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this) he lived to hear proclaim from the pulpit the "unsearchable riches of Christ," the inheritance of a good name (Eccl. vii. 1), and an example of simple faith in Christ; a faith working by love, for faith without works is only a dead faith (Gal. v. 6; James ii. 26), an example which all who "profess and call themselves Christians" should endeavour to set and follow, "looking ever unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Heb. xii. 2).

Christ the middle, and Christ the end of I forward to a happy re-union beyond the all. Distrusting self, and repudiating all grave. The dear deceased has left his creature efforts as the ground of his children, one of whom (the writer of hope, it was his desire constantly to keep the eye of faith fixed on the cross of Christ. Even in his dying moments, and when bodily suffering was extreme, the name of his Redeemer was on his lips, joined to the expression of an earnest desire to be released from earth, and allowed to enter into the full enjoyment of His presence in heaven. There were no rhapsodies, no exstatic emotions, in the last hours of this servant of God. But his end was peace. Quietly he had lived, quietly he passed away. His last earthly care was fixed upon his beloved wife and family, some of the members of which were prevented, by the sudden ness of his decease, from seeing their fond and much-loved parent alive. But they sorrow not as those without hope," resigning themselves to His will who ordereth all things well, and endeavouring, by the grace of God, to look

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May He, who has promised to be a "Husband to the widow, and a Father to the fatherless" (Jer. xlix. 11), grant to all the mourning ones a good hope, through grace, of meeting never again to be disunited, in that happy land where sorrow and sighing shall be no more, and "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. vii. 17).

A. A.

I SAW a city full of light,

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY.

"The holy city."-Rev. xxi. 2.

Where all was holy, calm, and bright;
The heaven and earth where all was new,
Nor thought of past distresses threw
One shade of sadness-but where all
The Saviour's love alone recall.
The former world away had fled,
With all its sin, its tears, its dead.
That city had no need of light,
It had no gloom, no dreary night.
The Lamb, enthron'd all glorious there,
Sheds forth His rays, so bright, so rare,
That dazzling sun, or moon's pale beam,
Compared with Him, would darkness seem.
He is its Light-and saints shall there
His everlasting brightness share.
Its jasper walls, its streets of gold
Its pearly gates, all, all unfold
The beauty of that happy land
Where His redeem'd in glory stand.
But to each saint no sight so fair,
A's He whose love had brought them there.
Prostrate they bend before His throne,
Saying, "Thou art worthy, thou alone."
How bless'd are they who gain that place,
Who see the Saviour face to face!
Clad in their robes of purest white,
On harps of gold they sing His might;

His power, His grace, His endless love,
All echo through the courts above.
No aching heart, no wasting pain,
Shall ever cloud their brows again.
They hunger not, they thirst no more,
Their wishes gained their wants are o'er;
Temptation past, all sinless now,
Fulness of joy is theirs to know.
All trace of tears is wiped away;
They mourn no more through endless day.
No fears, no thoughts of future care,
Disturb their happy spirits there.
No parting paug, no heaving sigh,
Shall tell that lov'd ones change or die.
All perfect there, all endless love,
Not one shall change, not one remove.
There, clearest streams of crystal flow,
There, fadeless flowers for ever blow;
And there are fruits which ne'er decay,
And richest gems of purest ray.
There, sinless songs of sweetest sound,
Throughout these holy courts abound.
There, friendship's ties are woven true;
There, all is peace-there, all is new.
When shall I reach that bless'd abode,
And dwell for ever with my God?

THE FOURPENNY PIECE.

I AM quite sure the Word of the Lord
is perfectly true, and most blessedly to
be realized and enjoyed by every diligent
observer of His gracious providence:
the Word to which I now more particu-
larly allude is the last verse of the 107th
Psalm, "Whoso is wise, and will observe
those things, even they shall understand
the lovingkindness of the Lord." I
heard a dear servant of the Lord once
say, that he was on one occasion walking
through the streets of Cambridge, in
great depression. His path was hedged
up, and he knew not how this and that
could be brought about. As he thus
mused, his eyes from very sadness fixed
upon the ground, he espied a fourpenny
piece. He stooped, picked it up, and said
to himself, "The God that sent this, could
as easily have sent a hundred or a thousand
pounds, if it had been needed. 'Is there
anything too hard for the Lord ? Is it
not written, Your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these
things p
This simple circumstance
brought relief to his anxious mind-
warmed his heart-and caused him to go
on his way rejoicing. That same indi-
vidual afterwards became a minister of
the gospel; and, in order that he might
have a little memento of his position and

