IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 'V / O V L'?- -JiC/j fA 1.0 I.I 1.25 '- IIIIIM i^i — ^i iilM - i<0 IM 2.0 1-4 11.6 V] (^ /. "^ e. A\VSnX iilMTIlKIt-;. ITIllJsii 1 M^(t . t. VmcvcA aCLORliir,' to Acl (,f Panianicnl of Caiuula, in lUc year ',uc il,„nsand d-!u hundrc! ami eighty, by l^^^y.<>^ lJi;oTma;s, iu tl,c Oiikc of the Minister of A,'ricu!uirc. \ C;"hnptci' £. TiiF. rvUiTUUK OF Co^r^^uNIo^^ The II[>.ioixiN'G C'h^iptcr £EE. TiiR (.)i;iCKEXiNa of Believers. (T c ^^r^ '^i>i iki^n m A BREAK \l THE OCEAN CABLE. I "J t^'?,:^ ^^i^ ClIAlTKR T. THE nCPTURE OF COMMrXIOX, r. l>v. :TyET us imagine that, by some accident, '(hi all the cables now uniting Europe and America were suddenly to break. What a com})lete disarrangement of all our plans would such a calamity cause! Not only could no message on that day be transmitted iVom either side, but for weeks, and perhaps months, there could be no exchange of ideas except through the tedious medium of the post. Two worlds must wait until the injury is repaired. In the meantime anxious people on either side the water would (Ind the sus- pension of intelligence unbearable. Yesterday we could literally converse with our absent friends in London, Paris, or Berlin ; to-day, as far as news from them is concerned, all is 6 A DRKAK IX tup: OCEAX CABLK. [^iluiit as the grave. Europe, with her miglity capitals, is still beyond the sea ; her count- less factories and her Babel A'oices are still makinii; the air vocal Avitli the sounds of busy life. But of all this we have no iuimediate evidence. No wire Hashes to us the longed- for intelliiience from distant relatives or friends ; no message, instantaneouslv com- municated, makes us feel as though hands had clasped. All that we can see or hear is the illimitable ocean, with its restless w^aters ebbing and flowing for ever. iYow it is exactly the same with thousands in their spiritual relations to God. Nothing do thev more firmlv believe than all the o'rand verities of the Christian relidon. Thev believe that Jesus died and rose again ; that lie ascended into Heaven, and is now seated at the Father's ridit hand in ii'loiv; and \'et, notwithstanding all this, thev are conscious that no life wliatever Hows from God into their hearts. The sweet peace which comes from being justi- fied by faith ; the joy which results from th<} indwelling of the Comforter; the strong assurance which anticipates victory before A BKEAK IX THE OCKAX CABLE. 7 the battle is foim'lit ; of all these blessed fruits of the Spirit they know absolutely nothing, and the reason is — The^GOMMUXIOX whirh oiire cxhfed he- hi-een GOD and MAX, and irhirJi, lih' a CABLE, united Creator and rreatnre to- (jetJtsr, has, hf/ tJie UXBE LIEF of man ^ been SEVERED. Spiritual death and an unutterable want of rest in the soul are the results of this ter- rible rupture ; and so long as conimujiion remains unrepaired, this death and unrest must inevitably continue. This niav be the very case, dear reader, with you. The joy of believers may ncjt Ije j/onr joy ; their hope not your hope. Your whole hap- piness, all yon have within the limits of time, may be staked on the beating of yonv heart, and that may cease now — is sure to do so hereafter — and vet vou are indifferent a])out your soul, about eternity, about God. Perhaps this indifference astonishes }'ou ; I am sure it wearies the lomi^'-sufferinii: of God. If vou ask me why it is so ? — why you have not the joy and peace and love that Christians have ? — I can only answer : The CABLE that should 8 A i'.i;i:\K L\ Tin: (icean cable. UNITE you to God is BROKEN, and until it is ivi)aii\'d in the wav laid down l)v God in Holy ScriptiU'e, the spiritual death in which your soul now lies will he perpetuated into eternitv. By the cahle, then, I understand that spiritual and visihle coniniunion which once existed hetween God and man, and Avhich can now only be restored through personal laith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Broken it now is, and so completely, that no communi- cation can possibly take place while it is in this state. Jov and i)eace onlv come to the soul when it is in connnunion Avitli God. In order therefore that vou may become thus united to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, let me draw your attenli(m to two questions connected with the subject, of the deepest moment to us all : — First— now WAS THE CABLE BROKEN ? Secowl—llO\Y LS IT TO BE REPAIRED ? In C(msidering the first of these. Scrip- ture teaches us that there was a time when man was in direct and constant connnunica- tion with Gcd — w hen God spoke freeh' to him A DKEAK IX THE OCK.VX CAULE. 