nation) to devour
the child as soon as He should be biu-n. The flight
into Egypt defeated Him, as every Bible student
knows. The wings of the eagle given to the
woman, show a portion of the Jewish nation who
will be spared from the delusions of the Anti-Christ
and will be restored after He is overthrown
and become the nucleus to repeople the millennial
earth, even as Noah and his family were saved
through the judgments of the flood to renew the
inhabitants of the earth. That portion of the Jews
spoken of as the remnant of her seed upon whom
the dragon makes war, is the martyred remnant who
suffer at the hands of the beast because they will
not receive his mark on the forehead by recognising
his power, nor upon the hand by taking up arms to
sustain His power. Two thirds of the nation who
return in a state of apostacy, will be overthrown
and destroyed with the Anti-Christ; one third,
composed of the spared and martyred remnants,
will DC tried as gold is tried and refined as silver is
refined (see Zechariah xiii. 9.) But the mo-
mentous fact that the Jews are now risiag into con-
sequence and power, after so long a time being
downtrodden and despised, is a clear proof that we
ai-e near the advent of our blessed Lord from the
glory. To the natural man this seems a foolish
thought to set forth, but to every earnest Bible
Christian, it should be a comforting thought. May
our lights be burning in these days of worldly

aggrandizement and carnal policy, that His
coming may not make us ashamed. The present
contest between Bussiaaud Turkey, isdoing much to
set aside the obstacles which hinder their return to
the land of Palestine They are able to lend money
to both parties to ca. y on the war, an' thus secure
a claim upon the long coveted ground that God's
purposes may be fulfilled that the scripture may
not De broken. Thus can we look to scripture to
prove history though we need not history to prove
scripture. In God's sight nationally , the Jews are
in the dust of the earth, in the valley of dry
bones, as seen in Ezekiel, chapter xxvii., but at the
restoration of the remnant, and when Christ comes
with the Church to set up the millennial kingdom,
they will be resurrected in a national sense, and
fill their place in the counsels of God as the central
nation through which the whole earth will receive
blessing. May our lights be burning and the eye
of faith bright, that we may be diserning this time,
and its place in the purposes of God»

fc ' !'

1''

A Profitable Story;

Tbbre is story, delightful to tell,
Albtory redeemed ones know very well :
'Tis this — that our Jesus once died on the tree,
Was even made sin for a sinner like me.

I am so glad He once died for me,
Suffered for me on the cursed tree.
Now I can sing of a ransom so free,
A ransom for me— dven me-

'Twas my urgent need that called out His love ;
My condemned state did His yearning heart moye ;
'H!e passed the angels and came down to me —
Finished the work which now sets me free.

I have life eternal, for I now believe

On Him, and I know when He comes He'll receive

■MmK/i

Me home to Himself, there ever to be,

In the mansion so fair He's preparing for me.

I can be waiting and watching for Him,
Who has filled taj cup ofjoy to the brim ;
ELxud to meet Him when He comes in mid -air,
Changed and caught up in a body so fair.

Wondrous to tell, I am bone of His bone ;
A joint in His body, this I must own )
A member supported and kept on the way
By my Head m the glory, from day to day.

All my toils and cares He tenderly feels ;
My suffering shares — hears all my appeals ;
Is cleansing, and purging, and fitting me here,
On His judgment throne, with Him to appear.

This is my story, — dear reader, will you
Join in with Jesus, and journey on too.
Be reconciled now to our Father in heaven.
Through the dear Saviour that His love has given ?

TO A YOUNQ CHRISTIAN LEAVING HOME.

Bear Youno Friend, — As you have resolved to
leave yom* home to meet the temptations and trials
of a heartless world, a few words of warning in-
struction may not come amiss at this time. You
are to exchange the loving smiles and friendly
greetings of parents, brothers, sisters and friends,
for the cold detracting ffaze and criticism of
strangers, and instead of words of prayer and
praise, to which you have been accustomed you
may often hear oaths and bitterness expressed.
You will meet with a continual .warfare, as your
spirit cannot conform to the spirit of the world
around you. You will often realize that the friend-
ship of the world is enmity with God, and the
closer you M^a to Him, the greater will be your
ccnflici .•} with y ^ur adversary. It is not the

, >'i

':! 1 ■

Christian's privelige, as much as it may be his nat-
ural desire, to be conformed to the world, for it is
expressly commanded that he shall not be, but he
must be transformed by the renewing of his mind
that he may know what the perfect will of God is,
that he may be conformed to it. Young Christians
are very apt to think they have a special license
to take up with the world re lying upon the measure of
the spirit they possess to keep them from being
overcome. The scripture commands watchfulness
that Satan may be successfuly resisted, lest we be
overcome by his cunning devices. If you have had
a fond watchful mother, and a careful father to
advise you until now you will often find their
warnings sounding in your earn brought to mind
by the blessed Spirit of truth which takes up his
abode in the heart ofevery child of God. May you
be jealous over y« ar privileges as a Christian
with that "godly jealousy" so anxiously manifested
by St Paul toward the brethren in Christ to whom
he so often wrote. Tal?:e the blessed advice to your-
self and as you conform your life in thought and
practice to his counsel and instruction, you will be
enabled to realize from time to time, the fitness of
the Spirit's teachings through him to your own
wants and desires. Paul's Epistles are more fully
freighted with special instruction for the members
of Christ's body than any other part of Jthe script-
ures. God's children are a "peculiar people," and
you need not be surprised if you are called pe-
cular and strange by the world, if you live faithfully
to God. As soon as you relax watchfulness and
begin to f^l in \vith the spirit and ways of the
world, you may win its smiles and favours, but
what is the wealth, honors, smiles And favours of
this wicked world worth in value, compared to the
p«)iice of conscience which is begotten in the soul by
the gracious approval of the Holy Ghost. If your

faith is active your judgment will at once be
brought to, bear upon persons and influences, with
which you come in contact, that you may discern
their true character. But if faith is sluggish and
inactive the enemy presents his plausible preten-
sions to your accommodating spirit, & you are over-
come ere you are aware. Oh, how many young
souls have been overcome by being too confident
and trusting in their own strength to resist temp-
tation. Do not trust in any one on earth, or even
in yourself, but in all you do look away to Christ
for approval, and obey the office work of the Holy
(ihost upon your heart. There are several classes
of respectable sins (forsooth), against which you
have need to be warned, and which are freely in-
dulged in by some professing Christians) and which
are more dangerous than open flagrant sins, because
of their seeming harmlessness. I would mention —
dancing, card-playing, theatre-going, billiard- play-
ing, alley-rolling, driving out and visiting on the
Lord's day for pastime; novel-reading, careless song-
singing and the like, so called by many innocent am-
usements. These we say are doubly dangerous because
sanctioned by the ^^worlds refined society." You can-
not cross the boundary of indulgence in these
things, without entering Satan's kingdom and
M^irvice. I care not how much the cry of "mwocenf*
may be raised in their favor, they are nothing less
than trap doors to hell! I need only add there is
usually but a few steps from the theatre to the
drinking and gambling saloon, and brothel, and
when once in the influences of these places you
have a taste of the infernal regions. Let mo tell
3'ou a true but sad story here : a temperance
friend related it to me some years ago in Upper
Canada. I was, said he, once travelling from one
of our lake ports to Buffalo on a steamer, and fell
in with a young man from the country in Canada,,

till

on his way tx) the States to Moek his fortune. I
knew by his manner that ho knew but little of the
ways of this wicked world, and 1 felt like advising
And watching over him. After leaving the steamer
«t the quay and while on our way to a hotel, he
was accosted by one of three girls standing in the
door of a house with a salutation which he stopped
to return, but I urged him on. After putting up
at the hotel, I could not i>reveut him from going
back to the place although presenting the danger
of so doing. The next morning I ascertained that
he had not returned to the hotel, and as I walked
out to the wharf, saw two men hooking out a dead
body from the water. What was my surprise, an
I drew near, upon ascertaining that it was the body
of my travelling companion. He had gone back
to the den of infamy and had been murdered for his
watch and money. I had not ascertained the Post
Office address of his parents, and the poor young
man was buried in a strange land, 'by the hands
of strangers, a sad example of victimized care-
lessness. Dear young friend, " watch and pray,
lest ye enter into temptation." The world, the
flesh and the devil, that three-fold enemy to your
present and eternal welfare, are ever ready to
oatch you by some device and lure you astray. You
should so build upon your foundation, Christ Jesus,
as to reap a reward at the lastday, instead of being
"saved so as by fire" A^A your works burned. "Be
steadfast, unmovable, alvrays abounding in the work
of the Lord, forasm^jich as ye- know what your la-
bour is not in vain in the Lord." By diligence in
Ood's service you keep evil influences at nay and
witness for the Lord continually. Use the world
as not abusing it, wearing it as a loose garment,
that you may be ready any tiitie to shake oif alt
worldly ties, when your Lortl comes for you. En-
ter into* the spirit of a Christian pilgHm/t<%, that

^'^•'i may " walk worthy of the vocation in which
you are called," and do not be ashamed of Jesus in
any position of life in which you may be placed.
Live near to God by meditation and prayer, and
you will be enabled to come oflf conqueror through
Christ. Amen.

iftlhat iChrist is For SFle.

Christ is my Saviour, my Advocate, Friend,
He loves me with love that never will end ^
He feels my afflictions, He knows my poor frame,
But <<rith all my frailties His love is the same.

Whene'er to my Father in prayer I go,
He mv Intercessor is — faithful I know ;
As High Priest He's entered, within the vail.
There with the Father for me to prevail.

As a member of His hody, I toil in this scene.
He sustains through all trial and oft stands between
My soul and temptation, — wards off Satan's dartoj
To my weary spirit Iresh vigor imparts.

He's surrounded with glories bought dear on the tree.
He's the Father's bright Object, once suffered for me,
He's the ground where we meet — my Father and I —
And in Him Tm risen, and never can die.

what a dear Saviour to call out our love,

The loveliest of thousands on God's throne above ;

While He leads willing captives our poor hearts down

here.
We shall find Him sufficient our journey to cheer.

God's true Eliezer, Rebecca has found y
He's leading her homeward o'er wilderness ground
To the true waitine Isaac^ who soon will come forth
And welcome His Bride as a pearl of much worth.

May each waiting member, on faith's buoyant wing,
Bise above this world's mists and axaltingly, ** Sing
Of the Shepherd that died," now risen indeed,
For our justification, and from death ever freed.

9
"I

Seated in Heauenly Places.

(Eph. ii. 6.)

Mt place, in Christ, is a heavenly one,
By with in Him upon the throne,

By faith within the vail ;
'Tis there I worship, there ftdore,
From thence see Him displayed in power,

O'er Satan to prevail.

Toward His watching members here
His love extends, till we appear,

With Him, in power to reign :
He calls our hearts to upward view
Him as the fairest, and renew

Our strenorth in Him ac^ain.

Amid His glories He doth shine —
A Person fair, with power divine.

Our hearts to cheer while here :
'Tis our delight by faith to see
And enter no/w the liberty,

Of sitting in Him there.

He's coming soon to take us up.
To be with Him, and this our hope

Comforts each watching saint :
As through the world's dark, dreary waste.
With pilgrim leet we onward haste.

His word forbids us faint.

As High Priest He has entered there.
Within the vail to now appear

In God's presence for us ;
Our feet to t ash, if by the way
Defilement gather day by day :

Communion's preserved thus.

Our Advocate He ever is j

Our prayers through Him to God arise :

Our All in All is He :
And where He is our souls find rest.
While this our ransomed hearts attest.

From death we are set free.

(33)

|f>)TIHODUCTORY j^OlE.

No apology is offered for presenting the following Notes to the
reader, an the truth makes its own apologies. The great work
of the time, which the Holy Ghost is carrying on, in connection
with presenting salvation to sinners, is bringing true Christians
to the Word of God, that they " may grow up in Christ their
Living Head in all things ". He is seeking to bring them out
of local, sectarian and established hindrances, that they may
realize what it is to be members of that mystical body of which
Christ is the Head, and go without the camp to Himself — bear-
ing His reproach ; and willing to stand, amid the ruin around,
as a testimony for Himself. The place and clmracter of the
Church is that of a pilgrim; and when, in the time of Constan-
tine, she joined hands with the world and began to dwell as in
Pergamos — where Satan*s seat (or throne) is — then came in
that huge system of apostacy which we see intheae last days with
a ^^ form of godliness but denying the power thereof^', from
which we are told, as Chirstiann, " to turn, away ".

Th" adoption of worldly titles and honours, a revival of the
the old Jewish synaCfOgue system of worship, and union of
Church and State, in the is«U£ of unchristian decrees of the
most soul-crushing and soul-contaminating character, are the
manifested results of localisivri the Church, and assimilating
itself to the character and spirit of the world as a system with-
out God. Thus has the Church become, rwt the Pilgrim-Bride
of Christ, conducted through the wildemes-i by the •. 'y Ghost —
the true Eliezer — to Christ as the true Isaac, but iae settled,
dwelling, l,ocalised bride of Satan, governed by his worldly
principles and crafty deceptions, and upon whom the sentence
is passed thus, — *' So then, because thou art lukewarm, and nei-
ther cold nor hot, I will spue thee otU of my mouth. Because

(B)

I ■.., . i

j;: i

I.:;'

: 'i n i

' ■■ 'iv:

<feoM sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing ; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miser-
able, and poor, and blind, and naked "; just the character and
position of the vast mass of professing Christend&m around.,
from which the earnest soul is encouraged, if he ^' purge hiw-
self he shall become a vessel of honour filled for the Master^ s
use^\ .

Reader, we a^k your earnest prayerful attention to Scripture,
with true Berean spirit, to enquire '* whether these things are
so," that you may profit in your soul before God, in a knowledge
of your true place in the Church, which is the Body of which
Christ is the Head, and as a '* member of His Body, of His
flesh and of His bones ".

This is to the individual overcomer for Christ, wherever he or
she may be, as a Christian possessing eternal life, as a result of
truly believing on Christ, and resting in His finished work for
salvation, and this too independent of connection with any or-
ganization of man, but simply as of a new creation in Christ.

L.F.

