Selected Addresses - Volume 3

Acts 2:32 - 36; Isaiah 35:1 - 10; Isaiah 52:7, 8

I think, dear brethren, that we have been impressed during these days together with the greatness and glory of the economy which God intends to bring us into; the conscious joy and experience of what it is to be brought into the great spiritual climax of the dispensation. God is working to this glorious end. Let no one doubt it. God has provided every assistance, He has furnished the holy environment in which the precious testimony is to be carried through. It has been referred to several times as the circle of affection, the circle of the truth, and the circle of the fellowship. And what is in mind at the moment is, with the help of the Lord, to enable us to see that there is a moral process, a moral road, by which we come definitely and spiritually into this great realm where the glories of headship are known and answered to; that we might know consciously, what it is to have our part in relation to this great vessel, the assembly. We have been speaking of glory, our brother has helped in the thought of the glory of such a vessel. How relatively equal she is to Christ - His bride, His complement, a vessel in which His headship is carried through and displayed; the headship of this glorious Personage, our Lord Jesus Christ. God has given Him to be "Head over all things to the assembly, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22, 23).

He is Head to it, hence His supremacy, His glory and greatness, give impulse to the holy sphere in which everything comes under His blessed touch livingly; so that you and I may be equal in spiritual capacity to taking our place in relation to this great vessel.

The scripture we read in Acts 2 shows the way we begin on our side; we begin with the gospel. I want to be simple, to touch on what is elementary; to show that what we have been speaking of is not outside the range of any true believer, of any heart that loves Christ and loves God. If you have not touched it there is a reason, for it is available. I am impressed with what God has recovered to us, bringing forward in our day the top stone, the acme of ministry. It is the last hour, the last moment of this present dispensation. Do you, young or old, want to be out of it, outside the circle of affection in the sphere of the glories of that blessed Person, of His headship? Do we know what it is to be brought consciously and livingly into it? To be identified with all the holy and blessed features that mark the testimony? How they have been handed down and added to! What additional wealth and glories are seen in the position! God would not have any of His lovers to be outside of it; it is to our shame if we are. If there is anyone not moving happily with the brethren, his own ideas of matters standing in the way, though he may have difficulties and not know how to move, God is ready to assist him. In chapter 30 of Isaiah there is a remarkable word: "This is the way, walk ye in it" (verse 21), as if God would not allow any of us to walk without having a word. Maybe there has been no spiritual reaction to it. One has

been impressed with this word 'reaction;' if there is no reaction to the ministry in my soul, I become stagnant, and finally become attached in principle to what is eventually apostate. Reaction involves a good deal of spiritual heart searching, disposing of impediments, hindrances to what God is bringing His beloved people into. The spiritual reaction to the ministry involves a moral evolution going on inwardly. The testimony is a testing matter; it embraces every living, vital feature of the whole economy, all that God is opening up. God is bringing forward the best, the mesh becomes finer, are we ready for that?

I begin with the verses we read in Acts 2, "Let the whole house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him, this Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ". The power and unction in those who heard brought out this spiritual reaction. "What shall we do, brethren?" they said, (verse 37). Think of such a question in the presence of what Peter had brought forward; the Spirit poured out, giving a witness and testimony to the exaltation and supremacy of the lowly sufferer, Jesus! Now having been raised by the mighty power of God, the same God who has given Him to be Head over all things to the assembly, He has been made both Lord and Christ. If only we could reach the glorious climax, not nominally, but in the thing sympathetically with Him, in the mighty current of His operations! "They go from strength to strength: each one will appear before God in Zion" (Psalm 84:7). Why should I not be in it? I appeal to the youngest to take this matter up tonight. Have you fully recognised what God has

made Him, this same Jesus? It is One you love and whose name you love to mention.

This paves the way for Paul's ministry, for the understanding of the glories of His headship. This same Jesus made both Lord and Christ: what does this mean? It means that every other lord has to be disposed of; that the lover of Christ has to relinquish every other claim. No wonder that Saul, when he heard the words, "Why dost thou persecute me?" said, "Who art thou, Lord?" (Acts 9:4, 5). Not 'Christ' yet, but 'Lord'. What is bound up in that word "Me"? Paul is to be the minister of the assembly, to unfold the glories of it and set forth what Christ is as Head to it, and to bring us into living relation to Him as Lord, and Christ and Head. God has given Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow; God has made Him both Lord and Christ. Do you get on your knees and call Him Lord Jesus? No one calls Him Lord Jesus except in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me ask you, 'Is He your Lord?' Let me challenge my own heart, 'Is He my Lord?' It involves a subjective answer in my heart and in all my inwards, to come under His touch and power and own Him as Lord. God has made Him, not only Lord, but Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed, for light to one's soul. I know, like the woman in John 4, that He can do everything. She said, "Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done: is not he the Christ?" He will tell you all things that ever you did. Has He come near to your heart to make way for the knowledge of His glorious Person in headship? He wants to bring all of us into it - which means that our wills, the source of all difficulty in our local

history and in the history of the assembly publicly, must be subdued. The source of breakdown is will, stubbornness, that which can be named iniquity. And so, dear brethren, the question is, how have we reacted to the gospel? Unless there is right spiritual reaction there can be no further progress.