9 tind he to God — when the iov of Heaven was man's joy, and all that God expected of man he hasted to yield — when sin, Avhieh has since Ijroiight such fearful havoc into the Avorld, was unknown to him. That was his peace as a river, and his righteousness as the waves of the sea. Adam saw God walking amid the bowers of Eden ; he knew Ilis gracious voice ; he believed His word; he obeved His com- mands. God was '• Tlio .-jirin^' of all ]v.< y>y>. The liiV (.if jii.- (l(_'Iij.-lit<,. The .u'loi'v ol' liis iiii'ihtt.'.-t <\.>y, And c'-iiitijrt cl' hi.- ii'iLi'lit.-.'" Such A\ iis man's state during the short Ijut happy period in which he walked in sinless obedience to God. The one great character- istic of that most blessed life was implicit FAITH in God's word. Our first parents, in their holy innocence, believed most sin- cerely, loved most fervently, and obeyed most fimltlessly all that God either promised or enjoined. As being absolutely essential to tlieir own happiness, and to that of the countless millions who were to come after them, God positively required of them both 10 A BllEAK IN THE OCEAN CABLE. that they should believe in His vvord, wliieh TIIEEATENED DEATH or failure of tlieiu obedience. The words of the threat were as follows : — '- The tree of the knowledge of good and EVIL, TIIOU SHALT NOT EAT OF IT : FOIl IN THE DAY THOU EATEST TllKKEOF^THOU SHALT SURELY DIE."' — {(Jen. ii. IT.) Not only their happiness, but life itself depended on their implicit faith in this most ^^olemn utterance of God; and therefore, so loiio- as thcA' did believe, and as a ccmse- (juence ol»eyed the Divhie command, their peace ih)wed on uninterruptedly. Eden was then' home, and Clod their Father and their Friend. This state of perfect blessedness, moreover, might have remained to man until this day, for God in His great love had onlv restricted him in one particular, namely, Jfc ic((-^ not to tat <>/ the h>i'hul(hn /ntif. U he disobeyed, inevittd)le death was to be the conse^iuence. Joy, peace, lil\'— everything 'm iuct— depeudel on their believhig in this threatened sentence of death. All else that God had said was allirnuitive ; this was tlie ONE neiiiitive : — *• Than nJndt not eat o/' if, for A BREAK IX THE OCEAX CAIU.E. 11 in the dav thou eatest thereof, thov sJiaJt sureljj dley The rea^^on, therefore, why Adam and Eve abstained from eating the forbidden fruit was, they BELIEVED. When they no lono-er believJd, thev DISOBEYED. Our great adversary, Satan, now appears upon the scene. lie comes in the form of a .serpent, and thus addresses Eve: — ^^ Yea, hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" This is his iirst elVort to introduce sin into the world, lie does not in this question even attempt to deny the truthfulness of God's word ; he onlv endea^ - ors to inject into Eve's mind a doubt as to whether God ever uttered any such prohibi- tion at all. lie asks : *• Yea, hath God said ?'' as if he would sav. -"Are vou i)erfectl\- sure about this matter ?" The temptation, in- sidious as it was, failed. Eve /'v/s sure as to the [)rohibition. She re[)lied : "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, l)ut of the fruit of the trei' which is in the midst of the garden God hath said ' Ye shall not eat of it. neither shall \e touch it, lest \e die.'" Finding this ellort thus abortivi', Satan now advances bnldlv to denv God's 12 A nUKAK IX Tin: OCEAX CABLE. word itself. '-Ye shall not siiivly die," he snvs, '•(or (lo,l doth know tluit in.the duy ve cat ihei-eoi; then your eyfs shall he opened, and ve shall he as gods, knowing o'ood and evil."' Her*' tluMi were two state- ments he tore PiV< — GntTs '-TnoL' SHALT sikklv dik," and Sataiis ••THOU snALT NOT surklv djk." Y\) to this tini.' Kvo had inipllcitly he- lie vimI (lodV statenHMit ; she now hesitates, trenihles, and linally ACCKPTS SATAN'S.. The diM'd was done; loi' though she had not \et eonnnitted that highdiaiuled act ordisol)e- dienee hv which many were made sinners, and hy which ile;ith was hronght into the world, yet she had h't s|)riug into