•i^ ■ ♦ ••

^e need
miser-

er and
round.,

e hirr,'

fastf.r^s

npture,
ngs are
iwledge
which
of His

r he or

esult of

ork for

any ov-

jhrist.

(35)

j^loTEg OJ^ ipiBLICAL fPUTHg,

ADAM IN INNOCENCY.

God created man in His own im^ige and placed
him in Eden in a state of innocency, with every
want supplied without labour or care. Adam, the
first man, possessed the highest degree of earthly
enjoyment, and God placed him over what He had
created and pronounced it good. As a test for his
obedience, God brought in a command, that of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he should
not eat. This was God's testing purpose in man's
creation, and in this command, we see man's
responsibility first coming in* Without a command
there could be no law, no government, no bounds
set which man could not pass. God's love was
shown first toward man by supplying his every
need and by placing him as the ruler over all
created things, but His supremacy and power was
shown in the command which He gave to Adam,
niidfiiilure to obey on his part brought out God's
vindication of His own power, and His consistency
With Himself, it was failure that gave occasion
for Um; manifestation of the attributes of justice,
merc}^ and self coneistency^which would never have
been known to man without it. God's power to
bring in a condition for man, far above that from
which he had fallen, was set forth in the promise
that the "seed of the woman should bruise the
serpent's head." Satan prevailed over the weakness
C''^ woman, man's companion in innocency, and the
groaiid iie prevailed upon, was contrary to that up-

!•;!'

:il I'

on which God's government of man was founded.
When Satan comes to Eve, and questions her re-
specting the forbidden fruit, mark how he works
upon her by denying God's love for her in with-
holding the forbidden fruit, and completes his
schems of deception by giving the lie to God's
declaration that in the day they ate of the fruit of
the tree, they should surely die. Satan says, "thou
shalt not surely die," Eve believes the lie, and fall i
under his power. Adam partakes, and thus the
once innocent pair, entail upon themselves, their
posterity, anri all creation over which they were
placed as ri :^" the curse of the Creator. Eve
saw in the frua rst the lust of the flesh — it was
good for food ; secondly, the lust of the eyes — it
was fair to look upon ; and, thirdly, the pride of
life — it was good to make one wise. And these
three things are what we see in the world around,
and ''they are not of the Father but of the world"
(1 John ii. 16). The whole character of man's
condition changes. He is cast out of the garden,
and forced to labour to sustain life instead of hav-
ing everything provided for his need. As evidence
of the curse, the ground brings forth thorns, this-
tles and noxious weeds ; the beasts, which were
tame and subjective in Eden, before sin came in,
become savage and ferocious, and man's body is
condemned to die and return to the earth as it was,
but the spirit returiis to God who gave it. But God
in grace comes out to Adam and Eve, and promise j
Christ, who should bruise the head of him who had
seduced them into sin. The heart of God yearns
over His truant offspring, and to bring them back
to Himself He promises the dearest object of His
heart, as a ground of return — even His only begot-
ten Son. This promise but shows the deep love
God had for fallen, sinful, disobedient man. As
soon as man, by disobedience, places himself under

.IL

nded.
er re-
works
with-
bis
God's
liit of
thou
Id fall.i
the
their
were
Eve
t was
es — it
ide of
these
round,
70rld"
man's
arden,
)f hav-
idence
3, thie-
i were
me in,
ody is
it was,
lit God
)mlse i
bo had
yearns
a back
of His
begot-
p love
1. As
under

the power of Satan, he becomes a fit vessel to com-
mit the most heinous crimes. The first born —
Cain — becomes a murderer, and calls out an addi-
tional penalty from God to that already upon the
human race. Alas ! what a contrast is this con-
dition under the blight of sin, to the happy state
of innocency in which Adam once moved. It is
hard to convince the natural man that he is in a
condemned state before God and only fit for the
lake of fire, the place that was created for the devil
and his angels. By putting himself under Satan's
power, man partakes necessarily of Satan's portion
and punishment. Were this not so. God could not
be a just God and consistent with His divine attrib-
utes. A love that cancels justice and truth, is not
love in its true sense. We hear a certain class of
theologians talking loudly about God's love, but
never mention His justice. The one cannot exist
without the other. Such theology began with the
lie of Satan to Eve when he questioned God's love,
and told her that on the day she ate of the fruit she
should not surely die. Man was dead in trespasses
and in sins the moment he tasted the fruit and thus
yielded to the power of Satan. But Adam gets a
far better and higher life than he had in Eden, by
trusting in the promised Seed. By faith in that
promise, he not only gets deliverance from the
power and punishment due Satan and his angels,
but he is brought into the heavenlies, where God
dwells, and made an heir of glory. This is God's
way, for he always comes in upon man's failure
and brings a better thing out of the ruin. As iri
Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive."
So in all succeeding tests under which God puts
man, he fails, and God comes in and brings some
thing far better, and worthyof Himself out of it all.

■m

; «■

;;:f;

*-i

t
it

ill'

THE COVRSE OF CAIN.

After God called Cain to account for killing
Abel, his brother, He drives him out from His
presence and sets a mark upon him. There
is something very significent in this banish-
ment from the presence of God and this mark. It
is the distinction drawn between the course of
wicked men and those through whom God was
keeping up a testimony for Himself. Cain was
driven out and left to himself. Acting under the
leadings of his own will, he tries to make his con-
dition on the earth as easy for the flesh as possible.
He builds a city and invents all manner of musical
instruments, works of art and other fleshly things,
and begins a course of which God has no part in
originati'^ij.". Man's will unchecked, always runs
opposite to God, develops something which God
has to put His hand of judgment upon. Cain was
given up to the freedom of his own will, and this
is what we see in the world to day. Man is run-
ning on in a course outside of Gor's care, restrained,
it is true, by law from crushing out testimony for
God, yet ending in judgment. God's mercy and for-
bearance are flowing out while His Christ is preached
that all may hear the word of salvation, and that
word will not return void. It will serve either to
save or condemn. Those who receive it are saved,
they that reject it are condemned jby it. God pre-
served His testimony through a line of patriarchs,
-that had become narrowed down to a few in
the time of Noah, so that when God brought out
the judgment of the flood upon the wicked earth,
only Noah and his family were saved. Enoch
lived before the flood, was taken up in the body
without tasting death and serves as a type of the
Church which is caught up to Heaven before the
judgments of the last week of Daniel or the seven

lling
His

?here
mish-
t. It

se of
was
was
jr the
s con-
ssible.
lusical
hings,
art in
i runs
1 God
n was
id this
is run-
rained,
ny for
ind for-
eached
id that
bher to

saved,
od pre-
narchs,
few in
rht out
1 earth,

Enoch
e body

of the
fore the
Q seven

years of apocalyptic dealing of God with the
wicked woHd. Noah was saved through the judg-
ments of the flood, as a type of a remnant of the
Jewish nation, who are kept from the power of the
Anti-Christ, and the judgments of the apocalyptic
week, and are brought into millennial blessing to
repeople the earth. At the coming of Christ with
the Church to judge the nations, the curse is taken
off the earth and the long promised millennial
reign is set up.

NOAH'S FAILURE.

After the flood the ^word of government waa
given to Noah, as governmental head of the
purged earth, and the principles of punish-
ment at the hand of man for crime were estab-
lished. Noah, under his responsibility, fails
as did Adam befoi'e him. He becomes intoxi-
cated, exposes his person, and Haii, his third son, is
cursed for looking upon his father's nakedness, as
Cain was cursed before him for murder. Thus we
see the sins of the parents descending upon the
children, and failure succeeding faihire. The*
children of Noah go forth to people the earth and
as they multiply upon the face of it, their presump-
tion rises to the thought of building a tower that
may reach to heaven. This tower- building
is what we see around us at the present day, in
the efforts of man to do something in- his own
strength to satisfy and please God. There is a
sense of failure in every one and the idea of dJoing
something, or to "do the best I can," is the thought
that springs up in the natural heart, and then
counting on God's mercy for the lack of doing
Vain Babel builders I Failure is the result, just as
Noah failed, as the builders of Babel failed ; as God
brought in confusion of tongues and scattered them

i i !

over the face of the earth, so will H« 8\^eep away
by His judgments, all who are trusting in them-
selves and the lie of Satan. It is only in Christ as
a new creation that man can hope for reconciliation
to God, and count on Him for power to do as God
works within by His own good pleasure. Man
failed in every dispensation in which God placed
him, for God was proving and testing man for over
4000 years, but he failed under every test, until God
brought in His own Son, but He stood the test and
came off conqueror over every device and power of
Satan, which man out of Christ fails under.

^ii

AMELEK.

Amelek was the wilderness foe of the Israelites.
He began his attacks as soon as they were on their
journey after they crossed the Eed Sea. They
knew nothing of him in Egypt ; they were in bon-
dage there ; but once on the way to the promised
land, he becomes a troublesome foe. It was only
as the hands of Moses, representative head of the
law, were lifted up, that Israel was able to prevail
against him. But after the children of Israel had
crossed the Jordan he is very little trouble. He
does invade the south at a late period in the time
of Saul, Israel's first king, but is quickly repulsed
by David and his faithful followers. Amelek is a
type of the flesh. " The strength of sin is the law "
because the law becomes the executor of the death
penalty if sin reigns. The Lord Jesus must needs
be made sin, ere the death penalty could be executed
by the law. The Jews said " by our law He ought
to die because He made Himself the Son of God."
To them, who were under law, and who rejected
Him as He really was, the Son of God, to them He
seemed a transgressor of the law by claiming to be

away
liem-
ist as
ation
i Grod

Man
)laced

over
ilGod

t and
wer of

aelites.
n their
They
in bon-
[•omised
as only

of the
prevail
ael had
le. He
he time
repulsed
3lek is a
he law"
ae death
st needs
ixecuted
le ought
9f God."

rejected
them He
ing to be

God, hence they demand His death at the hands of
Pilate. " He was made sin who knew no sin," other-
wise the law would have had no power over him.
The Christian enters by faith into the heavenlies
and feeds on Christ, the old corn of the land, and
while there is out of the reach of Amelek. The
flesh cannot enter into the presence of God. The
flesh being the direct foe of the Holy Ghost, must
be kept in the place of death, or the Spirit cannot
lead into all truth. If we would grow in grace and
in a knowledge of the truth, we must "crucify the
flesh with its affections and lusts, for it is by the
power of the spirit acting in us, that we are en-
abled to fully understand the word, and grow up
into Christ our living head in all things. We
have the old nature, upon which Satan acts if it is
not counted in the place of death ; and We have the
new nature " Christ formed within the hope of
glory," upon which the Holy Ghost acts if we do
count the flesh in the place of death. The old I
cannot act while the new I acts and controls,
hence the force of the injunction, " walk after the
Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh."
Here appears the value of watchfulness against
Amelek and the blessedness of feeding on Christ
" inside the veil ".

DEAD TO TEE LAW BY THE
BODY OF CHRIST.

The true position of the Christian is, '* not
under the law but under grace." Many Christians
put themselves under law, but '' whosoever of you
[Christians] are justified by the law; ye are fallen
trom grace (Gal. v. 4). Thepower of grace is annul-
led by legality in the heart and walk of the believer.
He is by position, dead to the law by the body of
Christ. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become

(3)

1 1

- 'f

hi\

I *i

S ...J

dead to the law by the body of Christ } that yo
should be married to another, even to him who i*
raised from the dead, that we should bring forth
fruit unto God" TRom. vii. 4). If then dead to the
law why seek to De justified by it. The flesh de-
sires to make God a debtor by some performance
hence the tendency to fall back to law keeping.
The Christian, while walking after the Spirit, does
indeed keep the law, because he does nothing upon
which it can fasten condemnation ; but as soon as he
walks afterthe flesh he comes under thecondemnation
of the law. Christ was made sin, that death might
come in, and He who had fulfilled the law in his
life committing no sin, was put in a condition upon
which the law could attach its penalty. How free
then is the place of the Christian in Christ. The
law exhausted its penal force upon Christ by nail-
ing Him to the Cross, and we having died (as to
the old man) with Christ are now brought into re-
surrection life with Him, and stand on the eternal
life side of the grave. Now we ''recAon ourselves
[the old man] to be indeed dead unto sin, but alive
to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.'^ Woundrous
reality I While I keep the old nature, upon which
Satan acts, shut up in the place of death, the new
nature rules, energized by the Holy Ghost, and I
bring forth fruit unto God. The Christian before
God, is seen as having gone through death and re-
surrection with Christ, but as he has the old nature
in him, liable to sin, Christ is risen as an Advocate
to meet his need. " If any man sin we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righte-
ous" (1 John ii. 1). If the old man were dead with-
out power to act, we could not sin, neither would
Christ appear as our Advocate. The injunction
" reckon ye yourselves dead indeed unto sin," would
be useless, if the old man were already dead as to
fact. We need to watch and pray lest we enter into

10 is-
orth
tho
de-
ance

hid

to temptation, and to enter fnlly in by faith to the
place where God has put U6 by the blood of Christ.

THE COMING AND THE APPEARING OF OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST.