To come now to Isaiah 35there God makes His proposals; He brings forward what He is ready to do, and He does it. There is no breakdown on the part of God in what He does; the breakdown is all on our side; it is because there is no reaction to the ministry. God has recovered every detail of the truth from the top to the bottom, and from the bottom to the top, and He intends to bring us to the top that He may be served, that He may have His rightful place in headship. "The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose". Where wilderness conditions are, God loves to bring in fertility. It is His own precious work, and the end is that "they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away". Spiritual buoyancy marks the circle, joy and gladness obtaining, reached by the way of this moral process. This comes into view in a concrete way as His people take on these thoughts constitutionally. God makes Him both Lord and Christ. He would comfort, encourage, and stimulate, to see what is to flow out of His own blessed workmanship. "The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God". What does it mean, the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God? It means that He

would open up His work in view of bringing us into it consciously; into a realm where the glories of headship are known and answered to.

"Strengthen the weak hands and confirm the tottering knees". Are there any like that here, weak? What will be the result of these meetings together? It is to be the strengthening of our hands. We are small, in some of our localities only one or two; but, dear brethren, we are to strengthen one another. God delights to confirm His work, to add to it. On our side we are conscious of our weakness, but we go from strength to strength. Let us be increasingly available to our God, and serviceable. Let us not forsake "the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom is with some, ... and by so much the more as ye see the day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:25). Let us get on our knees and bring God into our matters. In that day it will be said by Israel, "This is our God, we have waited for him" (Isaiah 25:9). Are we going to be less than they? The assembly, as divinely taught, will be able to set forth all the preciousness of what it means to be under our God, and under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, "Say to them that are of a timid heart, Be strong, fear not". What a word! All the great accumulation of the powers of darkness God will deal with. We should know what that power is, the power that usurps the authority of Christ. It has to be dealt with inwardly, and amongst us collectively in our local exercises, and the word is, "Fear not; behold your God; ... He will come himself and save you". God will come to take vengeance, meaning that every other head is to be

overthrown. The word to us is, "Be strong", for God will come Himself and save us, a glorious result!

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened". Let me ask you, are your eyes open? What do you see - men as trees walking? This means there are other heads on the horizon; Christ is not supreme. God would lead you to see the Lord Jesus Christ only, "and the ears of the deaf be unstopped". Take care how you hear; the world is full of poisoning influences coming from deadly sources. What do I allow to come into my ears, into my heart? How about the ministry? My heart is to yield abundantly for God; does it do so? May God grant it! If we are failing, do not think the truth fails. Thank God, He never indicates a path without it being possible to attain to it. Let me get to God, with Him all things are possible. If I am not in these things, what is the deadening poison hindering me? If I am not going forward I must have other circles in my mind; there must be self-will, stubbornness, possibly rebellion, not a full committal to Christ and to God, unjudged things in my own soul. If I have never dealt with them in my own heart, how can I deal with them in assembly matters? If we are not of one mind together, why is it? What questions there are to be raised if we are not moving forward!

"Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing". "The mirage shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water". Think of that. Things becoming clearer, it is not a hazy kind of thing, as something passing away; we are brought into the divine economy marked by stability and finality. Things are made clear; we are to know the doctrine. Paul says to Timothy,

"Thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching" (2 Timothy 3:10). Why should I not know it and be in accord with what God is bringing forward? You say, 'I cannot face matters such as trade unionism, and other things of like character'. Is not God sufficient for you? Is not God the Protector of His people? What more do we want? Is not God able to provide, to clarify matters? We are not clear because our will is working. I must own His rights; I am His. Think of other heads interfering with God's rights! Let us be right in our relations with God. "And a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called, The way of holiness". Let us touch on that, "The way of holiness". Let no one doubt that it is there. You might say, 'I see so many diverse ways; I do not know which way to move'. Think of God's way; the gold is there; no unclean thing is there.

Chapter 30 refers to what is unclean, and to the judgment reached by us. We arrive at a judgment about it and say to it, "Out" (verse 22), and out it goes; it has no power. Headship is that which influences me and holds me, so I deal with it and now it is, "This is the way, walk ye in it" (chapter 30: 21). Can we put ourselves into the numbers that "go this way"? A way so plain that not even fools shall err therein. Oh, dear brethren, what is it to be a fool in the eyes of men? Think of Paul saying of himself, "Fools for Christ's sake" (1 Corinthians 4:10). How narrow, how exclusive! But this characterises the path of those that go this way. This highway, this holy circle of affection, is for those who are thus classified. It is how the world will class us as in the reproach of Christ. The reason so many of us do not move forward is because we are not ready to take the reproach of

Christ as those belonging to the assembly. It is a far greater system than Moses belonged to, and he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Why should we be afraid to accept the reproach of Christ? As a wayfaring man, why should we not take on the suffering, have part in it, like good soldiers of Jesus Christ? How do you think such soldiers suffered martyrdom? The glory of Christ was filling their souls, displacing every other object. This matter of reproach enters into this glorious circle; "But it shall be for these. Those that go this way - even fools, - shall not err therein". Are we prepared to take it on? Not only to come into it, but to take on the suffering. In Mark's gospel the Lord says to the young man, "Go, sell whatever thou hast", and he went away sad, for he had great possessions. He was not ready to bear the reproach; he had treasure he was not ready to part with. If we want what is of self in preference to what is of Christ, it is evidence of a moral lack in our constitution; in such a case, we shall not know the glories of this circle.