existence that terrihle princi[>le i)\' rXIJKLIEF, IVoni which disohedience resulted as its initural and legitimate IVuit. First Kve, and then Adam, t/isfnis/r()oil, tfat are accustomed to do eyil." — (.) Ihit people ask, '• Wliy is this?" Tbe answer is: All out of Christ are ! A r.RKAK IN THE OiKAN CAr.LE. 21 DEAD; and the dead can DO NOTHING. •'But may Ave not." ask tliey, '-please Gotl in some Avav or other, and thus obtain at least a mltifjafrd scnfeiire, if not life itself — for instance, bv giving liberally to the poor, feedina- the hunirrv, clothino; tlie naked, and generallv discharuinsx all the oblisxations of life honourably — may vre not please God even if we be not nersonallv united to the Lord Jesus Christ?" The answer to all this is, emphatically, NO. However costly the gift a man may ofler to God — however ixreat his sacrifice, or tremendous his effort — yet. if it be presented io God without faith in the Eedeemer, so far from p^al'^Iikj Ilim, it is a SIN. '-Whatsoever is not of faith is iA\\r—{Rom. xiv. 23.) "Without faith," says the Apostle Paul, "it is impossible to please Ilim." — {IRh. xi. 0.) And au'ain, " Thev that are in the ilesli cannot please God." — [Rom. viii. 8.) These works of merc\' and of love are 9.' nnto God a sweet savour when done Ijv « those who are in Christ. Indeed, believers are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD ^YORKS. But out of 00 A r.REAK IN THE OCEAN CABLE. Christ nothing is acceptable, for the dead cannot please God. '-' If this be tlie case," say some, ^-are we to do notJiing f' You can DO nothing; you are LOST. If you could do anvthins]^ vou would not be lost Men who have been shipwrecked, and have taken to their boats, may be in an extremely perilous position, but they are not lost. It is far diflerent liowever with you, dear reader ; if vou are out of Christ, vou are lost. The Lord Jesus Christ has said : ^' He that be- lie vetli not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." — {JoJui 111. oh.) The flxct that all out of Christ are lost led the Redeemer to come into the world. His mission was TO SAVE THE LOST. '' The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."-— (Z/;/tv^ xix. 10.) As one has well said : '* The mau'uet which attracted the Saviour to the earth was not man's good- ness, but his misery y But more than this, the lost are called the DEAD. Our Lord, speaking of the glorious life which He bestoAvs, says : " Verily, verily, I sav unto vou, the hour is cominor, and NOW A BREAK IX THE OCEAX CAI5LE. 2:» IS, ^vllen the DExVD .^liall hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that HEAR .-^hall LlYEr—{JoJm V. 25.) Of the believer He affirms : -^ That he is passed from DExVTH unto Ll¥E.-{Jo7ui v. 24 .) St. Paul also declares, in writing to the Ephesians: '^ And you hath He QUICK- ENED, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins." — {Eph. ii. 1.) (2.) That the Arjeiicij made use of by ihv Hohj Ghost, In the qu'ichenin(j of the spirit u all [/ dead, is the Word. " Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My WORD, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life." — {John v. 24.) *' Of His own nill begat He us with the Word of Tmi\ir-^{ James i. IS.) ^* Being born again, not of corruptible >seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." — (1 Peter i. 23.) St. Paul says, writing to the Coriiithians : '^Tn Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel."— (1 Cor. iv. 15.) 24 A I'.liKAK IN' Tin: (trnAX c'AlU.K. Our Lord savs : -^Xow vi'aro clean tlirougli tJK' ^V()V(\ Avhicli 1 have spokru unto you." — Christ is saul to luive given Uluiselt' for tlu' Churc'lh - tiuit Ho might sanctily and cKninse it witli tlu' washing of ^valcr by the Word;~(/-;y>A. V. 20.) (lod. in His own wisdom, brought Paul to the kuowk'Jge of Himself hy i\ miraele ; hut His regular ageuey is His Word People are not therel'oi'e to ex[)i'('t miracles to he wrought in their fa\-our. Many do ; and the result is. thev wait, ami wait for wliat never comes, and are thus I'ternally lost. No. dear reachu'. i\od gis'es only to the iror/d what he (••ives to //"//. His AVoi'il. And sneakino- oi' that Word, llu' KedctMuer said: "Thy Word is Truth." —(./o//// xvii. 1'.).) ()).) /'//'■ 11''^''/ i'''jii'n->s lit) II to /xllm ni the (/I'nJ />ti.