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feelings at the time referred to, he attached the fourpenny piece to his watchchain. There being no clock in his church, it is the practice of the minister in question to place his watch on the book-board of his pulpit; and there from time to time he sees the little remembrancer of what his God can do, when His children are deepest sunk in depression, or disquietude, or unbelief. On one occasion a brother-minister, who happened to be acquainted with the simple fact before narrated, was about to preach for the friend in question. Upon entering the pulpit, his heart somewhat misgave him as he gazed upon the large congregation before him! but, on looking to the side of the cushion, there lay the watch, and there the identical fourpenny piece that had to his brother-beloved spoke such a precious fear-not. What it had said then it seemed to say again now, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." What dear child of God, after this, would despise a fourpenny piece; for even by it the Lord can soothe the anxieties of His doubting, fearing ones?

D.

I

POSSESSION AND PRACTICE.

to

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."—John xiii. 17. OUR dear Redeemer, when He uttered knowledge? We reply, to know, first, these words, knew that all who then surrounded the table were not true followers of the Lamb of God. It is true there appeared no difference to the outward eye between a John and a Judas; but He who knew the intents of the heart; He who was a discerner of the thoughts, could read the difference. Ah, my friends, nothing is more common than a knowledge of Christ. Thousands know Him historically, and believe all the doctrines of grace and the truths of the Bible as matters of fact. But, oh, what a difference there is between a faith of credence, and a justifying faith in the Lord Jesus.

Do you ask, then, what is the necessary

that you are a hell-deserving sinner in the sight of God; yea, and not merely to know it, but to feel it; and, secondly, to know and to feel that Jesus is just the suitable Saviour for such a lost sinner; these are the things necessary be known before we can say, “If ye know these things, happy are ye." But if you have felt this, and do know it, then we know you have a happiness far above anything that this world can afford; and therefore we say, "happy are ye if ye do them :" that is, of putting your trust in such a Christ, ye show by your life and conduct that you are a faithful follower of the Lamb of God (Matt, vii. 21),

G. C.

THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF UNION WITH CHRIST,

BRIEFLY UNFOLDED FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER.

(Continued from page 269.)

THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE UNFOLDED.

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WE might proceed, perhaps not unpro-1 and yet without any thought or conception fitably, to enlarge upon some other of his dreadful position. Surely, beloved, plain and prominent characteristics of it is in this sense, beyond all others, that the believer's spirit-life. We might that saying of Solomon's is true, show, for instance, that it was a life of "Truly, the light is sweet, and a light; as Paul declares, when he says to pleasant thing it is for the eyes to bethe Ephesian saints, "Ye were some- hold the sun (Eccl. ii. 7). Let us, times darkness, but now are ye light in then, bless God for such measure of the Lord " (Eph. v. 8). Yes; spiritual spiritual light as He has been pleased to light, let men say what they will, is an bestow upon us individually; for all evidence of spiritual life. Like the man believers have not the same measure of who was born blind, of whom we read light, any more than they have the same in the 9th chapter of St. Luke's gospel, measure of faith or of prayerfulness. But every man by nature has (as far as re- let us at the same time remember, that gards spiritual things) "his understand-light is not the only, nor is it the loveliest, ing darkened," and is "alienated from characteristic of spiritual life. After the life of God through the ignorance all-and, oh, we bless God for itthat is in him." This fact is enunciated the life of God has its citadel in the by the same great apostle with painful explicitness : "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. ii. 14). But in regeneration, this darkness of nature is for ever dissipated, "through the tender mercy of our God, the dayspring from on high" has then visited the sinner's soul; "the day-star has arisen in his heart;" Christ has anointed his eyes with His divine eye-salve; and now, like the blind man in his cure as well as in his affliction, the believer can "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, Now I SEE" (John ix. 25). And, oh, what a blessing is spiritual light! It is sad, indeed, to be debarred, through natural blindness, from beholding the light of the glorious sun; it is sad to be unable to gaze upon the face of one we love; it is frightful to see a blind man upon the very brink of a precipice, not knowing that if he takes Or, again, we might show (we mean another step, he will be dashed to pieces. with something of the fulness which But, oh, it is infinitely more sad for the each one of these points fairly demand) soul of man never to have beheld the that the spirit-life of the believer is a Sun of Righteousness! It is infinitely life of hope. "Hope springs eternal" in more sad to be unable to behold the face the Christian's, if in no other "human of God; it is infinitely more awful to be- breast." "For," says Paul, "we are hold an immortal soul hanging over hell saved in (not "by") hope" (Rom. viii. by a thread that may snap at any moment, 24). Saved, be it understood, not