"The ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads". We experience this as coming under the beneficent sway and impulse of the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ, in view of serving God. We read of "the voice of thy watchmen, they lift up the voice, they sing aloud together" (Isaiah 52:8). What about our watchmen? They are seeking to help us move into this great matter. If you have your mind and I have mine, something is wrong. I may never have bowed to the supremacy of Christ, hence I do not know the effect of the glories of His headship. "They sing

aloud together; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah shall bring again Zion". Oh, dear brethren, let us remember that Zion has come in. The truth of the matter is we are built together as taken account of in mercy by God, and brought into this holy circle where there is singing. Song of Songs 2:12, says, "The time of singing is come". Singing has come in, and what will be the result? That the blessed God is served according to His own rights in majesty and headship. God in His might, majesty, glory and splendour has His supreme place amongst us. So David, coming into the glorious presence of God and referring to His headship, says, "Thou art exalted as Head above all" (1 Chronicles 29:11). What a moment! May we reach it, and enrich the glorious service of our God. He would have the closing moments of the dispensation marked by glory, triumph, victory and headship. May we apprehend these things more and more, to the end that there may be a greater and more glorious answer to Him in our several localities. May each of us desire to go on, to consecrate ourselves afresh, living and moving in this glorious light, that we may not fall short and rob God of His portion. May God help us in view of His getting a greater response, and a more definite answer to the glories of His headship.

Indianapolis, November 1941

"AS MANY AS I LOVE"

A E MYLES

Revelation 3:19, 20; Revelation 4:1 - 5; Revelation 5:6; Revelation 22:1, 16, 17

The times that are passing over us are difficult, and it would seem that it may be the will of the Lord to pass His people through even deeper experiences than we have hitherto known. Some of us were standing recently by a grave opened for a triple burial of saints killed suddenly at one moment, a new and sobering experience having the appearance of calamity of which we felt it hard to speak. We hear from the war zone of several brethren being killed suddenly by bombs dropping from a great height. They might have fallen anywhere in a city, or in a field; but they fell on or near some saints of God. He could have deflected the missiles of death: He could control them and only He; but it was not His will to turn them aside.

I mention these matters because I feel encouraged to direct attention to this book of Revelation, which deals with great happenings, calamitous for men on the earth, involving suffering and death for some that have faith in God; matters which would teach us to have confidence in Him as He brings His ways to a conclusion. John, the chosen vessel for this revelation, is caused to pass through intense experiences that produce deep feelings in him. His feelings are capable of responding to what he sees and hears, even to the point of weeping much. As we understand the purport of this book in its relation to the assembly we

shall see that the Lord is educating us for great things, and that we might be with Him and trust Him for that which cannot, at the moment, be explained. The unexplainable, the mysterious, is always harder to face than the thing we know. The Lord could not allow that there should be any doubt in our minds as to His perfect goodness, or as to His wisdom or His sympathy; so that we are to learn to be with Him in all He has to do, whether in us or in the world. I suggest that verse 19 of chapter 3 covers this peculiar phase of the saints' experiences: "I rebuke and discipline as many as I love".

In the beginning of the book the Lord is presented judicially: His breasts are girded, His affections held in, as it were, and His eyes are as a flame of fire. He speaks with judicial appraisement of each assembly. To Ephesus, representative of the highest and the best, He speaks about having "left thy first love" (chapter 2: 4). He calls upon them to "Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (verse 5). Leaving first love was a fall, not a slight declension, but a fall. He who loves the assembly so well, who stands to it in the relation of Bridegroom and Lover, would measure this decline in first love as a fall. That was how He felt it; what it was to Him. As the book unfolds, the Lord speaks about other features of declension until the climax is reached in Laodicea where the condition is such that it is nauseous to Him; but even there He is a Lover. The circle of His love is not so large, He is not so free. He says, "As many as I love". The individuals are known and numbered, but they are to be the recipients of rebuke and chastening. Then follows a promise

to the overcomer "to sit with me in my throne; as I also have overcome, and have sat down with my Father in his throne". The power of the throne on which He sits and the effect of the rebuke and discipline are to produce overcomers, even in Laodicean conditions in which the outward public profession of Christianity is nauseous to Christ.

There are, I understand, two viewpoints of this book: one, that the assembly's history finishes on earth at the end of chapter 3; the other that the history runs through in a moral way so that we have analogies of prophetically recorded happenings for our learning. I am using the latter view as the basis of my remarks, and I see evidence at the end of the book that the rebuke and discipline have accomplished something with which the Bridegroom is pleased. In chapter 19: 7 it says, "His wife has made herself ready". Then in chapter 22: 16, 17 it says, "I Jesus have sent mine angel ... And the Spirit and the bride say, Come". How different this language is from what we have at the beginning! There is liberty now for what is intensely personal, "I Jesus". That is the Bridegroom speaking in love's intimacy and without reserve. The Bridegroom has waited and served in conditions that bring out His skill, but the time has come for the consummation of love. The only remaining reason for waiting is that "he that will, let him take the water of life freely" (verse 17).