^( (('■( of' (lu Lonl Jisns ('hri.st. The great centrid trulli in connection with the Lord .Iesu>^ Tlirist is His (('-ril .lesus Christ. D A r.RKAK IX TIIK OCF.AX (Ar.i.i:. 25 When, tlierofore, a siniuT is saved, it is not because of something wliieli Christ is to do for him in the /niiirv, but in virtue of what lie lias done for him In tlte jnist. Now, dear reader, what has Christ done Tor you in the past ? You reply : '^ lie died for me." True ; but are vou at this moment saved? ^' No," you say, "but I hope here- after to be so." 15ut why wait //// tJte fntnrr? Why not l)elieve and be saved iioir f Is it possible that when Christ has fulfilled all the righteousness, and borne all the wrath of the law for you in the /)(^sY, you must still wait for some unknown time in the future before vou can be saved? Certainlv not. "Now is the accepted time ; now is the day of sal- vation." Onh' two reasons could possiblN' compel \'ou to wait even till to-morrow for .salvation, and these would be, either (1) that a sullicient sacrifice had ijd to be nuuh' for all your sius, or i'l) that a perfect satis- faction haviuii,' becM! alread\' olfercd, xou had btUl lo n'((i/ for an imitation from (Jod to accept it. As regards the iirst, please with gratitude oljserve that a sacrifice so tremen- dous, so infiuitelv perfect, si) eternal in all n 26 A r.REAK IN THE OCEAN CABLE. its consequences, 1ms already been made by the Lord Jesus Christ for your sins, that it never Avill nor can be repeated. The law in its awful holiness demanded BLOOD as the only satisfaction for sin. It said : "Without shedding of blood is no remission." Blood it would have, blood it must have, blood it did have. Jesus Christ, God manifest in the Ik'sh, seeking your personal salvation, met this demand of the law for you, and offered up His oini blood as a satisfaction for your sins. Absolutely sinless in Himself— a Lamb without blemisii and without spot— He was also God, and this mysterious union of the Divine and human gave to this awful sac- rifice infinite merit and perfection. Faith needs an object on which to lay hold. The Scriptures respond to this want by saying : '^ Behohl the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the worhl," and then point the ^;inner for his salvation to Chrht on the rros^, tast'iuq death /or evcnj man. as the one supreuu' object of his faith. Sperdang to you individiiallv, God asks you now, on the In-ound of His own truthfulness, to believe hi the sacrificial value of this tremendous i % oiiiilty is borne, the i-aiisum \)iiu\, For nil thy siiLS lull i^atisi'uctioii jnade; Strive not to do tliypelt'whnt Chri^ iluiie. Claim the free gift, ami make the y>y thine own; No more by pangs of guilt an»l fear distre^t, - Kest, sweetly rest." oO A lUIEAK IN THE OCEAN CAT.LE. And now I fancy tlie reader saying : " But what does this faith mean ?" It means nothing else than the complete RE-JOINING of the'^BROKEX CABLE. God asks you to believe not merely that you have a wel- come from the Lord Jesus Christ, but that He made a full satisfaction for your sins ou the cross. If with the heart you thus l)elieve on Him, you are SAVED. Hear His word :— ^^ God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."-— (Jo//?? iii. 10.) Again, in the same Gospel, our Lord says : '• Veril}', verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my words, and BELIEVETH on Him that sent Me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but IS passed from DEATH unto LIFE "— {JoJm V. 24.) It is not that you are to make some future treaty with God by prayers and ^supplications. God points you to Christ on the cross, and says, BELIEVE and LIVE. '' Bv grace ye are saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." - .jhi. ii. 8.) A I'.REAK L\ THE OCEAN CABLE. 31 Observe, it is not a ivomise of life ; it is l^reseiH life : '^ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that l)elievetli on Me HATII everlasting life."— ( Jo/y this amazing union. The Scriptures are very explicit on this point. St. Paul savs : '' Therefore, if any man be in Clirist, he is a NEW CREATURE : old things are passed away ; behold, all things are become NEW."