What is usually termed the " second coming " of
Christ, must be viewed in a two-fold aspect if we
are willing to accept the intelligent reading of the
scriptures as our authority. Surely no authority
can stand before God's own word, and we invite
the Christian reader who is willing to bow to that
word, to open it with us in a submissive, teachable
spirit, and allow the blessed Spirit to lead us
into the truth concerning the second coming
of Christ. There are two words in the original
Greek which refer to that event. First, the
parousia or comings secondly, the epiphcmia or
appearing. The first is what presents to the
Church the hope of His coming to take her up in
the clouds to meet him in the air, so ever to be with
Him (1 Thess. iv. 14-18), This hope can only be
precious to a real Christian, born again of the
Spirit, one who is a member of the body of Christ.
Mere profession has no ground of hope for the com-
ing of Christ /or the Church. The trump and shout
are the welcoming signals of victory for the true
Christian and the realization of his hope is a change
of his vile body to be fashioned like unto the
glorious body of the Lord now in the glory. His
coming may be at any time, hence the need of being
ever ready to meet Him with preparedr. ^ of heart
and walk that we may not hang our heads in shame
at His coming for us. But now, as to secondly, His
appearing. The worl . does not see Him when He
comes /or the Church, but at His appearing every
eye shall see Him. But how long is the space be-

'it

H;-I

■ .iil

"ill

IIt

I I.:

:Si H

tween His coming /or and His appearing with tlio
Church. To answer this we ask the reader to go
with us to scripture, where we hope to show that
it will be at least one week of Jewish time, or seven
years. In 2 Thess. 2nd Chapter, the Apostle tells
the Brethren that the Holy Ghost will let or hinder
the Anti-Christ from being revealed until He ''the
Holy Ghost) be taken out of the way. The y
Ghost leaves the earth when the Church is taken
up " then shall that wicked one be revealed." (2
Thess. 2, 6,7.) Then if we look into Daniel ix. 27.
we find this same wicked one referred to who will
confirm a covenant with the many for one week or
seven years. This is the last or seventieth week
of Daniel explained in the same Chapter by the
Angel. It is when God takes up the cause of
Is^'uel, His earthly people, again, and comes in with
power to punish their enemies. The events record-
ed in the Eevelation, from chap. iv. to xix. are
consummated in this week of years, during ich
time the Church is in heaven, sitting arouu^ the
throne in the happy confidence of children, while
the judgments are falling upon the wicked earth.
At the close of this week of years, the Lord Jesus
comes forth on the white horse (symbolically
speaking of course) as seen in Rev. xix. followed by
the armies of Heaven, which mean the Church and
angels, to overthrow the beast and false prophet,
and to purge the earth preparatory to setting up
His millennial reign. The spared godly remnant of
Israel will be looking for His appearing at the
close of the tribulation week. They have seen
that it was Him they pierced and crucified, and
they mourn "every fkmily apart and their wives
apart" (Zech. xii. 9) and it is then He gives them
"the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of
praise for the spirit heaviness." Isaiah Ixi. 4, 5. At
this time He sets up the kingdom of (or from)

fii

the

go
that

leven
tells

Inder
^the

heaven on earth and the Church who appear with
Him, rule with Him over the restored Jews and
Gentiles who become the subjects of His millennial
sceptre. Hence His appearing with power with
the Church, is at least seven years after His coming
for the Church to take her up to be ever with Him
as we see in 1 Thess. iv. May every true child of
God be watching and listening for the trump and
shout, '' for the time is short " as He may come at
,any time to take His people out of this scene.

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CHOOSING A BRIDE FOR ISAAC.

Abraham calls his servant Eliezer and binds him
under oath, to not choose a wife for Isaac from the
daughters of Canaan, neither to bring Isaac into
the land from which he came out, but to go to that
land and choose a wife from t\e daughters of his
kindred. (Genesis xxiv. 2-7.) The servant per-
forms his master's will and Rebecca is chosen,
daughter of Bethuel, Abraham's nephew.

How beautifully this typifies the mission of the
Holy Ghost to earth, to choose out the Church, the
true Eebecca, as a bride for Christ, the true Isaac.
The parents of Rebecca would detain her ten days,
but the servant replies *' hinder me not, seeing the
Lord hath prospered my way ; send me away that
I may go to my master." So would the natural
ties of earth bind and hinder the Christian from
taking up his journey toward the heavenly prize,
but the Holy Ghost says within him " hinder me
not," being desirous of pressing forward toward the
mark for the prize of our high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. " Eliezer brought forth jewels of
silver and jewels of gold and remnant and gave
them to Rebecca" (Gen. xxiv. 5 3), and so does the
Holy Ghost adorn the heart of the Christian with the

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graces of the spirit, as earnest of the heavenly
riches which he is to inherit in the heavenly land
to which he is journeying. Sebecca did not hesi-
tate, or look upon any of the attractions of the
wilderness through which she was passing, with a
desire to tarry to possess herself of them ; neither
will the faithful Christian be attracted by the
empty honors and titles, which the wilderness
world through which he is passing, temptingly
presents to his gaze. The world, as a system, is a.
positive hindrance to the Christian if he falls into
its influence and power, and while he does so the
Holy Ghost is grieved and hindered in His work
of conducting home the Bride of Christ, If Rebecca
had alighted from her camel, and began to range
through the wilderness by the way seeking other
jewels and treasures than those which Eliezer had
decked her person with, what would he have thought
of her? So ir Christians are not satisfied with Christ,
but begin to take up with the perishing honours of
a vain world, how is the Holy Spirit hindered.
When Isaac comes forth and Rebecca sees him, she
alights from the camel and covers her face in re-
bpect to her future husband and lord, and what a
lesson this is, to teach the Christian to advance in
love for Christ his Wsen head, in proportion as the
time approaches to meet Him. May we, dear Chris-
tians, so yield our hearts to the leading, moulding
power of the Holy Ghost that He may lead us with-
out grief or hindrance. Amen.

ENOCH AND ELIJAH.

As Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven in
their-natural bodies, to fill some future purpose of
God we may safely conclude, we may enquire
what that purpose was. In the last two verses of

venly

land

hesi-

f the

ith a

ither

the

riiess

fcingly

is a.

Is into

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work

ibecca

range

other

er had

lought

Christ,

ours of

idered.

m, she

in re-

vhat a

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as the

' Chris-

»ulding

8 with-

4"?

the old Testament we have these words concerning
Elijah, Behold 1 will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord : And he shall turn the hearts of the
fathers to their children, and the hearts of their
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse (Mai. iv. 5. 6).

In the last week of Daniel, or the last seven
years of God's dealing with the Jews in apostacy
during the first three and half j^ears of the weekj God
sends down two witnesses, men in bodies v ho will
testify for Him amid the darkness and apostacy
which then will reign upon the earth. l)uring'
their testimony a part of the Jews will renounce
the Anti Christ who then has sway over the nation
at large and will own the true Messiah whom they
desired to be crucified, and so long regarded as an
impostor, will lefuse to receive the mark upon the
forehead and the hand and will suifer martyrdom
at the hands of Anti-Christ. A portion will be
caught awa}/ out of his power and remain hidden
among the nations until the Anti-Christ is over-
thrown by the true Christ at the end of the week
when they will return to their own land to re-^
people the millennial earth. It is thought
that the scripture prophecy which we have quoted
from Malachi refers to the testimony of Elijah
as one of these two witnesses whose testimony is
the means by which the hearts of the Jews are so^
tened into affection and brought to their Messiah
by faith, and "look upon Him whom they pierced "
(Zech. xii. 9), and mourn JPor Him as one mourneth
for his first born.

. «

ven m
>ose of
nquire
•ses of

TBE TABERNACLE AS A TYPE OF CHRIST.

The tabernacle which Moses was ordered of God
to erect in the wilderness was in every respect a

'/'

type of Christ Ihe Son of God. As to its general
character, it was the place where the Shechina
or glory rested and where God could meet and com-
municate with His people. God was in a sense
manifested to their natural gaze, and in His own
appointed way was able to communicate to them
His mind and will. In this general character it
was a type of Christ, in whom God was manifest
and upon whom man could look, as the one who
was to make known the mind of the ""ather. The
tabernacle was pitched outside the camp (Exodus
xxxiii. 7) that the people might go out to i The
camp represents Christendom with its corruptions,
and Christ's place is, and was when on the earth,
outside the religious world, and the tabernacle
typifies Him in this respect. Within the tabernacle
was the mercy seat, and Christ is the true mercy
seat now in che Heavenly tabernacle which God
pitched and not man. The ark of the covenant was
there as a type of Christ the true ark and covenant
p?odge of God, that He will cast out none who ac-
cept Christ as their Sacrifice and Subsititute, but
will give them eternal life. The incense altar,
made of shittim wood and overlaid with gold, is a
type of the God Man who possessed both the
human and divine natures, the wood showing the
human, and the gold the divine. The biasen altar
was at the door of the tabernacle, typifying the
cross, upon which Jesus was offered as a sacrifice
for all who will accept Him as such. The cover-
ings and veils of the tabernacle show forth his
character as manifested in His walk here in the
world in the sight of men. The blue, purple and
scarlet, show respectively — fch3 blue, His heavenly
origin ; the purple. His kingly character ; and the
scarlet typifies His death on the cross. His blood
flowing forth to atone for a world lying in wicked-
ness. The badger skins dyed red, show forth His

unflinching, untiring devotion to tbe Father until
death. The badger 8kins covering, presents His
uncompromising separation from the spirit of the
world and His resistance to the tempting offers of
Satanic power The rough goats-hair covering
shows His forbidding appearance to the world, as
One whom the natural man had no desire for, —
whose sorrowful and grief-acquainted mein pre-
sented no charms for the eye of fiesh and sense.

The whole tabernacle was thus an instructive
speaking type of the Lord's mission and character
— precious for the Christian to meditate upon, and
typical also of that heavenly tabernacle which God
has pitched and not man. Christ in Urn official
character, is the ground of reconcilation for the
heavenly people now and will be the completor of
blessing for the earthly saints in the millennial
reign; and how it does strengthen the heart of the
Christian to find Him set forth in the tabernacle
which was the place of blessing and reconciliation
to the Jews in the wilderness. May we be in sub-
jection to the power of the Holy Ghost, that we
'aay be led into all truth, and find our constant
occupation in a blessed contemplation of what He
was and is for us, and thus be enabled to grow up
into Him in all things, growing brighter and
brighter unto the perfect day. To this end may
we be enabled to keep the flesh in the place of
death, and keep under our our bodies, so that the
blessed Spirit shall not be hindered in His work of
comforting and leading us into all truth. Amen.

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THE HALF SHEKEL GIFT.

" The rich shall not give more and the poor shall
not give less than half a shekel, when they give
an offering unto the Lord to make atonement for

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your 80ul8 " (ExoduH xxx. 15). Wherever the
thought of atonement is presented in the word of
God, it refers in some way to the sacrificial offering
of Christ on the cross. In the half shekel offering
by the rich and poor alike, we have the individual
responsibility of every one, who has a desire for
salvation to avail himself or herself by faith, of the
sacrifice made once for all by the Lord Jesus when
He gave himself up to be crucified, the just for
the unjust. All are brought on to an equal footing
in the question of atonement. " The rich shall not
giv^ more and the poor shall not give less;" and
here we see the blessed truth shining out, "that
Grod is no respector of persons," that no position of
life in the flesh can screen from the certainty of
judgment taking its course with the unbeliever,
for God "will by no means clear the guilty," nor
can any favorable position in this life, win from
Him any degree of favor as to the results of accept-
ing the atonement of Christ. He suffered for
rich and poor alike, as much for the learned as the
unlearned, and the same condition of salvation
applies to all, that is an implicit trust in the ac-
complished work of Christ. God looks past all
man may load himself with of this world's honors
and preferences, and sees the heart, its motives
and desires, and holds every one in the same scale
of responsibility as to faith, and rewards every one
"according to his own labor," who owns the Lord-
ship of Christ and begins to build on Christ his
foundation. Christ's blood is our redemption money
now and when He offered Himself as a sacrifice for
sins, every believer was viewed in the counsels of
God as a member of Chribt comirg with his offering
to the door of the tabernacle in heaven which God
pitched and not man. And where is our atonement
money now ? it is on the mercy seat and appears
there for us. Our High Priest is there, our Inter-

cesser is there, every thing is there that opens
up a way of entrance for the believer into the
holiest by faith, to worship God in spirit and in
truth. Precious truth ! and how it does detach our
80uls from earth to enter, by the aid of the Holy
Ghost, into the counsels of God and see our identi-
fication with Christ before the world was an
members of Himself in the Father's counsels, and
viewed as such to have gone through all His suffer-
ings with Him, being dead, burled and risen with
Him and now on the resurrection side of the grave
able to praise Him for so great a deliverance from
Satan's power.

SIN MET BY GOB'S JUSTICE IN THE

PERSON OF CHRIST,

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God's justice as well as His love must have an
object, if called into activity. Justice, inactive,
waits for an object, and when cause for action pre-
sents itself flows out to meet it. When man
was placed in Eden, God's love had an object upon
which to act, but when the enemy of God, Satan,
by his subtilty, caused Adam to st,. then God's jus-
tice had an object and cause for activity; for God
cannot own or tolerate sin, and the object, Adam,
upon whom His love previously rested with de-
light, becomes now an object upon whom His
justice is forced to act, for God cannot be incon-
sistent with Himself. But love follows its former
object and a promise is made that "the seed of the
woman should bruise the serpent's head." She
who was a part of Adam, and the vehicle through
which sin made its entry, was to become the
vehicle through which God was to bring in a
Deliverer, an object upon which His justice could

; ■! '1

act, instead of upon Adam who deserved it. Be-
fore this divine object was brought into the scene,
God tried man under several tests of responsibility,
but found him a failure. "The end of all flesh "
came before God and He was forced to destroy
man from off the face of the earth by a flood except
Noah and his family. After the flood the sword
of government is given to Noah, but he becomes
a drunkard and the curse of Canaan is the con-
Hequence. The result of this failure under God's
purpose will be the righteous reign of His own
Son in the dispensation of the fulness of times.
Man's presumption shows forth in the building of
the tower of Babel, and God comes with the con-
fusion of tongues to defeat the rising ambitious sin
of man's corrupt heart, but God's ultimate object is
to unite all nations and tongues (subject to Christ)
in declaring the praises of God. As the idolatry
of the nations increases, God calls out an elect
nation in the person of Abraham to witness for
Himself in the idolatrous earth. In answer to this
Jerusalem will be established as the centre and
and witness of God's glory on earth ; Christ on the
throne of David will reign in righteousness ; the
kingdoms of the world will become the kingdoms
of Christ, and the Church of God will reign with
her head over the earth, and this all, as the result
of God's justice acting upon the person of Christ on
the cross of Calvary. The judgment of sin in the
person of Christ, is the grand point upon which
all the purposes of God turn, to bring out His
mind and will to mankind, for after the blessed
Lord goes up to the glory, the Holy Ghost comes
down to earth to reveal the mind and counsels of
God to, and comfort all who are willing to accept
Christ as their Saviour and Substitute.