Now what has been said will, I trust, indicate the setting for the subject, which is to call attention to the combination of the throne, the Lamb, and the bondman. These are basic thoughts for the conditions spoken of in this

book. It is a combination of power and suffering and unquestioned acceptance of the will of God. The throne is God moving from His own side. In chapter 4 it is the majesty and greatness of God, and the behaviour and words of creatures that are intelligent in what is due to His greatness. To Him they ascribe glory and honour and power. But in chapter 3 the reference is to the Father's throne; the Lord is sitting in it with the Father. The power of the Father's throne would be exercised in relation to love, but the throne in chapter 4 is the power that can and will deal with everything adverse on earth. The exercise of this power awaits the understanding that it is the moral worth of the One who suffered that marks Him as alone worthy to open the book and its seven seals. As this is brought out in chapter 5 the new song begins, and it is clearly seen that the throne and the Lamb are one thought. It is under this combined thought that we have the fulfilment, or partial fulfilment, of the prophecies recorded, which have the effect of bringing on the saints the discipline of love. As we understand this we can stand beside our dead in the midst of unexplainable calamity, and be restfully with God; knowing that the seemingly unexplainable will be explained; knowing that God is moving according to the majestic greatness that is His amidst a corrupt world. He uses angels and the nations of the world for the discipline of His saints. How comforting it is to see that the object of divine service at this moment is the assembly! God's ways with the nations have this ever in view. He has not given up any of His rights. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is able to carry on a

multitude of majestic activities at one time; but the central object of His service in this dispensation is the assembly.

Now out of the throne go forth lightnings and voices and thunders. These are mysterious features. Things may happen like lightning, but the voices may suggest the communications that may accompany the lightning, and are explanatory for the comfort of the saints. The thunders would terrify men, but the saints know whence they come, from the throne, a throne which is operating in relation to the Lamb. This beloved man John is conducted through scenes which, without divine support, would be over-whelming. His enquiries are answered. When he wept he was told not to weep, but to behold the Lion which is of the tribe of Judah. There are those ready to help him at every turn, to make Him intelligent and restful. What is set out in John is for us, that we may draw near the throne and be accustomed to lightning-like movements; to hear voices which proceed from the throne. The people of the world are accustomed to voices which come over the air, but we are to hear voices from the throne. They carry authority and comfort. The Lord's service of rebuke and discipline will be manifest, even in the midst of calamities, that it is love's service. The Lord may have to speak to a meeting; He may have to speak to the saints in a country; He may speak universally; He may cause things to happen in one place to bring out divine sympathies in another. The service of rebuke and discipline is to make things practical. The wife making herself ready is not only doctrine, it is practical righteousness. She is under the eye of the Bridegroom. It is a scrutinising eye.

Now returning to the thought of the throne and the Lamb, it is important to see that while divine power is being exercised in this world, it stands related to the Lamb, to Christ, to His sufferings and death. The mighty power of God can carry any matter through, and deliver, but "the Lamb" is an evidence that things can also be carried through in suffering. The Lamb is said to be standing as slain in the midst of the throne. It is a resurrection figure, death is behind. The One who suffered and died on man's behalf is alive, and all the power of God is operative in relation to Him. The power to intervene actively is suggested as sealed in a book, and only the moral worthiness of the Lamb can open it. It is the evidence that all that the throne demanded has been met in suffering. He will be equal to every requirement of judgment when the time comes, but while that moment waits He is equal to supporting the saints in suffering. Any situation can be met, either by the power of the throne to deliver, or by the support of the One who suffered. The position is impregnable. God does not need to shorten the dispensation because of the sufferings of the saints; He can prolong it for the sake of men, but at any moment He can bring it to a close. The Lamb's wife must be trained in suffering, else how could she appreciate the One whose part in divine counsels was to suffer? How free God is! His compassions shine now in testimony in the gospel, and while men do not understand the position, the assembly does. God is glorified and Christ is made great to us. The two things go hand-in-hand: the greatest power to deliver, and the power to carry on in suffering, for in suffering the service of discipline and

rebuke is in operation in circumstances that perfectly display the skill of that service. We may have to face more suffering, but what confidence is inspired in our hearts as we think of the throne operating in relation to the Lamb! Moral worthiness enters into all suffering that is characteristically like that of the Lamb.