— (2 Cor. v. 17.) Then, and not till then, will you begin to work for Clirist; and your Avork will be acceptable to Ilim. It' will not be dead but liolng work, wrought through your vital union with the Lord Jesus Clirist. You will work, not that you majj be saved but because you are saved,\and that labor will be sweet. Dear reader, delay not for a single mo- ment accepting this life. What our iirst parents lost through unbelief, namely, life eternal, that do you accept as GOD'S GIFT, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 ' II ciiApTEu iir. THE QUWKEXIXG OF BELIEVERS. \^A'cND now I wish to nav a few words to C^ the believer concerning his standing and Avalk in the Lord Jesus Clirist. First, — It is quite possible that owing to the coldness and Laodicean state of your soul, the cable, even in your case, may be broken. I by no means wish to imply that vou are in an utterlv h)st condition, as though you had never accepted Christ, or had not been accepted by Ilim. That Avould be an utter impossibility, for the unalterable declaration of God's will is : "lie that hath the Son HATH life."— (1 John v. 12.) The blessing which the Eedeemer bestows on His people is eternal life : " I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."— (/o7^;i x. 28.) God's gift is "Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." — {Rom. vi. 23,) Such is the salva- tion of the Son of God— life eternal — not f\iding, evanescent life, coming and going i A BREAK IN* THE OCEAN CABLE. ^'7 iiccurding to the moocLs and frames of our minds, but settled and fixed above all these in the eternity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The source of the believers life is not prayer, nor earnestness, nor any faculty or energy within him ; it is hidden in the awful mystery of Christ's own being. "Because I live, ye shall live also," (JoJui xiv. 10) is His own definition of what our life is. Similar to this is the lanuuage of St. Paul : — '•' For ye are dead, and your life is hid Avith Christ in God." — {Col. iii. 3.) Seeing therefore that such is the teaching of Scripture, it behoves us to take no lower ground, but rather honour Him the more who is at once our WAY, our TRUTH, our LIFE. jSecondJjj, — In agreement with the above is the melancholy fact that some Christians are utterly destitute of all spiritual joy and peace in believing. They have no real com- munion with God, no testimony of the Spirit as to their sonship ; they are practically dead while they live, and it is to this lapsed con- dition I refer when I sav : " Even wilh the believer the cable may be broken." It is not so really; it is so practically. This awful state 38 A T5KEAK IN THE OCEAN CABLE. of spiritual declension has been brought about by his not living nmr Christ— by allowing tiie Avorhl, SiVan and the liesh to obtain a mastery over the soul— and thus a heavy cloud has settled down upon it, hiding the Father s face from him; and in this darkness of separation from God the poor believer exists. Bleak winter is howling where tropical summer might reign. Nothing can be more sad than such a state, because every lumr that he continues out of communion vf\{\i God, the Holy Spirit is grieved, the Saviour slighted, and the Father's love wearied by the backsliding of His child. Such are the people to whom our Lord ad- dresses His most severe words of condemna- tion in His epistles to the churches— the Christians who shall l)e SAVED, but so as hu /?re— the Christians who doubtless will take A PLACE in the kingdoui of God, but who will be there without the glorious CROWN promised to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Our blessed Lord in the loth chapter of St. John describes the eftects of union with Himself thus :— ^' Every branch IN ME that A BUHAK IX THE OCEAN CABLE. 30 beareth not fruit Ho taketh away : and evoiy branch that jjcarcth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." Now here the Redeemer states the result of His chikl- ren failing to bring forth fruit. Fruit is that which God expects. St. Paul says : '^ ^Ye are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath be- fore ordained that we should walk in them." —{Eph. ii. 10.) If therefore we do not bring forth fruit, God's order is perverted. \Ye frustrate His high and holy purpose in calling us out of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son. The Saviour Himself is not indilferent to the slight which is done Him in this matter; He cannot, and will not, allow anv dishonour shown to His name. " His eyes are as a Ihame of fire," '• He walks amid the seven golden candlesticks," "' He searcheth the reins and hearts." When therefore the Lord see.