Ihe Home o( the Soul

The home of the soul 1 how dear to the gaze,
Of faith as it toils in this sin -laden scene ;

How bright to the pilgrim, who yearningly prays,
To be with his Lord, where no clouds intervene.

The home of the soul I that mansion so bright,
Where Heaven's pure light unceasingly shines ;

Where God's blessdd presence banishes night j

There around my Lord's Person, ray poor heart
entwines.

The home of the soul ! 'tis prepared by that One,
Who died on the tree, my soul to redeem,

His precious blood flowed my sins to atone,

And now I've J2w life, though strange it may aeem.

The home of the soul I He is coming for me,
And I wait for the shout that will call to the air,

All His watching ones here, forever to be
With Him in that home. His glory to share.

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Pilgrim Wusings,

PiLGHiM, halting, staff in hand.
Listening for my Lord's command,
Watching, waiting for him herCy
Soon to meet Him in mid ain

Pressing forward to the prize,

To the mansion in the skies.

Expecting to be clothed upon

With heavenly house when this is gone.

Here my path is oft beset.
With foes malignant, cruel, yet
My Risen Head feels all my woes.
And helps me fight who dare oppose.

J- ..

'" 11

The world's dark frovvu, my Father's foe,
The flesh 'gainst Spirit here below ;
The wiles of Satan 'gainst my Lord,
But all I conquer with His Word.

Growing into Christ my Head,
By His strengthening power fed,
Knowing that I e'er grow strong,
Considering Him as I pass along.

GIDEON'S AJiMY.

In the time of Israel's need oppressed by Midian,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, an
humble man, threshing wheat, and pronounced him
a "mighty man of valor." Judges vi. (13) Poor
Gideon pleads his poverty (ver 15) but the promise
of the Lord is to be with him, and at his requests
gives him two remarkable signs to confirm his
faith in the promise that ho should "smite the
Midianites as one man." (ver. 15.) According to the
Lord's command, he collects an army of far too
great numbers for the Lord to work with, for God
delights to do great things with small things and with
small means. The army of thirty-two thousand is
reduced to three hundred under the tests brought
upon it, and these were armed not with weapons of
warfare, but with trumpets and pitchers. Singular
weapons indeed with which a remnant of three
hundred is to put to flight a host of thousands. But
that is God's way of working. Their war cry was
^'the sivordof the Lord and of Gideon." (Chap. vii. 20)
He, Gideon divides that remnant into three com-
panies and placet? them on three sides of the camp
after having gone down as a spy, and heard from one
of their own men that he was the barley cake that
was to tumble in upon the Midianites and discomfit

them. (Yerses 13, 14). And the three companfen
blew the trumpets and brake the pitcKers, and
held the lamps in their left hands and the tnimpots
in their right hands to blow withal, and they cried
"the sword of the Lord and of Gideon" (ver. 19.) The
result was a panic in the camp that set the Midian-
ites fighting with each other and they turned and fled
(ver. 22). Here was a signal victory gained by the
Lord through a small instruinentality, and when we
meditate upon it, we find much to help faith and
afford cause for praise and thanksgiving. We learn
first that God chooses the weak things of this
world to confound the mighty things that
are poor and mean in the sight of man, things
that man places no confidence in God takes
up and wields through them His own mighty
power. Secondly, we learn of the faith of
the instrument used, that God would perform ac-
cording to His promise, and Gideon acting on that
promise see the result. Although Gideon's faith
must be aroused and set in exercise by signs, yet the
lesson loses none of its value to us on that account
How much have we not to arouse and strengthen our
faith upon ? Since Gideon's time tlie blessed Lord
Jesus has been to earth and suffered on the tree,
gone back to heaven and sent down God the Holy
Ghost, who is in every true believer to strengthen
his faith by the application of God's word. Alhough
to sight we have nothing, the power of the spirit
acts upon the heart and understanding to produce
wonderful results. The character of the Adamitr
nature and of the world is revealed, Christ presented
and victory gained over death, hell, and the grave
by the true believer, a greater result than Gideon's
victories.

THE POWER OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

There is a life which the power of this world's cir-
cumstances cannot reach and act upon, alife within.

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^yet the source of it is without and above the soul
that enjoys it, and it can only exiBt where Christ
has a dwelling place. Ho, being eternal, divine,
above time and its varied circumstances, can impart
His life to the soul that fully reposes in Him, and
give it an exalted position above the crushing
depressing power of timely things. How blessed
it is to know and enjo}^ this wondrous place of ex-
clusion from earthly care and spirit-toil. Buoyed
up by faith's exultant wing, the Christian looks at
the turmoil of earth Ath. defiant truimph, and
points to the source of his freedom with a heart of
gratitude and love for the one who went down into
the worst of earthly circumstances and disarmed
them of their power. As the child of God realizes
the wondrous position into which he is brought as
a priest unto God, he sees that he is to walk in his
priestly place undistracted and free from any thing
that may happen that'would draw down the natural
man under its power. Aaron, Eliezei', Tthumar,
were to go on undisturbed in their priestly capacity
though Nadab and Abihu, their brethren, were cut
down for offering "wtrange fire" before the Lord Al-
mighty. May the solemn lesson presented in their
case be to us a valuable one, and fraught with
practical power as to our priestly responsibility
before God. We often hear the plea presented as
an excuse in a measure for failure in walk and
conversation, that "we are creatures of circum-
stances." This will not do for the Christian I Let
his eye be single and his subjection and obedience
to the word of God be simple and practical, and
his circumstances will be goveined by God for him,
instead of their governing him. If he grow careless
and unfaithful, God may allow circumstances to
rush in to force him into his proper place. God
took away the hedge that encircled Job that Satan
might afflict him to drive him nearer God, into a

joul
irist

better state of soul before Him. So often He
allows His own to be chastened in the circumstaces
that they may be more faithful and trustful. If
sickness and death take away a beloved child, re-
lative or friend, it is the way, the circumstances that
God uses to show us the fleeting character of things
here, and draw us out toward Himself who never
changes. Let us then take sides with Him that we
may rise in spirit above the circumstances of this
perishing scene.

DELIVERING TRUTH.

The great need of the present day is, truth that
delivers not only sinners from the bondage of Satan,
sin and death, but Christians from this present evil
world. How cheering to the poor sin laden heart
while groaning under a deep sense of in-bred de-
pravity and of his lost condition as a child of wrath
to fully realize the "blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
from all sin.'' What a load of crushing anxiety
and "fearful looking for of judgment," falls from
his spirit as he bounds into the blessed sense of sins
forgiven I He is delivered, set free bj'^ the blood of
Christ and walks forth to testify as the Lord's free
man, of the wondrous giace that reached him in
his great extremity. He Las believed the truth
of a finished work, an accomplished redemption
and his ransomed soul now delights in singing of
One who died on Calvary that he might live through
all eternity. After he has walked in this redemp-
tion liberty for a time, and the world has thrown
around him its alluring coils, he needs precious
truth to deliver him from its snares, and fit him
for service in the Lord's work. That word " set your
affections [or mind] on things above not on things
on the earth," is of itself a power if obeyed, to raise
the heart from the grovelling influences which so

(5)

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wurround and hinder the Christian in his coarse, if
he allows them to gain power over him. The three
things which Eve saw in the forbidden fruit, are
the sum of the hindrances which beset the Christian.
''It was good for food." Here comes in the lust of
ihe flesh with its long train of desires, its lusts, pas-
sions and excitements which often rise up in the
path of the saint. "It was fair to look upon."
This is the pride of the eye, and when we attempt to
enumerate all its varied alluring temptations to
engross the heart, we are heavily tasked in the ef-
fort. "It was a tree to be desired to make one
wise." What is this but the pride of life, that com-
prises in its range all that long catalogue of human
greatness and man worship which ensnares and
hindei-s the feet of so many of Grod's children.
"These ai'e not of the Father but jf the the worldj''
that special opponent to the Father. Satan espe-
cially opposes Christ, as the flesh opposes the Holy
Spirit, and here we have a triune of opposites
under which the Christian has a common endurance
in his pilgrim iourney. For this he needs delivering
truth daily to help him to successtVilly stand in the
evil day. Then there is selfj the most subtil and
tenacious enemy of his teoul's growth, from which
the cross of Christ has delivered him if he will but
rest in the work done for him and walk in the

Eower of it. The natural egotism of the human
eart is apt to live and become the spring of action
even in the Christian, and it may be he is only
freed by chastening and soourgincr, i^ te; ' of
receiving gladly the simple trutr ' ^ ae is not
his own but is bought with a price . is therfr -e
responsibile to glorify God in l bod^- which
belongs to God by virtue of the re iemption
wrought out in the gift of His Son. How much
anguish of heart would be saved God's children, if
they could walk in the full power of their heavenly

calling by faith with hearts unencumbered and
happy in God's presence. What delivering power
is contained in the admonition to cast all your
care upon God who careth for you. Dear Christian
reader, is your spirit burdened with a multitude of
earthly cares and anxieties that drag you down
under their power and hinder your growth in the
things of God ? If so look away by faith to Christ ;
consider Him who endured so great contradiction
of sinners against himfeclf lest you grow weary and
faint in youi' mind. Allow God to deliver you
through the power of His own word applied by the
Holy Spirit. You have a rich income through
Christ if you will but live up to it.

Christ on the Iree.

Jebus, my Saviour, on the cross,
Once was crucified and slain,

For me He counted all things loss,
To bring in my eternal gain.

The life, the blood He shed for me.
To pay a ransom for my soul.

By bemg bound He set me free ;
He broken was, to make me whole.

The work was finished, wholly done ;

Can I do ought my soul to save ?
My Substitute was that dear One,

The work to do Himself He gave.

Why now should I attempt to do ?

Why to detract from His rich blood ?
This thought may I e*er keep in view,

He saved me from the wrath of God.

•I

Irust in ithnst

We trust in Christ our risen Head^
In Him who on the cross has bled

Our ransom to secure ;
Within the veil, by faith, we dwell,
And know ** 'tis with believers well,"

That our salvation's sure.

As pilgrims and as strangers here,
As members of Himself so dear,

He nourishes with care ;
His lif*^ sustains each member now,
0ur power to walk froi^ Him doth flow.

He doth our trials share.

If persecuted for His sake,

He soon our cause doth undertake,

** 'Tis I who sufiers thus '' ;
Our burden falls, our hearts arise,
On faith's light wings we reach the skies j

From ill He rescues us.

■(

THE NARROW WAY IN CONTRAST WITH THE

BROAD WAY

The narrow way of salvation leads upward toward
God, but the broad wav of death leads downward
toward the lake of fire. Man's race of life ends in
one of these two extremes : God's presence, the as-
sociations of saints and angels in glory, power to
reign with Christ through the millennium, and the
enjoyment of the eternal state, in the highest de-
gree of happiness, is the portioii of him who walks
on the narrow way after he has entered by Christ
the door, The other alternative is, a life of *'Fear
ful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation
which shall devour the adversaries," while in this
world the assocation of damned spirits until the
second resurrection at the white-throne judgment,

— ^^^

and a finul and eternal portion in the lake of fire f
What a contrast I Yet true, for God's Word says
it. TiiiH wide difference in the eternal condition
of man hinges upon the little point of time he pa«seH
in this scene. How short indeed is man's life,
though it reach a century, compared to the never-
ending eternity of weal or woe to which he is has-
tening ! There is no repentance in the grave
"whither you goost," is the soul-searching sentence
upon the unrepentant life of the man of the world,
"To go and be with Christ, which is far better," is
the blessed privilege of the one who is wiiiing to
"To take up his cross and count all things but loss,"
for the excellency that is in Christ.

Oh yes, reader, there is more real comfort and
joy beaming into the heart in one moment of fellow-
ship with Him than a life time of earthly time
service. The many of this world throng the broad
way, while a comparative /et^ have thr eye of faith
looking upwards to the realms of bliss and happiness

'^Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands fiock together there )
But Wisdom shows the narrow path,
With here and there a traveller."

*'As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made
alive," is deep solemn truth that settles the ques-
tion with every soul born into the world. "If any
man be in Christ be ie a new [creation] creature j"
he has, by believing in Christ, passed from the old
Adamic condemned state, into the new, redeemed,
pardoned state, an'l there is "thei-efore no condem-
nation to them that are in Christ Jesus," for they
have sprung from death unto life, and are "quick
ened, who were once dead in trespasses and sins."
They can now cry, "Abba, Father," having the
Spirit of adoption, and have become joint-heirs with
Jes^us Christ to an inheritance "Incorruptible, un-

'A.

defiled, and that fadeth not away." Not so with
the sinner out of Christ. He can lay claim to no-
thing of God until he comes to Christ. His por-
tion is that which Satan gives, and which meets the
eternal disapproval of God. H© is like a criminal
under sentence of death awaiting execution, and
to whom pardon is offered and freedom from the
sentence gained upon acceptance of the pardon.
If he rejects the pardon, he suflers eternal death as
a punishment. Reader, in which way are you tra-
velling? In the narrow way that leads into the
l)resence of Christ ov in the broad way that ends
in the lake of fire and the company of iSatan and
his angels ? Ponder well the questions.

lo Faiths

Bright blessed Faith, through thee we view
The prize our souls so much desire ;

Thy buoyant wing bears us to Him
Who fills our hearts with holy fire :

And calls us forth, in prayer and praise.

The songs of triumph here to raise.

Through thee the mighty plans of God
Before our wondering eyes are seen

In bright review, to cheer our hearts.
To fill the interval between

Hit going up and coming down,

To take His Bride to wear her crown.

►f*"^

The rapturous songs by thee are heard,
As heavenward she soars her Lord to meet.

And ^s she toils on earth below,
With throbbing heart and hastening teet.

To thee she owes those glances bright

Of Him in whom she doth delight.

MMiBii

1th
no-

Ipor-
the

iinal
and
the

[don.

bh as
tra-
the

ends
and

My life, Jfly Light By AIL

O Lord ! my Life, my Light, my All,
How can I serve Thee as I ought ?

May my poor heart await each call
Of Thine, by Thine own Spirit taught.

May every earthly thought and theme
Be banished from affection's realm,

And on my heart Thy presence beam.
Each rising storm of earth to calm.