The last thought, linked with the two foregoing, is that of the bondman. This book is written for such, that they might be intelligent as to the mind and ways of God. The bondman idea involves unquestioning subjection to the will of God. It is easy to speak about it, but hard when we go through the training of it, as the line of Hymn 85 says, 'In proving no will but His'. A woman bereft of her husband; children bereft of a father or a mother; they are going through deep waters. How comforting at such a time to draw near to God as a bondman, subject, restful, inquiring, perhaps, for bondmen are greatly privileged in heaven. Think of John being called up to heaven that he might see and record this revelation of Jesus Christ. It is given for bondmen. It concerns heaven, but how the concerns of heaven would lift us above the trials of earth! Heaven's concerns are great matters; and John is taken to a favourable viewpoint, the throne, to see certain things, to get the basis of heaven's activities in his soul. Then he is taken to another viewpoint, the sand of the sea, that he might behold a beast rising out of the sea; then to a mountain, to see the bride, the Lamb's wife. He is being personally conducted through this vision of divine activities and glories, which to a man without divine support would be overwhelming; but the bondman of God is given support

that he might be equal to these scenes. On earth we learn our lessons in small things, but as disciplined in love we are to be equal to the great activities of God as He completes His ways with the earth.

How quickly John reacts to what is presented to him! When he saw the Lord in His judicial garments, with evidences of His divine majesty surrounding Him, he fell at His feet as dead. What an experience that was! I wonder if we all have had to do with the Lord like that? We are so accustomed to thinking of Him as meek and lowly, and rightly so, that we might be in danger of forgetting who He is, and what surroundings He is entitled to, and that comely behaviour in the presence of such a manifestation is to fall at His feet as dead. What intelligence John gathers as he is passed through these experiences! He learns how God will deal with everything that has opposed Him and despised Christ. But he also learns how the Lord can deal with the false and apostate church, while recovering what is for Himself, the element that is responsive to His rebuke and discipline, held in attachment to Him because of His great love. That love is a holy love, and when the Bridegroom is pleased with His work it means there is nothing of unholiness remaining in it. The present result, a moral result, is that the bride is secured.

While the service of Christ is going on amidst these happenings, God is still working with men in grace. The water of life is here. It flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Have you noticed the speakers in chapter 22? In verse 6, "These words are faithful and true;" in verse 12, "Behold, I come quickly;" in verse 16, "I Jesus have sent

mine angel;" in verse 17, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come;" and again, "Let him that is athirst come". So it continues, many voices, majestic speakers, speaking of satisfying eternal things, all inviting men to come. We were speaking about the body, and how the thought of the body makes things practical. It attaches us to one another with right feelings. We may be sure there will be some reaction - of what sort I do not predict - that will bring the saints in the various parts of the world under the same discipline in view of sharing the same blessing. The Lord's thought for the assembly is one. He may work more extensively in one part of the world than in another, but we have seen, even in our time, how the Lord makes things universal; how the brethren have been unified not only as to holding the same truth, but in manners and ways. The suffering which is now specially on Europe may have some reaction on us.

May the Lord help us to share in what He is giving. If it is a hard and difficult time, let us remember the position of a bondman. Let us remember that special provision is made for such. There may be waiting periods when we know not what God is doing, when our faith is tested. A bondman knows how to wait, even if there is silence in heaven for the space of about half an hour; no speaking, no sound, just silence. We have to learn to count on God sufficiently to let Him have His way and to let Him move from His own side, not compelled to move by our crying, but knowing He can trust His people to trust Him, and to wait a word from Himself. The public condition of that which professes the name of Christ is dreadful beyond words. The Lord's feelings in relation to it have been

clearly indicated, but He has been working now for over a hundred years in recovery to bring about assembly affections. The Lord has the bridal thought before Him. The Spirit and the bride say, Come. Soon there will be the consummation of all love's desires. But meantime, the throne is in heaven, acting in power for the good of the saints. May the Lord help us to gain from all these things and especially from the service of the Bridegroom.

London, Ontario, April 1942

PAUL'S CONFESSION

A N WALKER

Acts 27:25; 2 Timothy 1:12; Philippians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 7:40

These personal confessions, as I might call them, of the apostle Paul, form a necessary part of his ministry and I refer to them for our encouragement and help. In dealing with the great expanse of counsel, he, thank God, carries us along with him. He does not isolate himself in connection with the plan of divine counsel. He thinks of the scheme in its greatness and brings all the saints with him as he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). But in these instances I have cited, and there are others doubtless, he appears as bearing testimony as to himself personally; he purposely isolates himself in regard to what he says, when doubtless he might have included others with him. Luke secures this gem - "I believe God" - for us; the others are in the epistles. Unjealous Luke might well have been included in this first confession of the apostle, but Paul is alone in it. His confession is in the midst of an imminent ship-wreck and a number of souls are there - two hundred and seventy-six. We are not told of, nor does Luke record, any gospel meetings or other meetings on the ship, but he does tell us that in the midst of all the chaos, the apostle stands up and says, "I believe God". He might have included Luke in that;

Luke would have said the same, but he did not. Paul stands out amidst all that is going to pieces. And so it is today, dear brethren, whether it be ship-wreck or home-wreck or maybe country-wreck, what is to be looked for is a personal testimony to our belief on God. We are all here as believers, but in connection with the ministry, evidently it is essential that a man should be able to stand up himself and say, "I believe God". The need for it is great; unbelief is rampant; it lurks in our own hearts, but I believe God would help us with the ministry we have had to be held stable in our belief on God against all odds. In the crisis this man stands out; he has a message, a word from God, and he bears testimony to the fact that he believes God - not asking them to do it. Think of the great value of a man standing up in an issue, in a crisis with imminent disaster ahead, to give a rallying-point in himself, able to give comfort in such a distressing scene. "Wherefore be of good courage, men". It is not exactly an exhortation to believe on God, but as a man that himself believes on God. Think of the peculiar power of standing in a world of unbelief and calamity and being able to say, "I believe God".