- a Ijr.aich unfruitful, iudicial sentence iDUst follow. God the Father, as tlie heaven! v husl)andman, take.- that branch aiva/j ; He removes it from t lie position it once ludd, as l)eing iniworthy of His name. He will not use it, and the re- ♦■ 40 A 15RKAK IX THE OCEAN CABLE. suit is, moral night settles over the soul, and DEATH (as far as peace and joy are con- cerned) takes place. In this awful declen- sion many Christians remain. They are not actuall}^ dead, but they are in a dead slate. Thev have no iiladness in their hearts, for God in whose presence is fulness of joy, is not with them ; He is not using them. He lias taken them away from the position they once held, and therefore, immersed in the cares, and sometimes even in the amuse- ments of this world, they drag on a miser- a1)le existence, insulting on the one hand to the love of God, and utterly destructive on the other to the peace and happiness of their own souls. IIow are such souls to be (juickened ? This is the question with which, in conclusion, we are solely C(mcerned. The answer Holy Scripture gives is: — (I.) TJie recu-al of their fa'ith hy a per-soua! (OHtiiHj to the Li therefore to eject self we must bring Christ ill. Christ savs : •' If ve abide in Me and M\' words abide in aou, \ e shall ask v.'Jial yc Will and it shall be done unto you." — {JoJni XV. 7.) Here then is the great condi- tion of spiritual progress — Christ dwelling in 42 A P.IIEAK IX THE OCEAN CABLE. US, and we in Ilim. Should this be our case, then all the resources of God are on our side. AVe niav ask what WE WILL and it shall be done unto us. (2.) Thi'tr pnidkaJ siiiHtififatioii in iJiejyou'O' of the Hohj Ghost. It is the especial office of the Holy Ghost to sanctify us by the witness which He bears to Christ. ^-lie shall testify of Me,'* said the Eedeemer. "He shall ] -'^^^ all things to vour reniernbrance whatsoc ^r I have said unto you •;' and it is to this testi- nionv I wish to direct your attention. You come to the gates of a kingly palace. Its turrets may Ijc seen from afar, l)ut the en- trance can only be obtained through tlie good will of the keeper of the gates. You apply, and are admitted, when he at (mce proceeds to show you all the Avonders of the palace. You are completely in his hands. If he chooses to open this door you will see Avonders and curiosities of which you have never dreamed. He may do so, or he may not. On him alone depends the question whether vou will reallv obtain a fair view of all that is in the palace or not. He has A P.UEAK IN' THE CCEAX (AliLE. 43 tlu' keys of every room, the history of every jirtiele, aiul personal acquaintance with the h)rtlly master of the castle. He can be brief "with vou, or he can ex])lain evervthino;. You must abide his pleasure. So it is with tlie l)eliever in his knowledo-e of Christ. Onlv the IIolv Ghost can show him all the ex- ceeding riches which are in Christ; only the Holy Ghost can show him tlie power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suf- ferings, His wealtli, His might, His glory. The preciousness of the Redeemer's blood, His advocacv as our Hiirh Priest, His comin"; again in nuijesty, are truths, the vitality and i)o\ver of which are onlv made known to us by the H0I3' Ghost as He testifies of Christ. Some Christians are very ignorant, very cold, very ])owerless in testimony. The reas(m is, thev have never walked round and throu2:h the palace; they have never seen all its wonders and glory ; the Spirit has never re- vealed Christ in His fulness to them. And why is this? Instead of honoring the Spirit by incessantly seeking His illumination, they have grieved the Spirit by which they were sealed to the day of redemption. If there- 44 A BREAK IX THE OCEAN CABLE. fore you seek to grow in grace, ask the Holy Ghost to reveal the Saviour to vou. Put yourself into His hands, and then, though lie will not show vou all, He will hide vou in the cleft of the rock, and you shall see part of the liedeenier's lilorv as He passeth bv. The great truth the believer has to bear in mind is this : ^* We walk by FAITH, not by SIGHT.