by His exhibition of the truth, and pointing them to indicate in richest fulness all the "comfort which man's affectional nature was prepared to take from them; if persuaded and helped to believe that so great a salvation of united life was within the purpose of the words. These all then became the "things of Christ" which faith could show to itself, and the Comforter would effectually show to faith, glorifying the Redeemer's love in its eyes thereby. For example, what comforts of Christ can the Comforter take and show to the appreciative recognition of believers interpreting by the words of Jesus, "My Father and your Father," the value of those earlier words of His-"Whosoever doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother"? Are there not brothers and sisters who can appreciate the Comforter's words describing the communion of believers thus joined together to their Lord; who know what it is to be "joined in one spirit," to "live not to themselves but to" one another, to have one another's "words abiding" in them, to feel it no self-denial but delight to serve one another's will; who have no humbling, but healing nursing "comfort," in feeling dependence upon one another's stronger arm, or wiser head, or sympathising heart?-brothers and sisters who know the uniting power and riches of these words, My Father and your Father"? Is there not many a weakly child who has needed long past childhood's years a mother's watchfulness and care, or whom tribulation in maturer life has drawn to her for counsel or for comfort, who has known what is meant when a saving Comforter is said to be a “sure portion" to the afflicted, shrinking heart? what it is to have a wise and good and supporting counsellor, of whom it may be said that out of her fulness her needy child receives "grace for grace," receiving along with the mother's comforting her wisdom also, and her quiet spirit and her peace ? 66 39. It is this "comfort" of salvation-not bare deliverance comforting from death and sin-this comfort of salvation, from which the thought of guaranteeing saving union is inseparable—that the earnest of language of salvation was all along fitted to bring to man, and which the Comforter is to "help his infirmity," his "slowness of heart," to believe. In his teaching, the old metaphors of its assur ances. Thus con union advance in the assurance which they convey. jugal love, the highest human experience of rational and affectional union, which had been used in the Old Testament (Hosea ii.) as illustrative of the great compassionateness of God's love, the comfort of forgiveness, He brings into authoritative assurance of the comfort also of happiness, the revelation of completed life. The life of conjugal union, unique in created life, in which two human beings are meant to be so joined in heart and will and thought and life that they are spoken of as become one, is now quoted as the manner of union of believers to Jesus. The Church is the "bride," the Lamb's "wife" (Eph. v. 32; Rev. xxi. 9); and the illustrative force of that union is not fully perceived unless, as the Spirit the Comforter bids us, we revert to the institution and first example of it. The first pair whom God made one were not two originally separate individuals made one by ordinance, but the woman had her being from the very person of the man. She had been a part of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, before her separate existence; as she became one flesh with him when brought to him by their heavenly Father. The profound thought suggested by this revealed parallel as to the connection of human nature and life with God is the historical truth. The connection is original oneness; separation of individuality (made for a time alienation of life by sin, and so needing the long corrective discipline of salvation, as well as its propitiation); but to be characteristically a life-seeking union; and becoming oneness again. Another figure giving assurance and explanation of the union that is to grow into oneness was given by Jesus, but its form developed by the Comforter. It is a human union which is hardly describable as a union of separates even now, but has a link of original unbrokennessthe human union in which pure love and need and happy dependence commingle-that of a little child to its parent. Jesus had said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." The child's-enjoyment and rest of the heavenly union is the teaching of the Comforter. As an infant nursling loves and hungers for, and, resting in perfect peace, trusts to get the milk it lives upon, so does He bid the little ones that believe in Jesus desire the sincere milk of the Word, that they may grow thereby (1 Pet. ii. 2). And, an earnest or pledge now of that union or oneness of the life of heaven, the Comforter Himself is a helper of infirmities, a healer, a sanctifier, a guide, a teacher, not even so little distant as a mother is from her babe; not separated even by that least of all human separations; but dwelling in man's own soul and heart, upholding every rising effort after goodness, showing the penitent reader of saving knowledge "the things of Christ," guiding his thoughts unto all truth, helping his infirmities to pray for what are the soul's needs and should be its desires, and inspiring desires unutterable by the words of man's fallen estate. The family reunion accom plished. "THE INHERITANCE.' 