say,

66 If

heart, not in the head. It is at the
former that spiritual declension in-
variably commences; though, indeed, if
the declension continue, it must ulti-
mately extend to the latter for though
the head may be clear, as, alas! we too
often see, after the heart has grown cold;
yet, if the heart remain cold, the head
cannot remain clear. Believe it, the
head is more dependent on the heart
than we are apt to suppose the want
of love is the first step to heresy.
a man love me," said the Lord Jesus-
mark! only if he love me-" he will keep
my sayings" (John xiv. 23). This is
one side of a solemn truth.
"He that
loveth not, knoweth not God (1 John
iv. 8). This is the other. And hence
we find, that the very disciple who wrote
these sayings (John), having himself the
most love had also the most light, that
to him, who lay nearest to the heart of
Jesus, were committed the deepest and
most secret of the words of Jesus.

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"Bright as the pillar rose at Heaven's command,

When Israel march'd along the desert land, Blazed through the night on lonely wilds afar,

And told the path-a never-setting star: So, Christian Pilgrim, in thy course divine,

HOPE is thy star, her light is ever thine." Or, once more, we might show that the spirit-life of the believer is a life of love.

vicariously, as by the blood and righ- you the hope of glory" (Col. i. 27); it is teousness of Jesus; nor yet instrumen-"the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope' tally, as by faith; but anticipatively. (1 Tim. i. 1). As all that faith can For the apostle adds, "But hope that is grasp is found in Him, so all that hope seen is not hope for what a man seeth, can anticipate is summed up in Him. why doth he yet hope for? But if we Not only is He, in His atoning sacrifice, hope for that we see not, then do we the foundation of our hope, but in His with patience wait for it." The action session and intercession at the right of hope, indeed, differs from the action hand of God, He is the home and centre of faith, mainly in being prospective of our hope, and in His coming and instead of retrospective. Faith looks kingdom, He is the object of our hope. back to the cross on which our sins were Take away Christ, and what has the borne in Christ's own body. Hope Christian left to hope for? Give him looks forward to the crown which is laid Christ, and while he lives his hope can up for all those who love His appearing. never die. Faith, resting on the finished work, says, "He hath finished transgression, made an end of sins, and brought in everlasting righteousness.' Hope exulting in the assurance of the coming redemption, cries, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory." Groaning under the burden of conscious guilt ; looking to that blood which alone can cleanse from sin; wrapping around us the spotless robe of a Saviour's righteous- This is at once its most beautiful ness, we are saved by faith. But, com- and its most essential characteristic. If passed about with sin and sorrow; any man have not the love of Christ, the tossing amid the waves of this trouble- life of the Spirit is not in him. This we some world; bearing about with us a are plainly taught in the 13th chapter of body of sin and death; wrestling not the first epistle to the Corinthians, that against flesh and blood, but against prin- wondrous chapter which, out of an atcipalities, against powers, against the mosphere of controversial strife, rises up rulers of the darkness of this world, like some high mountain peak, upon against wicked spirits in high places," which the eternal sunshine sleeps in we are saved in hope. Oh, precious tranquil beauty, and in which St. Paul hope! brightening the most cheerless declares, "Though I speak with the prospect-lingering in the most down- tongues of men and of angels, and have cast heart-growing but brighter and not love (ayάrn), I am become as soundbrighter amid the thickening gloom, ing brass, or a tinkling symbal. And never dost thou leave us, never wilt thou though I have the gift of prophecy, and fail us. Thou art not like the world- understand all mysteries, and all knowling's hope-a mere ignis fatuus, luring ledge; and though I have all faith, so him to destruction; thou art not as "the that I could remove mountains, and have hypocrite's hope" that "shall perish" not love, I am nothing. (Job viii. 13). Thou art, indeed, a now abideth faith, hope, love, these "blessed hope" (Tit. ii. 13); “a living three; but the greatest of these is love." hope" (1 Pet. i. 3); a good hope For the love which is here so sublimely through grace" (2 Thess. ii. 16); a eulogized is no mere human " charity, hope that maketh not ashamed" (Rom. but in truth the greatest of the Spirit's v. 5); "a hope laid up in heaven graces, and the brightest amid the (Col. i. 5); because a hope "IN CHRIST" clustering jewels of the Christian diadem. (1 Cor. xv. 19; 1 John iii. 3). Yes; It is, in short, "the love of the Spirit," as it has been well said "the faith of a of which the same apostle speaks in his Christian is a person, so may it with epistle to the Romans (xv. 30), and equal truth be said, "The hope of the whereby we are to understand that Christian is a person." It is "Christ in love of which the Holy Spirit is the