— (2 Cor. v. 7.) This is especially to be considered in our ceaseless contest with sin in its ever varying forms. We pray (and 110 prayer could possibly b-' more needed) that God Avill completely subject the llesh to the s])irit. Now I think many may be mistaken as to the wav in Avhich God will answer such a pra}"er when offered up to Him in lowly faith. We naturall}' rise from our knees thinking' henceforth we shall be whoUv free from all those thoughts, tem- pers and suggestions which, Avith a rapidity greater than that of lightning, rush into our minds and knid us into sin. Yet this idea is founded on a mistake. Tiie liesh, which is IN us, is in hopeless opimsitlon to G^od. " It is not subject to the law of Crod, neither indeed aDi be." — {Rom. viii. 7.) We have I A P.REAK IX THE OCEAN CABLE. 45 therefore two distinct natures absolutely and inherently opposed to each other, naniely, that which is born of the Spirit, and which is, in the language of our Lcnxl, spirit; and that which is born of the iiesh, which is flesh. Observe, no depth of earnestness or devotion to the cause of God will ever make the flesh spirit, or even llJi-e the Spirit. To the end of the terrible contest the flesh, that is, the nature which we inherited from Adam, and which is called by St. Paul the " old man," will continue fiercely opposed to all the motions of the Spirit. When therefore we pray tliat the flesh may be subjected to the Spirit, we pray that '^sin should not reign in our mortal l3ody, that we should obe}' it in the lusts thereof" That sin is within us, and will be in us to the end, is certain ; but we are not to let it guide or influence us; we are not to let it REIGN in our hearts. The questicm then presents itself: IIow are we to prevent it reigning there ? — how are we to get the complete victory over it? I answer: Bv our Lord Jesus Christ, who is able to midve us more than conquerors, 1 46 A I'.KEAK IX THE OCl'AX CABLE. ^^ «iccording to the working wliereby He is a1)le even to subdue all things unto Himself." We are most distinctly told In' St. Paul that our old man Avas crucified together with Christ. By the expression ^"old man" he means the tiesh, our natural carnal heart which wx' inherited from Adam. His lan- guage is as follows : — "'■' KnoAving this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroj'ed, that hence- forth WG should not serve sin." — {Rom. vi. G.) So also in the Epistle to the Galatians, the same Apostle declares : ^' I am crucified with Christ." Or, as it is more literally trans- lated, ^^ I liave been crucified (co-crucified) with Christ." The meaning of these most remarkable words is to be sought in the posi- tion our Lord occupied as the representative of His people. When our Lord Jesus Christ died, He was not only the bearer of the sin of His people, He was also the head and representative of all the redeemed. What therefore Christ did, His people are repre- sented as having done also. Now, our Lord died unto sin ONCE. In this death the be- liever participates ; he is ONE with Christ A BREAK IN THE OCEAN GABLE. 47 in DEATH. As Christ died unto sin, so also did he, but in the person of His great repre- sentative. On the cross Christ died unto sin ; on the Cross the believer died also. ^* I have been co-crucified with Christ," said St. Paul; that is, ^^I have Avith Christ died unto sin." The ^^I" means all that the Apostle was by nattfre — himself, in his na- tural unrenewed state. This, his carnal heart (the "old man" of Eom. vi. 6) died with His Lord on the cross. Judicial sen- tence was then executed upon it; in the language of Scripture, it died. But believers ask : '' How can the llesh have died when we find its moticms so strong in our hearts to-day?" I answer : The flesh is jadiclaUy dead, Ixcause the sentence of death was executed on it when Christ our representa- tive died. Observe the strong language of St. Paul : — '- Knowing this that our old man Avas CRUCIFIED WITH HIM; that the body of sin might be destroyed, tliat HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN." Here, then, is the glorious privilege of the believer. By his union with Christ in deatli he is freed from the dominion of sin. The Apostle 48 A BREAK L\ THE OCEAX CABLE. says: — "He that liatli DIED hath been set FREE from sin."