40. The word of faith instructs us that this perfected earthly drawing near of God in holy love to man under the name of the Comforter is not the completion of His work of love—it is "the earnest of our inheritance" (Eph. i. 14; 2 Cor. i. 22). That inheritance being the subject of anticipatory faith, is, after the manner of all God's revelations of things which we are to look forward to, not described so definitely as the present possessions of the Comforter's invisible love, which faith has to think upon, and make more constant practical use of. The language of Scripture, however, concerning the everlasting life of heaven, is clearly of the same idea of God's union with man; or rather the other side of the same truth, man's union with God-man taken by God into everlasting union of assured life and holiness and blessedness with Himself. Man when taken home (2 Cor. v.) out of the outer life of tribulation, weakness, and danger where he has lived by faith of God's near but invisible love—the faith of God dwelling in him, shall then dwell in God, taken into His embosoming love, near, close, one with Him. The nearness of saving love shall then be quite unveiled. The Father in heaven shall no more comfort His children by words, messages, assurances, tokens, names of love, recollections of faithfulness. He shall Himself “wipe away all tears from their eyes." He will uphold them no more by secondary means of nurturing or gladdening efficacy; no more feed them daily with "food convenient for them." "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more." "The Lamb shall feed them, and lead them unto living fountains of waters" (Rev. vii. 16, 17). No longer will He uphold them with the nightly rest that here is so sweet a present help in time of need, nor revive them with the light of new days, and the sun that is so "pleasant for the eyes to behold." "Their city shall have no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb shall be the light thereof" (Rev. xxi. 23). "There shall be no night there." In the present state of training the exercise of and endeavour after fraternal union is the great appointed practice, so to speak, for man's increase of union with God Himself. No more will He exercise them by the trial of faith in earthly relationships, the interchange of love, and the self-devotion of gratefulness-the thoughts of parents' counsels, the sight of brethren's good works, the provocations of frowardness, the self-denials of charity. That work will be over, and the enjoyment of finished work be come. The mutually training relatives and neighbours, the instructors by memory and by anticipation, the many fellow-helpers and fellowtriers, whose imperfections caused separation often here, will be gathered together to enjoy union evermore with Him and with one another in the house of many mansions-the Father's house made ready for all; the rest of each the rest of all; the recollections of each the uniting of all; the harmony of diversity, and unity of individualities perfected, of which holy family life gives no little understanding and foretaste on earth. revelation 41. It does not seem out of place here to point out again Realistic how the thoughts of faith are constantly invited to occupy of heaven: themselves with facts, distinct records of things done, or representations of things that are to be. Heaven is as definitely described by elements fitted to make human happiness as the incarnate manifestation of God's love was fitted to secure trust for all forms of help needed by man. It is no Mohammedan paradise of corporeal indulgence; but as distinctly pictured as Mohammed's paradise are the essential elements of the happiness of the living soul, which are represented as making man's heaven; the human life reconciled and consciously united to its heavenly Father. Contrasted with the highest, purest, heathen notions of felicity after death-the misty thought of being absorbed into the torpid being of self-centred or even insentient Deity-the revealed heaven of the Bible is one not of lost existence, but of life new found; a definite realisable life, full of means of happiness more or less familiar already to faith, or even to sight. Observe the distinctness of the features of the everlasting inheritance as the Epistle to the Hebrews sets them before our faith (Heb. xii. 22-24). These are the religious happiness of everlasting nearness to God, such an enjoyment as nearest communions with Him on earth give a foretaste of: "Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”—the new experience of happiness in beholding and knowing God's higher works of wisdom, power, and goodness; the advance upon all thoughts and enjoyed emotions raised by mere earthly creation: "Ye are come to an innumerable company of angels" -the perfection of the happiness which human society yields; communion attained with the great examples of the race, those unknown in the body, whom yet we realise by faith; and communion with the former brethren of earthly life, the lost delight of the eyes, the helpers or cares of earthly days, parted from in frailty, or in clouded thoughts, rejoined in perfectness and everlasting honour: "Ye are come to the general assembly and church of the first-born which are written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect "—the best religious joy, that of gratefulness and indulged love, sitting evermore in the light of His countenance who loved us unto death: "Ye are come to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel." Nor are these spiritual affectional joys of the "rest remaining for the people of God" to be left by faith uncompleted by the contemplation of the bodily rest, which is a sorely-needed and secretly-cherished forelooking amidst much tribulation here; the rest when cor |