In his letter to Timothy he does not say that; nor does he on the ship say what he says in 2 Timothy. The testimony was in reproach, and Timothy was liable to be ashamed of the testimony. As the Lord's prisoner, Paul says, "I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed". 'I know him', beloved brethren. We are believers, but can we stand up and say that we know Him - we know whom we have believed? What is going to stay us in the midst of all the testings of the testimony, but the knowledge

of the One we have believed? Thank God that knowledge will be ours in glory, but the knowledge of the One we have believed will preserve us here. How he came at it is another matter; we might see, perhaps, a little further as to that in Philippians. Still, the statement is made here, "I know whom I have believed". The apostle John said to the fathers that they had known Him. Indeed, whether he writes, or whether he has written, he says the same thing: "I have written to you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning" (1 John 2:14). Evidently the knowledge of Him that is from the beginning constitutes a father - not believing on Him. All the family know the forgiveness of sins, dear brethren; that is essential, evidently, to be one of the children. The test is not only in our belief in our God - we may be tested as to that in certain conditions - but it is now that we know Him. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded". Think of the power of the knowledge that carries with it a persuasion - not objectively, but a suasiveness of heart - that God is able! My knowledge of the One on whom I have believed persuades me; brings my mind and consciousness along to know that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

Now a word as to Philippians. The apostle expands with wonderful liberty; he is unloosed in his affections in speaking to the beloved brethren at Philippi. He tells some secrets there. He says, "I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. In everything and in all things I am initiated". I commend that word to the brethren; the only time it is used in Scripture, as far as I know. "I am

initiated" - not merely taught, but initiated into the mystery of it. What is this mystery - this mysterious thing into which he is initiated? "I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound". How about that? Do we know that much? We may know whom we have believed, but do we know how to be abased and how to abound? Where does a man learn that? Not in always being on the crest of the wave; not in always being in favour, for he needs both positions. If I know how to be abased and how to abound, it is as having been in both positions - it is how to be there, and to be initiated, as he says, "In everything and in all things I am initiated both to be full and to be hungry". Can it not be, dear brethren, that these extraordinary conditions in which we now are - ourselves and the saints generally, for it is actually so in certain parts of the world, and we feel it in our spirits here - might be the initiation period for us? Many of our beloved brethren possibly have never known such adversity as we see them in today. They have abounded and have been full, but is not the process that is developing and is touching us here, too, having the effect of initiating us as to this mystery - how to be full and how to be hungry? How to be full! You may be full and forget everyone else. How to be hungry! You may be hungry and think of nobody but yourself. But to know how to be full and how to be hungry; both to abound and to suffer need, as Paul says, is not taught in ministry. It obviously is not that. It is not like the presentation of God to our faith. I believe God, as the light is presented. Then I know Him in experience, in all kinds of circumstances. I know Him. To learn these things, you cannot get them from books or from

one another. You have to go through it, and one feels that the extraordinary conditions through which the brethren are going, are to have us learn, to be instructed, to be initiated - how to be full and to be hungry, and how to abound. The apostle is not talking about himself because he wants to do so; he wants to show it is a possibility. In fact he is not speaking exactly as an apostle to the Philippians; he is a believer, and surely we would desire to learn the secret of being initiated in the extremes of these conditions. We do not know what we may have to face, but we have the sense that the same One that enabled the apostle to say that he could do all things, will enable us also to face the issue. He says, "I have strength for all things in him that gives me power". Surely the secret is there, to learn how to draw upon the mighty power of Christ so that we can say humbly and simply that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We should be prepared to face what is adverse - to be initiated into these things; surely we should have desires for it.

Then just the last word in Corinthians, is wholesome, I think. Great man that he was, he did not know everything. He is not posing as knowing everything. There is no scripture in which he sets out his authority more than in his letter to the Corinthians, but it must be suggestive, and important in his ministry, in the midst of that which he says is the commandment of the Lord, that he should interpose what is his judgment and what he thinks. He says, "I think". He refers to it earlier in the chapter too, but I just refer to verse 40. As much as he knows, and of course his knowledge of God and of the mystery is vast, it is here a