The heavenly mind Vd wear while here.
In Christ to walk and move and live }

Each passing hour His Name revere,
As forward to the mark I strive.

On Faith's bright pinions oft I'd soar
To Him who, seated on the throne.

Is waiting, soon to come with power,
To claim and take ire as His own.

;|fi

THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CHRISTUKS.

The Christian has the same relationships in thits
world as Christ had when He was on earth. As
Christ came from above, from the bosom of the
Father, so is the Christian born from above ; and
us Christ was a pilgrim and a stranger here, "de-'
spiffed and rejected of men," so will the Christian
be to that degree that he manifests the life of Christ
in his path down here. The relationships of nature
and the bondage of the world's associations, are
severed as to position before G-od when grace
comes into the soal, for, corrupted as they arc
by the sin of Adam, and condemned of God,
there can be no fellowship between them and
the new life, so that the child of God finds a neces-
sity of sepcrating from them, and looking to his

■< c

t. I

pi- i

•A

risen Lord for at^sociation and comfoit while in this
scene. And why is thi.^ truth so strikingly pro-
minent in the experience of the child of God ? Be-
cause the world is directly opposed to his Father ;
it is guilty of the murder of Christ — and " all
that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, and
the lu-t of the eves, and the pride of life is
not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John
ii. 16). *^If any man love the world the love of the
Father is not in him" (1 John ii. 15). Instead of
being a child of wrath, condemned in the Adam
state, he is now an heir of glory, adopted into the
family of Grod and having an inheritance "incor-
ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." He
is now called to "Walk by faith and not by sight,"
und, as his hopes and y)ro8pect8 are heavenly, just
in proportion as he enters upon, by faith, what is
in score for him, will he feel the contrast presented
by the sin-seared condition of the scene. His po-
sition is a peculiar one, singular in the sight of the
world, and often he has to hear the sneer of con-
tempt at his simplicity, and lack of fcact to meet
the cunning craft of wicked men. But "the ser-
vant is not above his master, nor the disciple above
his Lord," and as the world perwecuted and would
not have Christ, hi? Head, so will it rejettt him.
True, natural affection calls out his heart toward his
kindered, but when their influence stands between
his soul and God, he is called to foi'sake even them
iii'.il hold fast to his new relationships. Being as-
sured by the Woi*d of God that He is well-pleased
with His Son, so will he find joy and comfort in
having his affections set upon the person of Christ,
and as he contemplates Him as the One through
whom all his comfort flows, so will he find in Him
a satisfying portion, and a fulness that meets his
utmost need. He is a citizen of a heavenly rejUn%
hence his citi'/enship in this sccLe closes as to the

dominion of this world. He has no part or lot in
the political issues of the Gentile times, for he looks
through the prophetic telescope of the Word of
God, and sees the course of this world's empire,
culminating in the elevation of the Man of Sin, and
his destruction by the coming of Christ, in the last
days, with His Church, to set up the millennial king-
dom. He cannot have tellowship with the bu.sy
intrigues and scheming efforts of worldly men to
govern in the world, for his hope is to reign with
Christ when He comes to assert His power and to
ovei*throw the present state of things. He has the
Holy Ghost dwelling within him, and the prompt-
ing power which He brings to bear upon the con-
science, keeps the believer reminded of hia heaven-
13^ calling, and the prospect of a heavenly inherit-
ance beyond this scene. May our hearts be often
cheered at the thought that we are cut off from the
connections of this corrupt world, for here every-
thing is passing and perishing, while our eye of
faith looks forward to the glory, to an inheritance
incorruptible, undeliled, and that fadeth not away.
Amen.

jiFly Home lip Ihere.

Why should I be clinging to what is down here ?
My home is in Tieaven — my High Priest is there;
He has gone up before me, a place to prepare,
That, when He comes for me, His throne I may share.

This world is a wilderness — its best offers are

But dross, when compared with the poorest up there 4

My poor heart is weary of all that I see ;

I long iu the presence of Jesus to be.

I know He will soon come ; the time hastens on,
When weary ones, now here, with Him will be gone ;
The shout they'll soott hear, the trump will soon sound,
The faithful on earth will no more be found.

(6)

■'f I

liVTll E.^COUHAGKD BY BOAZ.

" TfieLojcI recompense thy work, and a full reward
!>e given tliee of the Loid God of Israel, under
whose wings thou art come to trust" (Ruth ii. 12).
Ruth, the Moahitess, had left her home, her
c'ountiy, liei* people, her gods and all, to follow
Naomi into a strange hind ; and she had avowed
hei- (loclarafion to follow after her mother-in-law,
and the (iod of Israel, in these beautiful and
touching words, " And Ruth said, Intreatme not to
leave thee, or to return fi-om following after thee ;
for whither thou goest 1 will go, and where thou
lodgest J will lodge, thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God " (Ruth i. 16). How full of
simple faith are these words: "So they two went
until they came to Bethlehem " (vei*. 16). Faith
brought them back to the land of plenty, where
dwelt Boaz, a mighty man of wealth. Ruth asks
permission of Naomi to glean in the fields of this
'' mighty man of wealth," as she said, " After him
in whose sight I shall find grace." Here again was
benutiful faith. In whose sight I shall find grace.
Faith looked forw^ard and laid hold of a blessing of
grace. " And she went, and came, and gleaned in
the field after the reapers; and her hap was to
light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz.
wlio was of the kindied of Elimelech (chap. ii. 7).
Boaz finds her, asks who she is, is tald ; had heard
of her ari'ival in Bethlehem with Naomi, and per-
mits, yea, even urges her to glean in his fields after
his maidens, and encourages her in the words of
our text. Her confident response shows the sim-
plicity of her faith. " Then she said, Let me find
favour in thy sight, my lord, fbi- thou hast com-
forted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly
unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one
of thine handmaideoa " (verse 13).

ward

11 id or

12).

, lior

Ibllovv

owed

hiw,

I and

not to

thee ;

5 thou

eople,

full of

D went

Faith

where

h asks

of this

;er him

ain wan

I grace.

wing of

ined in

was to

) Boaz.

.. ii. 7).

i heiird

id per-

ds after

ords of

tie sim-

ae find

it com-

riendly

nto one

Boaz eiK'Ourages her with further promises, and
her heart is at I'est and satistied. How rich in
typical represeiitation of Christ and the Chuich, is
this simple nariative ! Each memljer of Christ and
tlie Cliuich, which is His Bride in j)rosi)ect, has
left CaiiiV counlry, with its gods and ]>leasures, its
honors jind titles, its distinctions and fancied con-
soquence, jjnd followed by faith into the land of
plenty, wheie dwells Jesus Christ, the true Boaz.
whose right it is to redeem ; and hears Him say,
'• Behold I stand at the dooi and knock, if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in
to him, and will sun with him ;md he with me "
(Bev. iii. 20). How blessed is such encourage-
ment ! Boaz could invoke the blessing of Israel's
God upon the head oi Buih. The Lord Jesus gives
us communion with Himself, and the promise that,
to him that oveicometh will I grant to sit with Me
on M3' throne, even as I also overcame, and am set
down with my Father on His throne.

Buth reposed at the feet of Boaz, the Christian
waits at the feet of Christ to have His mind and
will. Boaz became the head of Ruth to whom she
could, in lier dej)endence and need, turn and tind
a rich supply. The Lord Jesus is our Head and
Supply, and as Boaz became the husband of Ruth,
so Christ is to be our Husband. He is now sitting
on His Father's throne, ''waiting until His enemies
become His footstool." After He comes and takes
up His Bride, the Church, He will take His own
throne, place lier on it, and appear upon an aston-
ished earth, to rule in equity during the millen-
nium. The Lord grant that, as pilgrim members
of Himselt, we may enter by Jiaith often into the
divine realities placed before us in the Word, and
which we ara to enjoy when He comes for us. This,
too, in the face of a constant succession of events
and circumstances in thit scene, that tell us to the

H"^ i

f. i

contrary ; in the midst of a world that promises so
much, and performs nothing ; that while it pre-
nents a fair array of enticing offers to the Christian^
itj as heartless and deceptive as its offers are fair,
which has nothing in it to give the Christian real
joy or pleasure, and which is hastening on to judg-
ment and certain destruction.

THE RETURN OF THE JEWS.

The return of the Jews to Palestine, is an event
creating much interest at this time, in connection
with the eastern question. There is no doubt that
the central object in all the movements in the East
is the development of Grod's purposes with refer-
ence to the Jews as a nation, for He overrules in
nations, though satanic agenoy, and craft are ap-
parently controlling the current of events. It is
a scriptural fact that they are to return under the
patronage of Gentile dominion, but their condition
and attitude toward God, will be that of apostacy
and unbelief. As a nation they now reject God's
Christ, the only true ground of reconciliation to
God, and are accepting means and measures at the
hand of God's enemies, and by crafty policy are
putting forth gigantic efforts to the restoration of
as many Jews to Palestine as are willing to enter
into tho schemes and plans, man ward, to effect
that end.

The only known Jews, at the present time, are
the remnants of Judah and Benjamin, the two
tribes that were brought out of captivity from
Babylon, to rebuild the Temple and City of Jeru-
salem, under Ezra and Nehemiah. The object of
this return was that the Messiah might be born
and appear as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He
came as predicted by the Old Testament prophets,
was rejected by the nation, and to the sin of pride

and stiif-iieckedness, they added that of the murder
of their Messiah. At the present day they look
upon Him aa an impostor, and in their blindness
and rebellion of heart, they will be brought back
to their own land, and there accept a false Christ,
Satan's Christ, in fulfilment of the Lord's own
words, " I come in the Name of My Father, and ye
received me not, one shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive."

This will be the result of the condition of soul
in which they are returning ta their own land.
They are working through the various instrumen-
talities which they are employing, in a way to
deceive even the religious world, and enlist much
aid and sympathy from the nations at large, and
as they will be* much deceived themselves, so will
they in turn deceive others. Take for instance the
policy of Lord Beaconsfield, in the Ministerial
Government of England, at the present time. A
glance at his past history will show that he is an
instrument, raised up quite in character with the

E)8ition of the Jews at the present time. As
'Israeli, the novelist, he first attained popularity,
and a Parliamentary position, and from one thing
to another, until he is now Prime Minister and a
peer of the English realm. His policy in the
Eastern Congress has resulted in securing a British
protectorate over the Jewish interests in the East,
and the establishment of a Jew as Governor of the
Province of Palestine, it is said. Hence the weal
or woe of England with reference to the East, is
all to hinge upon the result of Jewish policy. This
is an important point to pause and meditate upon.
Whatever may be the current of the world's policy
the intelligent Christian is to step out of it and
judge its character by the Woi*d of God ; and that
Word plainly shows that when the fig-tree begins
to put forth her leaves we may know that summer

•♦

- * I

]s nigh. The Jewi^li nation is here meant by the
tig-tree, and then we read that tlie other trees will
also put forth their leaves, which is true of the old
Eastern nations, beginning to rine into activity, now
that the Jews are flocking home to their ancient
land mai'ks. This brings us to the important
thought that C^hrist is coming, for summei' is nigh.
In the light of His coming we are to view all thene
}>nssiiig events, and measure their accomplishment
onl}- as links in the great chain of jDurpose in which
(rod is dealing toward man, that He may bring in
blessing in His own way, thiough the reign of His
own Son, whom He hath ordained to rule until He
hath ]»ut all enemies under His feet. And now,
wd»at is the order oi" events, as Scripture presents
ihem, in connection with the return of the Jews?
First, the Church is to he caught up out of this
scei.e, and the dead saints raised; secondly, the
Anti-Christ is to be revealed, who will deceive the
Jews by his jMOtensions, who will be himself a Jew
(for they cannot accept any one as theij- Messiah,
who does not come through the line of Judah), and
then in quick succession the seal, vial and trumpet
judgments, foretold in the Revelation, the prophecy
of the two witnesses dui ing the first-half of Daniel's
seventieth week of Jewish time, the bieaking of
the covenant b3 the Anti Chiist in the middle of
the M'cck, and then at the clote of this week of
se\en }eais, the Lord Himself will appear on the
sc( ne and ovei throw the beast and false prophet ,and
destroy their army by the brightness of His coming.
Reader, (^hrist is coming, the summer itt nigh ! Are
you ready ? Think over this question. Aie you
leady for the pre^ence of Cliiist ? If your heart
shrinks at the question, if youaie not leady iov
His pi esence, accept Him now where He is as your
Risen Saviour, and when He comes you will not
lament His comintr.

ill
)ld

low

lit

latit

eiit
ich
in
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ow,
entH

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the
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and
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the
,and

PRIKSTCRAIT AND PRIESTHOOD.

There \h h wide di Terence between the prioHtcraft
of man and the priesthood of the Christian. The
former is the result of man netting liimseli'in posi-
tion over liis fellow-man with assumed power to
dictate as t()sj)iritual interostn and rule matters of
conscience according to man, and thus bring into
bondage and man-worship all who are weak and
foolish enough to be blindly led of the blind.
Christian priesthood is a position before (xod of
|)erfect liberty to worship in spirit and in truth,
the true God who is a spirit, who claim-, and has a
right to claim, the worship an<l adoration of all
created intelligences, and is a jealous God allowing
no other gods or objects of worship before Him.
The cause of the prevelance of priestciaft is an eleva-
tion of man as man, upon an educate<l basis without
the new creation in Christ, and the pi-actise of cun-
ningand duplicityto keep in ignorance blind votaries
who are more willir>g to accept the pretensionsof man
in outward performance, than the Word of God in
faith and beliet in the Lord .Jesns (Christ. Priesthood
in Christ, is the right of every individual Christian
to worship within the veil and look to God himself
or herself as singly responsible to God for his or
her walk and conversation as well as the exerci>e
of faith and the knowledge of God which he is
pleased to favor them with. It is easily weakened
and set aside by looking to man, and getting into
sleepiness of soul as to growth in grace and a know-
ledge of God, and whenever spiritual stupor comes
over a Christian, the most available trap of Satan
ready for him as an ease to his conscience is, wor-
ship by proxy through some appointed head in
man, and an admiration of man's cleverness instead
of worship of the true God in spirit and in truth.
Let us as Christians be aware of this difference and
profit accordingly.

