them as a nation and as God's peculiar people. God's mark was set upon them in their flesh to commemorate His covenant which He made with Abraham. "My covenant," says God, "shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant" (Gen. xvii. 13). And so true believers, as God's spiritual Israel, carry in them the sign that they are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that they should show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy " (1 Peter ii. 9, 10). And what is the sign which they carry in them? Their hearts and ears are circumcised, and therefore they can say, "We are the circumcision." Oh, if we can say so, what an honour God has in grace and mercy conferred upon us! what love towards us He has displayed! "Behold," says John, as the mouthpiece of the Church, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John iii. 1). And then God gives to the circumcision the righteousness of faith, which He gave to Abraham, and therefore are they beautiful in Christ's beauty and righteous in Christ's righteousness which He imputes to them by the actings of a living faith. II. The Worship of the Circumcision.-"Which worship God in the Spirit." To worship God in the Spirit is a spiritual act, and supposes that the Holy Ghost dwells in them. This accords with the experience of true believers: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God ?" (1 Cor. vi. 19). God gathers to Himself a large revenue of worship from the circumcision. There is no worshipping God out of (without) the Spirit. He is needed to breathe spiritual worship in the soul. "We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. viii. 26, 27). "We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit." 1. True believers worship God as the object of faith: without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is not natural to man. The natural mind is an unbelieving mind. But if we belong to the circumcision we are partakers of precious saving faith. Faith in the existence of God as a Being of unsullied holiness. Faith in the word of God as His revealed will of grace and mercy. Faith in the covenant faithfulness of God in fulfilling all that He has engaged to do in the experience of His people. Faith in the power of God as exercised in holding His people and keeping them as vessels of mercy until the day of their redemption from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 2. True believers worship God as the object of their love. There is no true worship of God without love to God, and therefore it is impossible for the ungodly to worship God: "For the carnal mind is enmity against God." But God has implanted love in the heart of the circumcision, and therefore their language is, "We love Him because He first loved us." All God's dealings with His people are displays of His love-covenant, eternal, bleeding, dying love. This love God uses to melt and draw the hearts of sinners to Himself. If, therefore, you are conscious of your hearts being drawn by the cords of God's everlasting love, your desire will be to worship God in the Spirit. You will often be dissatisfied with yourself because you feel that you do not worship God in spirit and in truth, and therefore you will be led to cry unto the Lord that He will grant you the power and unction of His blessed Spirit. Oh, what could the true believer do without the Spirit? Living in a sinful body and influenced by the carnal mind, he never would be able to present unto God spiritual, and therefore acceptable worship, without the inbreathing of the blessed Spirit. Oh, how dependent the family of God are upon the Spirit! David prayed, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. li. 11). True believers are said to be "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of their inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory" (Eph. i. 13, 14). Seek, then, dear friends, a larger measure of the Spirit of God. Oh, seek to be filled with the Spirit! III. In whom the Circumcision rejoice.-"In Christ Jesus." The circumcision are supposed to be in Christ Jesus by an eternal union, and brought into living union with Christ by the actings of a living faith. The Apostle frequently exhorts believers to "rejoice in the Lord." Indeed, they have occasion to rejoice in the Lord. Why? Because they "are of God in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto them wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. i. 30); and in whom else should the members of Christ's body rejoice? 