matter of judgment, and he just allows that he might possibly be wrong, although the fact that his word becomes Scripture shows that he was not wrong. In saying that he thinks, dear brethren, he only shows the importance of what he says when he does not say that he thinks, as well as giving us the value of his judgment when he does think. I suggest that we need to pay attention to that which comes with his definite apostolic authority, as the Lord's commandment. There is no option about that at all! So that when he varies for a moment, and says, 'This is my judgment', we may see the distinction between what is an apostolic opinion and the Lord's commandment. We may thus get all the gain of a spiritual judgment, which I think we may sometimes neglect. We do not want brethren to dictate to us exactly, but I think we will get gain if we seek the judgment of a spiritual man. With all that he knew, and all that governed him so definitely, the apostle Paul is not afraid to say, in connection with this simple family matter, "She is happier if she so remain, according to my judgment; but I think that I also have God's Spirit". He does not say, 'I know' in every case. These occasions do arise with us, and I just wanted to show the value of getting a spiritual judgment, even if in our case it be not final and without flaw. So he closes, "But I think that I also have God's Spirit". I do not think the Lord ever says He thinks. There could seem to be no question of thinking, in this sense of the word, in connection with the Lord. He asks a man what he thinks, but the Lord knows; He knows inherently. He knows all men; "Himself knew what was in man" (John 2:25). You cannot attribute the idea of thinking, in that sense, to a

divine Person, but to an apostle, as great as Paul was, is allowed the idea of thinking. I only suggest it to show that if a spiritual brother's judgment is available to us we should heed it, although it may not, perhaps, be absolute finality as the Lord's commandment.

From Notes of Readings in New York and Other Ministry, 1943

ADJUSTMENT IN VIEW OF USEFULNESS IN SERVICE

A B PARKER

Mark 3:1 - 6; Mark 7:31 - 35; Mark 8:22 - 26

It will be apparent from the scriptures read that one has in mind to speak of moral adjustment in relation to the Lord's service; how He brought in adjustment in the several cases before us. The first passage opens with the words that Jesus entered again into the synagogue, indicating that He had been there before. That was in chapter 1, where we are told that as Jesus entered into the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit cried out, "Eh! what have we to do with thee, Jesus, Nazarene?" (verse 24). The Authorised version says, "Let us alone", and this is the sense of the exclamation. One feels assured that that attitude does not mark any of us here tonight. One would assume that we all are prepared to hear what the Lord has to say to us. There may be some gatherings in the religious world where it would be very disturbing for the Lord Jesus to come personally into their midst, but one would trust that no local company represented here is in such a state. Indeed, the very basis on which we profess to come together is that we expect the presence of divine Persons - that we welcome the Lord Jesus into our midst and recognise the presence of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord Jesus does come: "There am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). And as coming in He would come in to bless! This, of course, may involve adjustment

so that we can receive the blessing, but His primary interest is to bless His people. So that in reading these verses tonight it is to see how Jesus does things. The Scriptures are full of instruction with regard to moral adjustment, but the Lord's service in this respect in Mark's gospel is particularly instructive. Therefore we can find in the movements of Jesus instruction as to the basis on which we should move in any little service which it may be our privilege to undertake.

Now, we all know that Mark himself had come under the adjusting hand of the Lord Jesus. He had failed in service. But who has not? One would humbly say that there are few who have not failed in service time and again in a greater or lesser degree. But it is a wonderful thing to have the experience of the adjusting service of the Lord and to be able to speak with feeling of the perfect way in which He brings it about. This is one of the keys to Mark's gospel. The details in it are intended to help us.

The synagogue would suggest our meeting place; it is where the people of God come together. The Lord would come there to meet a situation which needs His attention. In this case it was a man with a withered hand. He had the hand, but it was withered. It means that a hand once used in service is now lifeless. Probably this brother was not living in the flow of current ministry. What causes a withered hand? The cutting off of the vital flow that is necessary to cause that member to respond to the head. It is like a break between the soul of the servant and Christ; and the result is that there is no longer the freshness of life in service. The hand is useless. He may still be an active brother, but there

is no freshness, no life, and therefore his service is marked by lack of power. It were better not to serve under these conditions. We cannot serve in power if we are not subject to Christ as the Head of the assembly. And so the Lord Jesus says, "Rise up". He has in mind that the man should be in the midst, where everybody can see him. For not only is the healing of the man in view, but there is also the question of getting this instruction into our souls so that we, too, will know how to do the right thing. We are all to profit by it.

But at once there is opposition. Why? Because they claim the Lord is spoiling the sabbath. There may be a condition like this in a meeting. Rather than stir up any trouble, the condition is allowed to go on and on. But the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath. If we are to come into true, restful, sabbath conditions, it must be as under His lordship. And He will not be satisfied to allow withered conditions to remain unadjusted. He told this man to stand forth and He raised a question as to principle: "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do evil?" - and they did not answer Him. It probably was not like them to not say anything. No doubt they had plenty to say before. But now they are brought to face the matter according to principle. The thing is not done arbitrarily. It is to be considered according to principle; there is to be a moral basis upon which it is worked out. If it is right, then do it! Certainly we do not wish to keep sabbath conditions if they have no right moral basis. If there is need for adjustment, let us bring the Lord into the matter. So the Lord tells the man to stretch forth his hand. He is now under the authority of Christ, and

when adjustment is complete he will be marked by freshness as coming under that authority; under the control of the Head. He stretches forth the hand and it is healed. The Lord Jesus would thus indicate the moral need of being kept under His authority in our service; otherwise, as being out of the vital flow of supply from the living Head, we will lack freshness and life in our service. This is a comparatively simple case. It is brought forward by Mark as a fundamental case, but as he proceeds he brings in more difficult ones. But let us hold to this sense of the need of coming under the authority of Christ, because any service or activity apart from that must necessarily lack life and power.