,i ■

v» u

I ^ I

a ^

Ihat Day.

That day is coming, when the Lord,
Will from His Father's throne,

Descend with that assembling word.
To call from earth His own.

With archangel voice and trump of God,

He'll bring them to the air ;
Thence to the royal courts above,

To yonder mansions fair.

He's spoken, and He will perform ;

Will change these bodies vile.
Will keep His own from judgment's storm,

When ends this " little while."

Then let us onward, upward, press.

The mark in view to gain j
The prize awaits the winner's race j

May we not run in vain.

Ihe Bible.

God's Holy Word, a sacred treasure j
His mind revealed to erring man j

A mine of wealth, of boundless measure.
Too vast for human lore to scan.

Nought found in earl*^, iu air or sky,
But finds its mea? are in that Word ;

No state of mind do we descry,

But proves the assertions of our Lord.

Or saint, or sinner, by His fruit.
Confirms the Word how varied e'er ;

No state in life, l)ut it can suit

As proof, that God rules everywhere.

Then let us to His Word give heed.
When tried by Satan, flesh or world j

Rest in its truths to meet our need.
Though

'gainst it all hell's art be hurled.

CHRISTIANS AND POLITICS.

The question of OhridtianH taking a pai-t in tho
political iHsues of the timeH,i8,or ought to be,acieeply
woriouBone in the mind ofe very one who i« willing to
take the place of rejectiori with a crucified and
risen Christ. A glance at the Chi-istian's position
before God, is enough to settle the matter in the
mind of every one who is willing to take that posi-
tion. What is a Christian ? He is one who owns
Jesus Christ as Lord and Euler instead of the prince
of the power of the air, and the rulei- of the darkness
of this world. His citizenship is in heaven from
whence he looks for the Saviour, who he expects will
come for him to take him out of this scene to be
ever with himself. His hopes are heavenly, and
on earth he is a pilgrim, having no continuing
city but seeking one to come. He is a member oi'
the Church which is the b(xly of Christ, owning
Him as head. He is one who is to expect tribula-
tion here as His Lord endured, and one who must
expect to be looked upon by the world as a useless
nobody, as incapable of enjoying its honors and
pleasures, having no heai t or desires for its vain
show and empty offers. He is one who has cruci-
fied the flesh with its affections and lusts, and is
looking for the coming of Christ, the true head of
Church, to change and fashion this body and make
it like His own glorious body. This is the normal
condition of the true Christian looked at as the
scripture views him, though poorly he may take
this place and live in the power of it. Where then
can he find satisfaction and delight, in the turbulent
sea of human fleshly contact, called politics. He
may accept and act n^on the plea that it is right
to seek to put the best man into oflSce that there
may be wise government, &c. This line of argument
is fleshly leasoning and not an expression of God's

(7)

.^p! I '

t houghts about it. Ti-ue it iw that God has ordainod
or ordered the powers that be, but their character
befoie Ilirn is liot clianged as to human eifort, and
they are ordered for the suppression of human
weakness and transgression, and not foi* the expres-
sion of God's mind and will, or for a testimony for
Himself Thisordinationofthe powers that be,begins
and ends with earthly things and has to do with time
and sense excluf^ively in the restriction of those
elements which might rise up to hiiider the work-
ing (^ut of God's purposes in gi-ace. Hence human
wisdom is the important ingredient and motor in
their execution and goes no farther than life in the
flesh, as Children of A(him. But the Christian's
sphere of subjection and submission is to a heavenly
Ruler, to Chiist in the glory, who as Head of the
Church His bodv, rules and C(mtj'ols His member-
ship by the Holy Ghost and the Word of God, when
there is a willingness to be thus ruled and controled.
O how important it is to see the distinction between
human and divine authority. It is the entering
into this thoughtfully, and faithfully, that takes
the Christian out of the spirit and life of the old
creation, and sets him into his true place as asso-
ciated with a risen heavenly Christ. When once
In the full enjoyment of this heavenly liberty
what grovelling bondage it becomes to his spirit, to
fall back amid the beggarly e'ementh of political
strife and carnal ambition. What can he reap but
corruption, if he sows to the flesh, in the strifes of
a world under condemnation and hastening on to
judgment, and which would not have the Lord
Jesus to rule over it, He who is the Christian's
legitimate, rightful Ruler .id Head.

Deai' Christian reader, »re you willing to thus
take your place with Him, and resist the tempting
serpentine offering of a false delusive world ? He
has promised to be enough foi you as provider for

nSi^

lod
\{er
[md
ban

for

your needs and porter of your care^, toilw and bur-
dens, while you are hero in tlie world, and ont;
w ho will never forsake you, and will you eompromise
this place of sal'et}-, by strUiint, hands with a class
of influences and responsibiiitios, which lermiiuite
in open opposition to (lod in the last days, and
which lend to drag down and neutialize your
spiritual energies and render you earthly, sensual
and destroy your testimony for Christ? The ques-
tion is before you. Choose yc this day whom ye
will serve and follow whether it be the bidding
and course of a condemned scene, «•]' of a risen and
glorified Christ.

GOD'.^ DIVINE ORDER.

OoD has chosen His own order and way by which
to come down in blessing to man, and when this
order is observed by man. God is ever ready to
reward him richh'. As man, br disobedience,
forfeited the innocency of Kden, in accordance
with a divine promise God present'^ His only Be-
gotten Son as a way of salvation and reconcilia
firm. Man's condition now, in Adam, being that
of a condemned criminal awaiting his execution.
God will have hlr^ to be saved ; hence oeuds par-
don, and reconciliation, and peace, and jequires n«>
other fulP'TT iut on man's part, than implicit
Jaitb in the Loi\i Jesus Christ, (iod's order now
is to accept nothing of man as good, but what He
produces through the power of tlie Holy Ghost
acting in man, and all that the natural man can
produce, is as filthy rags, not owned of God Ije-
cause the product of a condemned nature. It is
for man to see his loFt, condemned, ^tate in Adam,
accept Crnist as his Sacrifice nnd Substitute, then
God, the Holy Ghost, comes iii and takes up His

.. I

Tf?

1
1

■i

ifbode in man (wondrous truth) ; an(i thon ('an man
become a vehicle through which God can work by
the Holj' Ghost, to bring forth fruit to Tlis own
glory. TFkiB is God's divine oi'der iii the salvation
and usefulness of man. It is then that the Holy
Ghost becomes to man the Teacher and Comforter,
to lead into all truth, and to comfort him in
the wilderness world through which he is pas-
sing, and to draw out his heart in praise,
worship and thanksgiving. By the power of the
Holy Glu^st the believing heart is able to enter
within the vail, and feed upon the old corn of the
land, where the flesh carjiot come, and where he
can sit t(.>gether with tiie fjiithful in Christ, and
cjiter in by faith into the joy of his risen Head in
the heavenlies.

How needful to see this order, and listen to what
God sny^ about us and about Christ in Ris Word.
Xo reasoning of nan can set aside that word oi*
substitute any other plan of salvation, " For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ."

R(mder, if you are out of Christ, yet unsaved,
take God at JBLis word, and " lean not to thine own
understanding,'" and you will see the truth as it is
in Christ Jesus Amen.

THE REALITY OF A JilSEN CHRIST.

The more the Christian enteis into the reality of a
risen Christ, the clearer will be his perception of
what he is as of a new creation in Christ. To see
a Saviour on the cioss, beaiing my sins in redemp-
tion, is indeed precious and very comforting; but
to see Him as my Rise?i Head, a glorified Man,
seated at the j'ight hand of the Majesty on high,
completes my joy, and brings me out into a full,

clear intelligence of the position into wliich thaf
redemption has brought mo.

It was no small thing, dear reader, for Him to
suffer, as much as the fact is passed lightly by, but
that act of suffering has sufficed, by its completion
in i-esui rection, to bring many sons to glory; and
as Christ waii " the firstborn among many brethren.'
His act of humiliation has not only surrounded His
blessed Person with a galaxy of redemption
glories, but has raised into brotherhood, with Him-
self, such worms of the dust as you and I, reader;
if we have fully believed on Him for salvation.
He is risen for our justification, after going into
death that He might trample underfoot the last
enemy which Satan uses in this socne, even death
iteeli.

It is well to note .some peculiar features of Hi ^
resurrection from the dead. He was a very man,
ii"»t a spirit, (Luke xxiv. 39) ; one that ate fish and
honeycomb after he had risen (verse 42) ; showed
His hands and feet, with the prints of the nails as

E roof of His possessing flesh and bones, (1)ut no
lood, for that was the life that connected Him
with this scene poured out,) and, when doubting
Thomas would be convinced b}- nothing but the evi-
dence of the senses, the Lord says, "reach hither
thy finger and behold my hands, and ronch hither
thy hand and thrust it into my side, ard be not
faithless but believing " ( John xx. 27).

It was only after He rose from the dead that Ho
calls the disciples Brethren. He says to Mary, go
tell my brethren that I have not yet risen unto my
God and your Grod. They could not be brethren
before He suffered, as He was among them as King
of the Jews, was not then first born am(mg many
brethren. What constitutes a biother in Christ,
is one thpt (to faith of coui'so) has died in Chri.-st,
and now raised with Him lives on the resurrection

.! \\

li !

side of the /[^ruvo, leady to ex<;laini, O death where
is thy stin^? grave, thy vielory ? He became the
tii'wt fruits of them that slept, and by entering into
nian'is condition a.^ a condemned criminal, he con-
quers every foe and rineis triumphant overdeath,heil
an<i the grave, and the believej' htandis justified as a
fruit ol the place in which Chri-t is now for him.

>
^

HEAVENLY JOYS AND EJIiTIILY HOPES

There are two classes of prospect constantly pre-
sented to the Christian while jouineyingthrough
this world, and these aie the joys of heaven and
the hopes and prospects of earth. How necessary
ibr him to see the foice of this, and enter into
judgment over his afl'ectionH, as to their direction,
whether ujnvard — Godward, o;- downward — earth-
ward. Uj.on the object of his heart's occupation
depend.s the formation of hiv rharactcj', for he will
take charactei- liom that object, and his enjoy-
ment or his misery will result from the kind of
character which is formed in his soul. If his mind
is oaithward, he becomes coveton:-, miserly and
gjasping, hence miserable. It his mind is set on
things above, he is light heai ted, buoyant, joyous
nnd hapjiy. This is a sure result, as proven one
way or the other, in the life ofeveiy human being
on the face of the earth. Many think that if they
])()8sessed abundance of eartlijy riches it would be
a source of happiness to them, and they begin,
and plunge on in the gieat stream of human effort
aftei wejilth and when acquired it is sure to prove
a chain to hind their hearts to earth, and hindej'
their minds from beaming upward to Christ the
source of true enjoyment. This applies especially
to Christians who have begun to run well and have
turned back f om a heavenly course, toward earth
and earthly things. Render, how is it with you?

ere
'the
Into

pOJl-

jhoil

ilia u

prc-

are you U-yinhf to riatisfy an immortal soul, with
the husks of the far country, while so much reraainn
to be enjoyed in heaven, in the Father's house, and
to be entered into by faith •*v^hile you are yet in
this scene? Can you not lift up your heart from
earth and its perishing otters and count them dung
that you may win Christ? If you do, great will
be your leward ! a reward too far above the power
of this world to imitate, fai- beyond its I'lchest
offers. There is a longing in every heart, o dy to
be filled by Clirist himself, and the sooner you
allow him to satisfy it will you attain time happi-
ness. When he becomes the satisfying portion, the
chains which bind your heait to earth, will snap
asunder, and you go forth a fi ee man to tell out the
joy which has spiung up in your own soul. May
this contrast between heavenly and earthly things
be often presented to your spirit, and its valuable
lesson gleaned and applied.

»fei

4 1'

THE DJSCIPLKS (jN THE Hi WAY TO EMMA VS.

There is a beautiful compaiison between the Lord
Jesus going after the two disciples, on their way
to Em mans, and bringing them back to Jei-usalem,
and the departure of the Christian away from God,
and the Lord, by the Holy Ghost, following and
bringing him back again into communion with the
Father. The disciples turn in and constrain Him
to tarry with them, and He is known to them in
breaking of bread, as a blessed approval of the
place they were in, and a place in which He could
have full fellowship with them. How faithful is
the Lord nmo, in honoring any little M;or/c done in
His name, and in accordance with His mind and
will, if done with an eye sin;j;le to His ;.<lory. They
did not tarry at home that night, but straightway

wont up to Jerusalem, where they Ibuiid the eleven
gathered together, and to whom they related the
account of the Htrange interview the Lord had with
them. Christians oftejp have an Emmauy of some
kind to wander away to, but the tender, watchful
f cai e of the Risen Head, over His truant members,
will ever follow and search them out in their wan-
derings, to constrain them to return to their true
place of fellowship and love. He is ever faithful
to them through all their unfaithfulness ; ever
ready to rejoice their hearts by the power of Hits
presence, and reveal Himself to them as the chief
object of attraction and love, if they will but turn
in and sup with Him in communion and fellowship
of love. And when He has fully restored the
wundering one, and revealed Himself as the One
able to meet e\ery need ; He brings him into fel-
lowship with those flavored ones whom His soul
lovelh, and who dwell within the circle, where He
is the source of light and J03'. The Lord Jesus
asked the disciples at Jerusalem, when He appear-
ed unto them after the two had returned and were
with the eleven, '• Why are ye troubled, and why
do thoughts arise in your hearts? " It was because
they were not entering fally into the blessed circle
of which Jesus is the life and power, and where
Ills presence rules the heart. But as soon as His
presence is fully felt by them, and their confidence
Nettled wholly on Him, their hearts are at lest ; no
iiaiTOwing thoughts i-ising to mar their peace and
disturb the holy calm on their spirits. So now
with us. If we are living daily in communion with
God, and dswlling within the circle of the felt pre-
sence and power of our risen Head, theje need be
no anxious thoughts to mar our peace and disquiet
our hearts.