1. They have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus because God has made Him unto them wisdom. Oh, what wisdom do the circumcision see in Christ Jesus! It is the "wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. ii. 7, 8). If we belong to the circumcision, all Christ's wisdom is ours; that is, it is devoted to our benefit, and in dealing with His people the Lord Jesus is ever displaying His wisdom both in providence and grace. All the events in life, therefore, are ordered and appointed in wisdom; and hence the Apostle says, as the mouthpiece of the Church of God, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. viii. 28). Why do all things work together for good? Because the Lord Jesus makes them in His infinite wisdom so to work. And then the Lord Jesus exercises wisdom in His dealings in grace. He knows how to deal with the souls of His people. He knows when to revive their faith; when to rekindle love and strengthen hope. He knows when to cheer, comfort, strengthen, and also to chastise. In all these respects the Lord Jesus displays wisdomdivine wisdom, unerring wisdom, and therefore true believers have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus. 2. And then they have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus because God has made Him unto them righteousness. When God begins with a sinner, he soon feels that he has no righteousness of his own. He is made to ask with Job, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" (Job xiv. 4). Indeed, all his fancied righteousness goes for nothing. God shows him it is worth nothing; nay, that it is his condemnation. What a blessed teaching of the Gospel to such an one is it that Christ Jesus is of God made unto him righteousness. Yes, Christ Jesus is the righteousness of the true believer. It is a righteousness which Christ wrought out by His life of obedience and death, His precious blood-shedding, and His all-perfect righteousness. Oh, how momentous the question to every one: Am I covered with Christ's righteousness? Depend upon it, if you live and die without Christ's righteousness, you will certainly be lost. Listen to Paul's desire : "That I may be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. iii. 9). Is this your desire, my friends? If so, that desire is something good; and "every good thing or gift is from above" (James i. 17). And He that begins a good work in a sinner will not leave it unfinished. If He were to act thus, He would not be faithful. But "faithful is He that calls a sinner, who also will do," or complete, what He begins (1 Thess. v. 24). "Being confident of this very thing" (says the Apostle), "that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. i. 6). Well, then, if your desire be that the Lord will in His grace clothe you with His all-perfect, everlasting righteousness, depend upon it your desire shall be fulfilled; for "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him He also will hear their cry, and will save them" (Ps. cxlv.19): and you shall be brought to say, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. lxi. 10). Oh how beautiful is the sinner in God's eyes who is clothed with Christ's righteousness! Why have the circumcision occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus? Because they are clothed of God with the righteousness of Christ Jesus. : 3. They have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus, because God has made Him unto them sanctification. Sanctification is another word for "holiness." True believers are said to be "sanctified by God the Father" (Jude i.), i. e., God the Father in His eternal purpose of love and mercy, which He purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began, set them apart as His people elected in Christ Jesus (as Christ will present them at last unto God), "holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight" (Col. i. 22). They are not holy (sanctified) in themselves, but in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto them sanctification. Now, this accords with Christ's prayer for His people. "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth" (John xvii. 17). That is, sanctify them through Thy word, which teaches that Christ Jesus is made of God the sanctification of His people. Again, our Lord says, "And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth (John. xvii. 19): as the Surety and Head of His people Christ sanctified Himself. He had no need to sanctify Himself on His own account, for He is the infinitely Holy (sanctified) One. He sanctified Himself for the benefit of His people, "That they might be sanctified through the truth," i.e., the truth contained in the Gospel message, which reveals Christ Jesus to the sanctification of His people. All who are in Christ Jesus by an eternal union are, in the fulness of time, graffed into Christ Jesus vitally by a living faith, and conformed by the inworking of the Holy Ghost into the holy (sanctified) image of Christ Jesus. Aye, and depend upon it, dear friends, if Christ be thus made of God unto you sanctification, you will be anxious to make your sanctification manifest to a beholding world, and hence the exhortation, "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter i. 16). "God has not called His people unto uncleanness, but unto holiness" (1 Thess. iv. 7). Well, then, since Christ Jesus is of God made unto believers sanctification, they have occasion to rejoice in Him. 4. They have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus because God has made Him unto them redemption. The language which the Holy Ghost puts into their mouth respecting Christ Jesus is, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. i. 7). The work which Christ undertook in the everlasting covenant