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true author and sustainer." It is that | (John xi. 35, 36): dying love, extended "love of God in Christ,' "neither to be to His very crucifiers in the prayer, restricted to its Godward, or to its man-"Father, forgive them; for they know ward aspect, as Christ's love to us, or not what they do" (Luke xxiii. 34). our love to Christ, but as CHRIST'S OWN And even as existing in us, received LOVE "shed abroad in our hearts by the from that fountain in our feeble measure, Holy Ghost which is given unto us it is still the Spirit of love-responsive (Rom. v. 5);* that love of which St. love, for "we love Him, because He John speaks, when he says, Beloved, first loved us (1 John iv. 19); expanlet us love one another: for love is of sive love, leading us thus to judge, that God; and EVERY ONE THAT LOVETH IS "if God so loved us, we ought also BORN OF GOD, and knoweth God" to love one another" (1 John iv. 11): (1 John iv. 7). And hence we find that enduring love; for though prophecies Paul hesitates not to bestow his apos- may fail, and tongues may cease, and tolic benediction upon "all them who knowledge may vanish away; though -not know, or believe in, or hope in, faith may wax faint, and hope become but-"who love our Lord Jesus Christ dim, and all our graces languish, "love in sincerity" (Eph. vi. 24). never faileth;" IT leaves us not even at the gate of Paradise. No; as a German poet has sweetly expressed it,—

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Yea, beloved, it is this characteristic more than any other that evinces the spirit-life of the believer to be indeed divine. It is by this unforgeable mark that it approves itself to be indeed the life of Christ. As it existed first in Him, as its true fountain and in its unmeasured fulness, love was the grand characteristic of this divine life.

The

Spirit of the Lord God was upon Him, and dwelt within Him, as the Spirit of love: redeeming love, wherewith "having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John xiii. 1): tender, sympathizing love, which drew tears from His sinless eyes, and constrained even his enemies to exclaim, "Behold, how He loved him"

* Very admirably does Olshausen comment on this verse : “ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ (“ the love of God") is considered to be only, so to speak, the secret presence of God Himself in our souls, whilst in eternal blessedness God gives Himself to His saints as the manifested One. Accordingly, the love of God is not the inward life of man in a state of exaltation-the life of his feelings raised, so to speak, to a higher power; but it is a higher principle which has been grafted into the man, the Пveûμa ayιov ("the Holy Ghost"); the latter words express the substantial cause, aydan (love) the actual effect; but, in reality, they are both identical, for the ἀγάπη Θεοῦ cannot be regarded as separate from the essential being of God in its highest manifestation, i.e., the Holy Ghost. God's love is there only where He himself is, for He is love, and does not have love as something in or beside himself."-"Biblical Commentary," in loco.

"Faith must conquer, hope must bloom,

As our onward way we wend;
Else we come not through the gloom,
But with earth they also end.
Thou, O love, dost stretch afar
Through the wide eternity,

And the soul array'd in thee,
Shines for ever as a star.
Faith and hope must pass away,
Thou, O love, endurest aye.

"Come, thou Spirit of pure love,

Who dost forth from God proceed,
Never from my heart remove,

Let me all thy impulse heed;
All that seeks self-profit first,

Rather than another's good,
Whether foe, or link'd in blood,
Let me hold such thought accurst:
And my heart henceforward be
Ruled, inspired, O love, by thee !"

On these and some other practical characteristics of the believer's spiritlife, such as truth, and joy, and peace, and wisdom, and holiness, we might, we repeat, dwell with pleasure and with profit; but the undue and uncontemplated length to which these papers have already extended, warns us to hasten onwards to a conclusion as speedily as we may; and we shall therefore proceed at

once to make some brief remarks on the second point we here proposed to consider, viz., the mode and manner in which this spirit-life, whereof we speak, operates upon the man as a whole. We feel that our ground here is very delicate, and that the whole subject is particularly

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