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Ghost, to the death and resurrection of Christ, another state of things has been introduced. Whereas God did call for obedience, He now calls for faith. Man having been proved to be incapable of obedience, he is now in the Gospel called upon for faith-i.e. belief in God, and in God's ability (upon the ground of a perfect atonement for sin, made upon that cross, at which the sin of man and grace of God met, and the lesser was swallowed up in the greater) to be "just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus" (Rom. iii. 26). Men, sinners, are besought to be reconciled to God, not on the ground of any work, religious system, or creed, of their own, but on the ground of God's own actings towards them in having sent his Son into the world to save the world;on the ground that Christ has been "made sin," that sin has been laid on Him, that He has "once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust." In all this God will have it to be seen that He is the actor, and He alone. Man having been proved a sinner every mouth is stopped, and all the world has become guilty before God. Faith then is that by which alone man can now respond to the grace of God, or to the call of God upon him. It is a dispensation of faith; not as it once was when faith here and there in individuals trusted a God who yet dwelt in "thick darkness," but still trusted Him, though only able perhaps to say "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"; but a dispensation in which faith is called for towards a God who has come out to sinners in all the fulness of His grace; in which "the darkness has passed and the true light now shineth."

If one may say it, What could God do more than He has done, and declares in His gospel, to display the riches of His grace and of His glory, and to speak to the necessities of men. He has indeed spoken by His Son -the Word, the incarnate Word, "the daysman," who

Not but that faith, being as it is the hearkening to,-the submission of the soul to God, is obedience, and of the most absolute kind. But it is not the obedience of, nor of the will of, the flesh. Faith bows, submits, believes, obeys in that which is to nature either a stumbling-block or folly, or is altogether out of nature's grasp.

can lay His hand upon God and man, and bring them both together.

This then is Christianity according to God. How different from that which the world presents to us. The world has indeed adopted Christianity, but has made of it a religion for the flesh. That which God jealously guarded, leaving really no place for flesh to act in, man has nevertheless wrested from the Spirit, and calling Christ the "Divine Founder of our religion," has sought to follow His teaching and instructions apart from faith. And God's own people, "children of God by faith in Christ Jesus," are carried with the stream.

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Now we before have said that God, looking at His people in grace, can say of them that they walk by faith not by sight"; and this is indeed what they are called to. That faith by which they once looked to Christ as their Saviour, and learned that God had justified them, should never cease its operation in their souls. If God has been trusted for salvation, is He not worthy. to be trusted for the smallest matter. If, however, we are honest we must admit that this is not so with us, and that so far from the walk of faith characterising the people of God, their walk is often as much like men as the rest of the world. The saints of God do not stand out now as of old, as those of whom it was said the "world was not worthy," but mingled in the mass of profession they cannot be distinguished (except in rare instances) from that world which with all its outward form of godliness yet" lieth in wickedness.”

Faith is the last thing which Christians often think of exercising, except in the one act by which they seek to get peace to their souls, and to escape from hell; and thus blessing to the soul and power against sin and the world are forfeited, and the name of Christ is dishonoured. The portion of the saint of God now is only to be known and enjoyed by faith. Faith is God's gift to him for the present season, for the "little while," during which he is neither of the world, nor in the glory. God has given him nothing here below to rest in or to wait for. His every blessing, joy, and hope are linked with One who was rejected in the world and is now at the right

hand of God, because rejected here. The assertion of a place or authority in the world, either by the saint or the Church, is therefore completely contrary to the mind of God as revealed in His word. Christ is the measure and pattern of His people, what His portion was here, theirs is here; what He is above they are even now in spirit, and are destined to be in body also. When He comes to the world again to judge, and to reign, they will be with Him sharers of His throne.

May the Lord awaken our hearts more to the exercise of faith, and having the "mind of Christ," to know more of practical fellowship with Him-to be able in our measure to say as one of old, "The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. ii. 20). God has indeed given to us His Son wholly, and without reserve, not to be looked at once for life, and that attained, the eyes then turned to the world for present enjoyment. No, it is to be Christ all the way along, the heavenly manna: the "bread of God," as He said, "he that eateth me shall live by me." God has redeemed His people from an evil world to give them to another, and to give to them another object for their hearts, even the Son of His love; and true faith finds in the Son of God a better and a dearer object than all that this poor world can offer. "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John v. 5). Who indeed? And what can give the victory over a world which presents such attractions to the heart of man, but faith which makes so present and so real the love stronger than death, and the abundance and power of that life out of death, which is in Jesus, the crucified and risen, and in Him alone.

Nothing can take the place of faith, knowledge in the things of God will not alone carry us along. Many of God's children now-a-days start on their course with knowledge, but whatever nature may say, in the things of God knowledge is not power apart from the exercise of faith. They thus fail to follow in the thoughts and ways of God, and make shipwreck of their testimony. Solemn is the word to such, "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

"There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen." Nature's highest flight, and keenest vision, discerns not the way of faith. God has a path for every one of His people, and faith rests in the certainty that that which He has laid out must be the surest and most blessed way to walk in. The end of it is the same for all; His presence for evermore,and faith waits on Him to make plain every step, and even in the darkest passages can say "when my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then THOU knewest my path." B.

No. VII.

OCCASIONAL NOTES.

I.

SOMETIMES I look at the Bible in one way and sometimes in another. Looking at it, as it were from outside, I would ask your attention to the remarkable division of time which it gives.

1. The first period is of man, a living soul, in Eden. Whether he dwelt there a whole week, so as to see a sabbath there, or only a morning or so, we are not told. He sinned and soon found himself on the outside of Eden.

2. Ere he was turned out, however, the Lord God spoke to the serpent about "One that was to come," the seed of the woman that was to bruise the serpent's head. "One that is to come" was God's mark for a period of 4,000 years, though He might vary the descriptions of Him to the end of that period.

This

3. He came-who was born of the woman and she a virgin. His life here below was spent, thirty years in retirement, and three and-a-half years in service. period-the hinge of all that went before on the one side. and of all that follows after on the other, lasted but thirty-three and-a-half years and closed with his death on the cross; which on Satan's, the world's, and man's side was his rejection; on God's side was the corn of

wheat falling into the ground and dying that it might not abide alone.

4. With Himself in heaven and about to come back commenced the present period which has lasted now 1834 years.

5. Prophecy tells us that He in heaven will reign over the earth 1,000 years, and that

6. There shall be new heavens and a wherein dwelleth righteousness.

new earth These are God's marks

as to the past, the present, and the future.

II.

Rev. xxii. 6-21, presents us with lessons to three classes of persons.

First. Ver. 6-9 is a word to servants of God: a, their attention challenged; and b, the importance of one duty pressed

a, "Behold I come quickly;"

b, "blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

Secondly. Ver. 10-15 is a word about the mixture of good and bad, as is now seen all round about us. a, Attention is called to the evil; and b, what should guide people to get out of it is presented.

a, the unjust and the filthy; the righteous and the holy, upon earth mixed up;-but each man having his own character:

b, "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me;" man to be dealt with as he has lived here.

Then ver. 16 Jesus is introduced-the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star-two personal glories in which He announced Himself to the churches.

Thirdly, Ver. 17-21. a, The Spirit and the Bride invite Him to come; and any one that hears, to join in the invitation; and any one that thirsts, or wills, to come to Him, to come and take the water of life freely.

b, To this He replies-guarding the book-but replying to the invitation; "Surely I come quickly." To which John and the believer answer:

c, "Amen. Surely come Thou, Lord Jesus."

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