'rff^ REOQGNITION OF THE OM MDY AT THE

jxiiYij,. :) ri

LORD'S Table:

■j:jiv;i:

,\ .«

The object before the soul it the L6rd'« table, Irt/i
dead Christ. In tkat One, clothed in the habilimenlH
of death; wia «ee Him in two distinct abpects, most
pi'ofitable foy the soul td meditate upon. We irs^
see the i^iVing tip of Hi nisei f to be made sin that
death mi^htcom^ in, as Satan's last weftjjoii; that
a sacrifice might be offei-ed to' meet the claims oi
God^ righteous judgment ; aiid all t^ is fdv u^. How
it does humble the heart to view the death of
Christ in thte aspect. Dead fbr me! Thefe He
lies ! The High and Holy One, the Creator of the
univei'se, the eternal 'Son of God, lying tiiere under
the power ^^fdefith, that *We |iliight have eternal
life. In pi'6porti<)n' as we enter itito the magnitude
and importance of His deajth to meet our need, so
will we feel our own utter nathingu0&8. IJow, slet
UH turn to the other aspect, whiQh shows all that
is connected with this scene in us, put to deft th in
Him. Ill the purpose of Grody every true Christian
is seejfi going through, in <yhrist^. all th)^t He went
through. When He 'shed His' Jblood He pofured
out ail that conn ecfcetlHiiSa with • tjais fc»cene, as a
man in the fie^, ilD?' <SThis life, is in the blood*?'
When He rose irom the dead- He entered into, $.
new creation, tfpon wliioh HisinipQSsible to< take
the penal tieti which attach to siXk Hi thia scene. Now,
'' Heath hath ho more don^i#2^n ove? Him, in that
He died unto sin once.''' Tliis 4s important i^r us to
enter ipto. '' N€)Wj if^ werjbe dead with Him j we be-
lieve that we {shall also .\v(e witb» Him ". ; (tRom.
vi, ,8). ; ■ :,._ - ■ ... •,,.. r.:-.^ .•;•:•" /'-•- •:

The belieyer goesinto His death, "Thatliko as
Christ was raiaS. up fir<^pi, the dead by the giory
of the Father, even so w^p^lso siiould walk in few-
ness of life" (verse 4). Thus, in looking upon a

ifi

dead Christ, we see all put to death that connects
us with the old Adam, as seen in the purpose of
God. Hence, as a consequence, we recognize the
One Body J as all ground upon which we might
divide ; to exalt self or bring in our own schools of
opinion, is judicially gone. Solemn thought t
]rfothing left around which the busy efforts of the
flesh can gather. This thought is verv clearly
seen in 1 <x>r. xi. The Corinthians had lost the
power of the truth of the One Body, and had be-
gun to gather around men-centres upon a fleshly
ground. The Apostle, to meet their need, brings
in the death of Christ at the table of the Lord, to
show that in viewing Him as dead, they saw all
that connected them to this scene (in God's sight)
was to be reckoned in the place of death ; hence
the recognition of the One Body would, as a neces-
sary consequence, unite, and keep them from
dividing into sects and parties.

The necessity of self-examination comes in be-
fore going to the Loi-d's table ; ^* For he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh
damnation (or judgment — see margin) to him-
Hclf, not discerning the Lord's Ixwy." There
can be no real judgment of the flesh without see-
ing it judicially put to death on the cross, hence
the necessity of discerning the Lord's body in
death, as a reminder or evidence of the judgment
of the flesh in the sight of God. Then we have,
not only the exhibition of Christ's love, brought
powerfully home to our hearts with power to hum-
ble us, precious as that is, but the evidence before
us of our being dead with Christ, and the flesh
nailed to the cross, in His own blessed Person. We
must enter fully into, and not lose sight of the mo-
mentous fact, that in God's sight we, as membera
of ChHst, go through all His sufferings with Him,
and when He offered Himself as a Sacrifice, we

oaoh individually in Him, brought Him as the
Atonement for our souls, as typified in the half-
shekel gift in Exodus xxx.

There is nothing that severs the heart so much
from this scene, or sets the affections free to be set
upon things above, as the entering by faith into the
purposes of Qod in Christ before the foundation of
the world. There must be "a complete subjection
of the flesh, however, that th^ Holy Spirit may
have power to lead out the heart from self, from
the world, from everything connected with the
Adam state, and centre it upon Christ and the mind
of the Father concerning Ilinti,

There will then be ho di^culty in unaei*9tanding
the doctrii^e of the, word concerning the Church in
Christ. All fleshly reasonings, ml judging God
will be put away, the eye of fkith be clear, the un-
derstanding strengthened, And the heart satisfied,
under th^ blessed application of th^ Word oy the
Holy Ghost. It is under the teaching and ^pli-
cation of the truths of the Wokl by the Holy
Ghost, that We are enabled to grow up into Christ,
our Living Heild.

May we be enabled to wdlk aher the Sp^ii, that
we may get God's mind about what His Word de-
clares. If every child of God could see what he
really is, a member of the mystical body of Christ,
(seen in the one loaf), and what it i^ to gather to
His name, there would be little of that so point-
edly condemned by the Holy Ghost in 1 Cor. iii.
It is local, earthly considerations which divide
ChnstianS) and hence rend the body of Christ, that
is th^ mystical body, the Church of which He is
Head and Governor. By discernment of His own
body, in death at the Lord's table, all that is judged
which brings local, selfish intel^sts, and the cause
of divisions and strife.

May the intelligent Christian reader enter into

III

. ■;

the reality of this thought, and see where he .standw
with reference to a-crttcified and nseai ;Chri»t. that,
he 4»ay go fortb w\H) Him without tho camp bearA.
ing His reproach. .xxz <i/l>(tzj[ ni iVi^ hrAjAia

oiii 'to

J?i« £K< Ul O'J'ii HUO. 1?.,;,

to (U)ii{:bnfUitl!.TT >iof!><l jri

'•♦"'''ThB'fifBtday pf'thei^efei, hWbledt' J . ^,

'(.^' On which to ibuse of Joving' kindnefsA here Y

1 iv A dAy above ftll otheti— * day of rest, •' < I <^''^»' *

jiij .iOAwkifthwfl feel OBaBeiae^ Lord 80 near, i'i'iow od)

This day we lay aside the toils of ef^tji ; .j.'| ^ ^j^ 'j^^

Life's busy duties! have nb cfiarin this dayl ' . rr

X"--And, intheBph-itWttlkjof he&vfenlyhirthj '' '^^^J^-*-

> • 'A« pilgrimi^ strangers, on thd narrow way.' - ^^**^*. ^\\}

i><.)i' '^•' .•■..■ '■■ ■ ''''^ .if>'.i'iuj

.jij,W^ gather strfngth in f^Jlowe^hip with One,- ^^(r .jj jij.^,

, TVho, risen now, our A4voqate appears j , : i j^ j.|^.i ,) j »
'^^y^ Toward tlife matk and prize^ in JSm, we riin, ', ^ * j
'iiiJ vNof fiiint While tratelling thrO* this vale of teat-si''^"

-, (, D may each da^ of "pilgrimage below^ od r to nuiln)

-^ I Bring.forth its fruit of labwr ao4: of love,. ,- j ^j; oil

'' Until each pilgrim here be called to. knqw divJ T 'luo

, The fulness of his joy with Christ above." "^^^z

-ob htoK' ^.rrt — , o » <i <i fc. '< ^ n — Jy)^ \iim of/

'*'^. THE JUDICIAL MaTU OF tBE FLEISH: '^u^t^

The ©rid' of'all flesh <MSirhe teifore- Ood, b!^f€»i^e ' He ;
destroyed the antediluvian world {Gen^ vi.l8)'j'
It was even condemned iminediately after Adam fell^
(Gen.iii. 19)yand can nev^w^glOTyin God's presence- '
"The works' of the flesh are^these, adultery- fornl- '
cation^ u&cleannesi^, laeivioutmess, idolatry^/ which^'
crafty hiattinsd, vnriance, eniiilations,^ wra?t^,'fitHfei,^
8edition8,.hoyeBies, onvyinffs, ihurdersydrunkon nijssv ^
revalliogg, a«d such like?? (Gal V; 1 ^^21); ThlsC''
list of opposition to God, is the le^^mate'0tit-6rtni--'
'^Jili I'jJilU •I'JUi'.O'l aiilS'irA'ld'J Jlic>xiiliviili odS qA€

ji. '

ids
tut

M
IT

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odi

ft(^A

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pipff of tl^e life of the flesh. "I know that in me, that
i^'m A^if^^^A; c|well6th no pood thing," was the fes-
tUtLtfny of the A jibstle "Paul. If this ip the §entencoi
Goi piiite upon the tfesl^, ' through ' Etis faithful
86i^aiit \^hat can be expected of it? Nothing but
sin and rebellion to God. There is iiothing good,
put to the credit of ^afl^ilu .iiod put the flesh to
death in the Person of Christ on the cross. God
allowed His own Son lobe ,imafl?^ sin, that death
might lay hold of Him, that sin in the flesh might
bo judicially dealt "with. The believer, in God's
sight, having gone through the suffering on the
cross in Christ as a m^rhber of His body, of His
flesh and of His bone^, ^tati^s now in the presence of
God, in the Person, of Christ with the flesl^ crucified,
dead ! God does not see it in us, only as we allow it
to live and bring forth its pemioicTiis fruits. The
old "I" and the flesh are identified in ' the deal-
ings of God. "Likewise recfecm ye also ^onrselves
to be dead indeed utito ^in, btil aliV^ linto God

through Jesus Christ oi^r Lord; .(J^^* i^^- l^)-
Here the Adam natvirQ and; the flesh, »re to be
counted or rockotted in the place €)f death/ as that
is where God sees 'thorny and the Christian is
exhorted to see as God sees notpnly the flesh in the
place of death, but aTf {hings* etse by the power of
the KqIj Ghost. ' WeJiave the mind of Christ, and
we only get power to walk and enter into the
miWd'of Ohffel as We kei^p the flesh in the place;
where Godhas 'put U, in death, that the Holy Ghost
ma^^havf^rulefn oni^ hearts, ol-ChHfet by the Spii'it,'
afi the fle«h i« the ^6tfve^ e)n(^xiay of the Holy Gnost.
The *firttft ' of ' the Spirit i-s love', joy, peace, long-
siifl*eri'hg- ^gehtlbne^is, gOod^^ss, faith^ meaknesi^,
temperaface'^agahist mch i&n(r laW, ind they that
are'€hi«fst?S lidVe i*t^ocifl^d the'fle?!i Mrith the affec-
tive aM Ittst^ (Gal. v: 22-24). The legitimate
objerct foi^ the ^reot f^fth-at tfee bi^fekking of bread

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Photographic

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23 WEST MAirj STREET

WEBSTER, N.V. 14580

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is the dead body of Christ, and the death of the
flesh seen in it, that the oneness of the body may
be preserved, by leaving no ground upon which the
flesh may act to bring forth division or schism
among Christ's members.

3n iChrist

•" If any man be in Christ he is a new creation.^'

In Thee, my Lord, am I,

A member 9ure, and now
While through this scene I hie.

Would to Thy will e'er bow.

No higher aim I have,

Than in Thy life to live ;
A scoffing world I'll brave.

Counting on Thee to give —

Thy grace to help me on :

Knowing in Thee, all tl ings
Are mine, e'en Christ the Father's Son,

To me His presence brings.

THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH,

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
fii*st heaven and the first earth were passed away;
and tbore was no more sea (Kev xxi. 1). The
thought of resurrection of heaven and earth is here
brought out and is a blessed one for the Christian
to meditate upon*; the present condition of things is
under condemnation, with the curse resting upon
all creation, both of heaven and of earth. The
heavens in this sense, does not mean the thiiji
heaven where God dwells, but the atmospbencand
elherial heavens|implied in^scripture as the iSrst and

the
Qay
the
ism

the
^ay;
Phe
ere
iau
8 in

rhe

ind
Eind

second heavens. The sin-corrupted condition of
these heavens and the earth as they now ai'e, with
the curse upon them, are what is seen and spoken
of as passing away in scripture. Satan is the "prince
of the power of the air,'^ is also '*prince of this
world" as it now is, for Grod is dealing in grace and
suffering sin to prevail and Satan's kingdom to
flourish, until He comes forth in power whose
right it is to reign. Satan's agents are upon the
earth in multitudes ; his wicked spirits fill the first
and second heavens, and he even has power to
accuse the brethren before the throne of God (Eev.
xii). Before sin came in, all was pronounced good
because undefiled by Satan's power, but after he
succeeded in seducing Adam, the acknowledged
head of creation, the whole scene was changed in
character befpre God. The beasts that were once
domesticated and obedient, became wild and feroci-
ous, thorns and thistles overspread tlie earth, and
the heart of man once ipnocent and free from guile
brought forth nothing but sin. The thoughts of his
heart were wicked continually until God was forced
to destroy man off the face of the earth except
Noah end his family. But the promise to
Eve was, that "the seed of the woman should
bruise the serpent's head" though the serpent was
to bruise his heel. Christ the promised seed came,
Satan bruised His heel by crucifyingHim on the cros»
but the Seed rose ti'iumphant over death, hell and
the grave, and conquered the one who had the

Eower of death even the devil. And He is now on
igh waiting until His enemies become His foot-
stool, until Satan is cast down to earth, when He
will then come forth, and assert his claim to the
possessions which He purchased by His own blood
and reign through the millennium, until every-
thing is made subject to Him, when He will hand
over the kingdom to the Father and be Himself