— (7?o?;^ vi. 7.) The be- liever is now no longer compelled to '^ierve sin ; he is to reckon himself to be dead in- deed unto sin, but cdivc unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. • Two practical results tlow from the just appreciation of this truth. First, — In our conflict with ourselves we know that that which would lead us captive if it could, namely, our natural carnal heart, has been CONDEMNED and CRUCIFIED with Christ. In other words, we know our oTeatest enemy is not supreme ; it is beneath the feet of Christ. No outside enemy has half the power to injure our spiritual life as the wicked heart within. But this " wicked heart within" is beneath the power of Christ, our Deliverer and our God. Let us not then be discouraged, nor grow faint with weari- ness. However strong, however insidious the flesh may be, it is not our master. Our Master is Christ, not the flesh. Why need I then be a captive to the flesh when I stand in the presence of Ilim who has occrconie the flesh, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A I'.IJKAK IN THE OCKAN CAI'.r.E. 49 Second^ — This truth teaches us how to rc*- g{U'd the motions o^ sin. 8iu is by no means (lead in the believer, but the l)elievei' is dead to sin. When, therefore, the passions of sin rise within von, reckon vourself DEAD to them; give no })lace to them ; and turning to Ilim who has bv His death IVeed ^ou iVoni the dominion of sin, realize ^•our victorv in Him. Then it is lie will make you more than a CONQUKROll. You will 'leai'u the meaning of this blessed assurance: "Sin shall not have dominion over vou ; for ve are not under the law, but under (JKAClv' — (Itoiii. vi. 11.) He not disoouragiMl then about the presence of sin in you. That Avhich is tlesli will alwavs contimie llesh, even thoui;h vou were to live a thousand vears on earth. Neither i)raver, earnest- ness, nor zeal, w ill ever change the llesh ; it may l)e sulnhicd^ it cannot be vluDHjid. To the end. therefore, it Avill maintain its chai'- acter — one of iirc^concilabh' hostilitx to (Jod. When St. Paul savs to the Corinthians : '' If any man be in Christ he is a new creature," the Apostle nutans, the man has been made a NKW CIJEATIOX, that is, a totally new 1 60 A I'.KF.AK IX Tin: OCK.VX GAI'.LR. life lias be'C'ii inipartt'd to him, and tliis new life is of God. The new creation is not therefore the ^Mh'sh" suddenlv made holy — that were impossible — but a NEW SPIRIT, be-otten of the IIolv Ghost within him. When, therefore, sin rises within yon. ])e not disconraged ; its motions belong to deiith, yon to li/c. In snch moments turn to Ilim who is the AUTHOR of yonr life ; and the llesh, like winter's snow beneath the sun of spring, Avill melt away. Remember the promise is not that the Hesh will become spirit, but that SIX SHALL NOT HAWL DOMINION 0\'ER YOU. Cheer np then, my brother ; be of good heart. Christ is not only yonr REDELMLIL He is vonr A'ICTORY in every contest with sin. To Him, and to Him alone, look when sin, the ''body of this death," presses npcm YOU, and vour deliverance is sure. Above all, take this strong consolation for your com- fort : - THANKS IVL UNTO GOD, WHICH AIAYAYS LEADETH US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST.' —(2 Cor, ii. IE) In C(mclusion, let me nrge yon afresh to come to vonr Lord and Master for grace and m A \)\IV.\K IX TllK OCEAN CAr.LE. 51 strength to help in every time of need. To enconrage you to do so, k't nie luring before vou some of God's •• AHLES/' all of which are yours in Christ : — '- ABLE to save them to the uttermost that come unto God hy Ilim, seeing lie ever liveth to make intercession for them." — {Heh. vii. 25.) '' A1)LE to succour them that are temi)ted." — *• A1>LE to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that Avorketh in us."— ( /i7y>//. iii. 20.) *' A1>LE even to subdue all things unto 11 im- >^L^U'r—{P/>lL iii. 21.) '' ABLE to make all grace abound toward vou; that Ae, ahvavs having all sulli- ciency in all things, ma}' abound to every good work." — (2 Cor. ix. S.) *' A1)LE to keep you from falling, and to present you /((/;///t'.s.s' before the presence of ILis ulorv, with exccedini;" iow"- — (Judr 24.) '^ ABLE to keep that which I have commit- ted unto llim."— (2 Tim, i. 12.) 52 A r,IM-AK IX TFIE OCEAX CAHLE. Siiv^li then are some of the exceeding great and precious promises; and if, dear believer, yon will only plead them at the throne of God, the EROKKX CAIVLK will soon be restored, and .you yourself be bi'ought into lull COMMUNION with the KATllKR and with Tirs SON JKsirs curisi\ — vfx:- : great lievor, )iio of oil 1)0 t into [| and