engagement, and which He appeared in the flesh to fulfil, was redemption. His sufferings in the garden, His death on the cross, were to make Himself the redemption of His people. It is a redemption by blood from the curse of the law. It is a redemption by power from death, the grave, and hell; and therefore the language which the Holy Ghost puts into the mouth of believers, in prospect of death is, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. xv. 55-57). Thus all the blessings of salvation flow to sinnors, because God made Christ unto them redemption, and therefore all true believers, as the circumcision, have occasion to rejoice in Christ Jesus. IV. In what the Circumcision have no confidence." And have no confidence in the flesh." How can they have confidence in the flesh when their experience is expressed by Paul: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing?" (Rom. vii. 18); and, since they have no confidence in the flesh, therefore they will not walk after the flesh; and therefore the exhortation given to believers is, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. vi. 12, 13). "Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding, Ransom'd souls the tidings swell; Let my soul for ever dwell." HOLY WATER. LAMBERT, in his travels, says, "A friend of mine was at the house of a French lady in Canada, when a violent thunderstorm commenced. The shutters were closed, and the room darkened. The lady, not willing to leave the safety of herself and company to chance, began to search for her holy water. Having found it, she sprinkled it over the ladies and gentlemen. The storm continued, and she repeated her sprinkling and benedictions at every clap of thunder. At length the storm ceased, and the safety of the party was attributed to the precious holy water. But judge the surprise of the company, when the shutters were opened; the pious lady had made a mistake, and sprinkled her friends with ink!" Pilgrim Papers. THE SWEET STORY OF OLD. THAT THE substitution of Jesus-the suretyship of the Elder Brother-this is indeed the sweet story of old! The love of Jesus to His people, manifested through the grace and power of the Spirit; the love of the Triune Jehovah ! Who can sufficiently tell of its sweetness? It was the sweet story in days that are past-it is the sweet story in the present day; and it will be the same sweet story through the ages of eternity. SWEET STORY OF OLD! Think of the poor African woman (as related by Mrs. Stowe in her key to "Uncle Tom's Cabin "). The slave ship visiting her coast, burning the homes of her people, carrying off her husband and children, and leaving her an outcast and a homeless wanderer. Think of her as wandering up and down the country-none to help, to counsel, or to comfort. "Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are not." Whence is that voice which tells her, secretly in her soul, that she has a friend near her, who can hear, who can help her? Whence comes that impulse on her mind to throw herself on the ground and cry to that unknown friend for deliverance? Oh, yes! we ask, whence that prayer of faith? And then the answer vouchsafed, not once only, but again and again, the sweet consolation poured into her soul, making her to rest in the Lord Jesus Christ, whilst as yet she has never heard the mention of His name. And then the mysteries of God's providence unveiling themselves; the slave ship returning, herself the first to be captured, carried into New England, hearing the proclamation of the Gospel, and at once responding to the name of Jesus, "That is the one I want!" Oh! the tender mercies of our God, "the sweet story of old "-Jesus revealing Himself by His Spirit to His banished ones. Sealing home the Word to their hearts; saving them with His great salvation. We shall not soon forget a short visit to Lancashire a few years ago. We were in a large village of some seven thousand souls. With a dear child we one day walked through the streets-through the Irish quarter. Through an open doorway in the corner of a room, we saw lying on a sorry bed, a young woman, apparently in the last stage of consumption. We took a moment's gaze, and passed on. In that village the Gospel of God's grace had long been preached, and some precious souls had been called to the knowledge of Jesus. We called upon some of them, and found it very pleasing to listen to some sweet stories of sovereign discriminating grace. By and by, said our child to us, "I do not like to be spending our time, all of it, in visiting these dear people of God; that poor woman in a corner of the room, we passed her by, and I cannot get her from my mind any how." We retraced our steps. The door was still open, and we walked in, and to the side of the bed. We found she was a married woman, with two or three young children. Some time before she had taken cold, and it had settled upon her lungs. We spoke to her of her weakness, of her sufferings, and of Jesus. There was an elderly Irishwoman sitting by her side, and they both listened with intense interest, whilst we told "the sweet story of old," and spoke of Him who stood in the place of His people, and gave |