§•

■ i

subject to tie Pather, that Grpi n>^ jtre, ill, . i^ ali ?
j^ter which the whiteTtJw*pn^ JvidgmjenC w^^ ^ijt,
earth and ixeaven^Jh, its , present ^ w^^
will ^e aw-^! iafidi the lie.w,, t^essivep a^q^, i^^.^ i^^
^Hrth ! wj[U ^ppfe^r whereiii id\^ellet^^< p'gjh^buf^eis^,
^nd tKe eterriat et^ie he estdbilsjie^j '^^^ r.fia'>fijr»-
, ^ The i-^sur^-ectioij , of he^Y^)^ W I^^J^t-^ IftU I, Pl^
brought, abgiit ip , the. same Wy as ih^ peswri^ectlpji
of the ^ .body., J A new exesiXioj^ will spring.pnt 9^tt1ie
old, in th!e sjaine' way ^tliat i^e^^^w^^^Qpt,^^^
from the-pi4n)bey[^.jWnel 9!" Qom^j, ..')[f|i^j^ej«j5f£^^
and earth wijl3e so pure tb^fiqa^ean.^i^^^ ^9^^?^^
and dw^U with mm, Gy^vp'%w^,!4^^^ JI^%Y^M
b§en piirged 9^*^. ®^4 the ^ea, ^ wJfijQ.ti i^ ai^ „ ampJei]!!
of tike uhcertajnty and rea;t|es^^(^i3f^lko!^.,qfjt^le
tiij;al K^art, will ffive jpl^e to,,il^e,^,w?fe pwA^^
eai-ti fr^e. from, all polwionj ; ai^ p^^jpji:jiiQ j^^
^f Hgtiebnsne^^ ,,^haC. a jfeitji n^^re^jUh^iiing,
thonght Xi i§i ip idwelt uppnj t^j?<it of .a <<k)nxplj^i^ r^-,
suiji!©ctiQn pf eJt t^ngs. j^^y we delight; jin^n^
tating upon }p^ itbat we may ^foptejiap^i^ ,tJi^ :pni'i
ity an4 r^^aracter of o^r . ifocij^ wbp can^^^
Mow^U):>ith.or look u^(>ij^;^n,;-.]^tl^^.<hejg^

'im^'^^.mW^m \o Uoe^ ^nU- .tfid) mw evJI

!EE;^jy]fiB^^ which way is thfe^^ftyieiirf ^FCMirlmi^dJiook^'
ing fprsatifcrfiaotion «nd comlii^irt ? i^ils it/ikQ^ing
out upoiu this \t^orld, Aj^itb iiUir pierisbiftg fcrtfeim^ ,4t&
baiiblea df time atd«enai^, its (titBesnand'liOBora^i^^
shorty itsrdoteivingi ofaeatingntreHsure^, !<M]?is $Qvgt
eyte cant .«;pward toward anheaKr^nly ,i»ibjeot^,- w!Hk
;^oar heart's bfest affe stiomj ; f ^t 1 ^i th mg^ labQw^
audnotipnthiia^ ontbeearilb 'ii?l>ij(^htsiflfi8odetoM.
quesUiott; 'andli. testof iy(Wro$<3Wfe<jHofi s^ihItt —JfiyOUf
are aaH^^diby'lpieiievifag linGod't^ 9Qni)^n4[kn0w ithe
value of the blood in your own individual case,

TT)

y^ur mind's eye should be looking upward to the
Person of Christ, and finding in Him a satisfying
portion. If jour soul is not saved by believing in
Jesus, thou you are trying to be satisfied with what
this world offers

But, mark this ! Every soul that is born on the
earth has a vacancy which only Christ can fill, and
unless He is accepted to fill that vacancy, thai soul
goes down to death unsatisfied. Solemn thought !
Earth can present nothing to fill the heart's yearn-
ings, and none but Christ can fully satisfy, for man
was created after the image of Grod, and God wa.^
only satisfied with His only Son, and although man
fell from his first estate, and becomes an object of
God's wrath until he accepts Christ as the One
whom God has provided as a Ransom, yet He is
so constituted that earthly things cannot full}-
satisfy him. God has so decreed it, and well for
man if h« can see it and look up by faith to God's
right hand and find a satisfying portion in God's
own Son. May the eye of your mind be directed
upward to Christ, that you may not be seeking a
portion to satisfy, in this perishing, time-serving-
scene.

ON THE EXERCISE OF FAITH.

Faith which worketh by love.

By faith we stand as we pursue our pilgrimage on
earth. Upon the exercise of faith in the promises
set forth in the Word of God, God's people enjoy
the blessed hope of associating with th« saints in
glory, and of reigning with Christ their living
Head in the realms of millennial blessedness.
^' Faith, too, promotes humility, for the more en-
tirely any one depends on God's sufficiency, the
more will it tend to a low sense of his own puffi-
(10)

ciency." By faith we are enabled to get out of self
into God, and cast our burdens entirely upon Hira.
God would have us simple and child-like, depend-
ing on Him for every ; blessing we enjoy, both
spiritual and temporal. By allowing the Holy
Ghost to Avork unhindered, we exercise faith as a
result, and enjoy communion and fellowship with
the Father and Christ. Faith is the gift of God,
and its exercise is evidence of the energy of the
HolyGho4. In the life of the believer God ex-
pects obedience to the promptings of the Holy
Ghost, who takes up His abode in every child of
God, to lead into all truth and to "comfort in trial.

Faith is the grace by which the benefits, bles-
sings, and graces of the Holy Ghost are conferred,
and may be considered as the door through which
they flow to the waiting soul. Faith gives power
and flight to prayer. Without faith it is impossi-
ble to ])lea8e God, without its exercise we cannot
pray, and without prayer we can receive nothing
from God, as

'' Prayer is appointed to convey,
The blessings (Jod designs to give ;

Long as they live, should Christians pray —
They learn to pray when first they live."

God loves to be importuned, His ear is open to
the cry of His elect. He hears prayer, sends down
blessings in answer to desire, and even aids and
awakens that desire through the quickening power
of the Holy Ghost. Faith is the motor which
moves the soul to anti^'ipate the dealings of God
with it, and becomes the limner to display in pan-
oramic view, the blegsed enjoy.nents which await
the pilgrim in glory, while he journeys in this vale
of tears. The Church in her pilgrimage has been
beautifully represented by the symbol of an eye
bearing the cross, " Looking forward with an eye

of faith to the glory," to a star-like device repi'e-
senting the Church, as seen in Christ " Before the
foundation of the world," reigning with Him, over
the Jewrt, a spared remnant of which receive Him
as their King. A neglect to exercise faith, does
despite to the spirit of grace, and is evidence of a
fleshly mind. "The just shall live by faith, but if
any man draw back, my soul shall have no plea-
sure in him " (Heb. x. 38). But the faithful child
of God is " Not of them that draw back unto per-
dition, but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul." A lively exercise of faith begets watch
fulness and prevents falling into sin. By "Taking
the shield of faith, the Christian is able to with-
stand all the tiery darts of the wicked one." By
faith the mountains of doubt and sin are removed
from the soul, and the heart rises into the glad
sunshine of communion with God and love for the
membership of Christ. By faith the child of God
realizes his mystical connection with Christ, the
Head of the Church, and enjoys that oneness with
Him, so necessary to Christian unity and fellow-
ship. By faith he realizes,

" That if our fellowship below,

In Jesus be so sweet,
What heights of rapture we shall know,

When round the throne we meet."

and that,

it will be joyful,
Joyful, joyful, joyful j
that'll be joyful,

To meet to part no more.

Yes, praise the Lord ! We can rise upon the
wings of faith and love to the very enjoyment of
heavenly ecstacies, even while w© pilgrim here in
the flesh.

May God the Holy Ghost, coniinue to i/:or.ir)t

tind quicken our faith and draw u&out into a brighter
anticipation of what is in store for u^j, that we may
be enabled to '* Pass the 'time of our sojourning
here in fear," trusting in the blessed comforts of
Christian fellowship, and the rapturous hopes of
meeting in the glory.

The " Bighteousness of God is revealed from
faith to faith; as it ^is written, The just shall live
by faith " (Eom. i. 17). God's righteousness to the
believer is i-evealed and exhibited by faith. " But
now the righteousness of God, without the law, is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets ; even the righteousness of God which
is by faith af Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all
them that believe " (Rom. iii. 21, 22). The pro-
phet Habakkuk realized the force of the truth that
the " Just shall live by faith," and it was this bles-
sed realization of the force of this passage that
took Luther from the bondage of Romanism and
set him free, as an uncaged bird, to preach the
eternal offers of Christ through the Reformation.
He realized by faith, while walking up the pebbled
steps of St. Paul's upon his knees, under the Pope's
sentence, that the " Just shall live by faith ; " and
bidding farewell to Rome, becararc an active in-
strument to shake the slime of false religion from
off many hearts and open them to the truth as it
is in Jesus. If there could be a greater degree of
faith exercised, there would be less falling back
upon the law, as is seen in the walk of many of
God's people. The Galatians had been much misled
b}^ Judaising teachers, had fallon back upon the
law, and in carnal performance rested in it instead
of standing by faith; hence the Apostle says, " O
foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that ye
should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among
you ? This only would I learn of you, received ye

the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hear-
ing of faith? (Gal. iii. 1, 2). It is evident that
they had fallen into a lack of exercise of faith, and'
Satan, ever ready, had begun to natisfy them with
the heartless ceremonies of the law.

Again, but that no man is justified by the law in
the sight of God, it is evident ; for the just shall
live by faith (Gal. iii. 2). fn proportion as the
membership of Christ be ,3me unfaithful, neglect
to exercise faith under the prompting offices of the
Holy Ghost, so will they take up with the senseless
rounds of legal service. I care not what organized
sect or body they are connected with, it matters
not " God accepts no man's person," they will get
sluggish, cold and unservicable without active faith.
" Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen " (Heb. xi. 1), and
as it is by faith we possess the great salvation, let
us live in a lively exercise of the blessed grace.
" Let us not get weary in well doing, for in due
season we shall reap if we faint not, " and without
faith we cannot "Persevere unto the end."

How is it with you, reader ? " Examine yourself,
and see whether you be in the faith." Give an
impartial, chastening examination, that you may
stand in your true light. Do not be afraid of the
exposure to which you may be subjected, but deal
faithful for Christ's sake. Amen.

ON PRIDE IN DRESS,
To a Sister in Christ given to Pride.

Dear Sister, — Knowing your willingness to- re-
ceive instruction, when offered for your own im-
provement, these hints are sent you with a hope
that you will not dismiss them from your mind
until they have fulfilled their mission of being in-

1 li:

sti'umcntal in purging j'our heai't of Home of the
noxious weeds that have been allowed to grow
rank therein. The natural heart is deceitful beyond
measure, and desjmrately wicked. The extent of
its corruption cannot be fathomed until grace divine
is shed aoroad therein, ana the contrast presented
of what it is by nature, and what it should be by
grace. You will agree with me more fully after a
severe self-examination. I say severe, and will add
impartial one, for we arc so apt to slight ourselves
in this, that Satan gets an advantage over us ere
we begin to do ourselves justice in this ever profi-
table exercise. Young people even after believing
in Christ are apt to think themselves perfect, not
needing instruction, deeming everything weighty
that advises self-denial. It is only when they
begin to learn what they are, that they see how
much need they have of instruction. Especially
does Satan blind their eyes with reference to pride
in dress. While they desire to appear tine, and
doat upon being able to walk abroad in the gaze of
a heartless world and catch its admiration, a feel-
ing of heartlessness takes the place of warm affec-
tion and genial temper; especially, too, if every
wish is not gratified or want supplied, the temper
becomes affected, for w4th the disappointment of
ungratified desire, comes a lack of patience and
self-denial. Satan takes advantage of this, and
implants hardnesss of heart, and often thoughts to
the invention of other ways of satisfying the spirit
equally injurious. The only way by which we can
fully see the sinfulness of pride, is by learning of
ourselves, through the searching light of the Hol}^
Spirit. He alone can convince us fully of our posi-
tion as encouraging an evil habit by indulging in
pride of dress, or in any uplifted state of heart.
" He that committeth sin is of the devil," that is
if our hearts incline to sin and we commit it, for

the sake of tlio sin itself wilUiii'-ly, it is evidence
that we love sin better than freedom fi'om it.

If we indulge in pride because we love to please
our.selves and others in appearance and feel at tlie
same time a settled satisfaction without remorse of
conscience it is evident we lack watchfiilness
against Satan's devices, but if on the contrary con-
science whips us by its warnings, excited by the
presence of tlie ever-blessed Spirit we may know
that God is using means to cleanse us of evil. The
first evil eftect that dress has upon us is, we feel
lifted up as soon as we put on fine clothes and go
out into the gaze of our fellow men. We are not
content until somebody is looking at us. This evi-
dence of weakness is seen in all both old and young,
who love dress. It is seen very prominent in the
heathen, and in proportion as we come near to the
Lord through the saving merits of Christ, so will
we see the folly of placing stress upon an outside
appearance. This we mny adopt as one rule to
judge of the spirituality of another, by the impor-
tance he attaches to dress. We go out into the
ranks of social life so-called, a^d see the worldling,
the man of fast habits, the hypocrite, the formal
professor and all who are devoid of the chastening
influences of the Holy Spirit, indulging in the love
of making a fine show. They may cheat one
another, but the grace-enlightened soul will not
be caught with their butterfly glitter. A heart-
sickening sensation comes over us as we think how
soon all the tinsel and parade will come to nought
which we see exhibited daily. The example we
set, by indulging in pride, is a very dan^ei'ous one
in the sight of the youth around. Our love of a
fine appearance takes effect ujion thewt, and as we
are responsible for the influence we exert to a great
extent, we find a double condemnation I'estingupon
us not only in personal commission but in causing

r- #

Dfhers to do the same. Man-worship is an abomina-
tion in the sight of God. We see the greatest
enemies to the Lord Jesus Christ, are those who
delight most in keeping up a fine appearance.

The followers of sin in every form vie w^ith each
other in putting on finery. The Apostle Paul
cautions the women of the Church against it, and
can you go contrary to his blessed admonitions and
at the same time feel that you are doing right ? I
ask this question pointedly , do you wish to come in-
to condemnation in the sight of God, and be asso-
ciated in spirit as far as pride goes with rakes,
libertines, fops, worldlings, strumpets, coquettes and
other worthless characters, and drive from your
association the weak and humble servant of God,
despising him or her because of their plain appear-
ance*? Many a heart has been crusted over with
callousness in consequence of indulgence in pride
and may you be preserved from it for Christ sake.
Amen.

I abomina-
I greatest
hose who
mce.

with each
stle Paul
9t it, and
itions and
right? I
) come in-
l be asso-
th rakea,
lettes and
rem your
b of God,
n appear-
►ver with
in pride
rist sake.