In the next passage we are introduced to a man who is not in the synagogue, which is a local idea, but who is in the district of Decapolis. "And they bring to him a deaf man who could not speak right". He is a brother who is in touch with other meetings, for Decapolis represents a place of ten cities, and therefore this man is related to an area or a district. It is not necessarily that he moves from city to city, but he is in touch with what is transpiring and is liable to have an influence for good or bad in other places besides his local meeting. He is deaf and has an impediment in his speech. There is something wrong, but the Lord is always ready to adjust what is wrong, if a moral basis is established on which He can act. He will come in on a righteous basis. This brother's condition was a concern to the brethren and they asked the Lord to lay His hand on him and heal him. But the Lord would have us understand that things are not done just that way. He would have us form a

right judgment of the things that caused the condition. He would have us pray intelligently in the matter. And so instead of just laying His hand upon him, He leads him away from the crowd and then puts His fingers into his ears and spits and touches his tongue. Now this is all a matter of detail, but important detail. It is a question of how things are done, so that if we have a case like this we will know how to pray about it. It involves much more than laying a hand on him. The Lord Jesus put His fingers to the man's ears. Not one ear, but two. I believe the touching of the ears would suggest that this man is to have balanced hearing. We are very much in need of this kind of hearing. If we are in touch with the testimony in ten cities, we must have balanced hearing; otherwise we will hear but one side of a matter, and that will lead to all kinds of trouble. We must hear both sides of a matter before we can form a proper judgment. How much trouble results from unbalanced hearing! God, in creation, indicates the need for balanced hearing in that He has given man two ears.

And then the Lord spits; suggesting that a divine Person has come down into lowly, humble circumstances - indeed circumstances of shame. But in that humble pathway it could be said of Him, in the Spirit, "Ears hast thou prepared me" (Psalm 40:6). That word, quoted in Hebrews 10:5 is rendered, "Thou hast prepared me a body". That indicates, I believe, the intensity of His listening. His ear was wakened to hear as the instructed, Isaiah says. His one intent, or purpose, was to hear the voice of God. Thus He could say to the tempter that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Truly, He could say,

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). But if our ears are tuned in to that which comes from the many voices that are in the world, it will be difficult to have them attuned to God's voice morning by morning. The use of the ears is one example that the Lord has set for us in His manhood here. And so, it is not just a matter of laying hands on this man, for He also touches his tongue; but not before He spits; it is after He has spit. How suggestive these things are! It is not now a matter of calling attention to what is instructive in creation. Nature teaches us, truly, but here He touches the man's tongue after having spit, to indicate, I believe, that his speaking is now to be in subjection to the One by whose touch his tongue is released. The Lord Jesus could say, "As the Father has taught me I speak these things" (John 8:28). It is controlled speaking that is in view here.

Then the Lord Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and groans, indicating that this adjustment requires not merely power, but depth of feeling is involved. It is not a sigh, but a groan. It suggests how we are to enter feelingly into matters requiring adjustment, like Timothy would, of whom it is said that he cared with genuine feeling. But more than this, it gives us some little sense of how Jesus has borne our infirmities. It is a question of what is involved in bringing about adjustment; the great detail of it; the depth of feeling and pressure to be entered into in such cases. It is not merely a touch of power. And so, this man is adjusted; he can move in the district of ten cities with balanced hearing. And when he speaks, his words will carry weight; they will be balanced words. He will be a good district man.

Now, in the next case we have a man that is blind. Well, we might say, this is a simple case. Some such cases seem to be simple. Mark tells us of another blind man who sat by the wayside begging, whose recovery seems to be a very simple case. But that man saw far more than the crowd that was following Jesus. He discerned that the Man that was going up to the cross at Jerusalem was the One who had the right to the throne. Jesus said, "What wilt thou that I shall do to thee?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabboni, that I may see". And Jesus said to him, "Go, thy faith has healed thee. And he saw immediately, and followed him in the way" (Mark 10:51, 52). But the man we are considering here is not a case like that. This man is in Bethsaida, one of the cities upon which the Lord Jesus had pronounced great woes: "Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee, Bethsaida! for if the works of power which have taken place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they had long ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes" (Luke 10:13). It is a curse - governmental pronouncement has been uttered upon Bethsaida. No wonder the man is blind! He represents the case of one who has no regard for disciplinary action. He is blind to it. There has been assembly discipline, you might say, and he is blind in relation to it. But the feelings of the people of God are expressed week after week for him at the prayer meeting. There is constant appeal for his recovery. It says, "They bring him a blind man, and beseech him that he might touch him". Again there seems to be a lack of comprehension of what is involved in recovery. They say, in principle, We have been praying for him for a long time. But what had

they been praying? That the Lord may touch him. But it is necessary, if we are to pray rightly, that we know what the root evil is; the detail of the matter; the history of the case; and what is necessary for his healing. Do we know the moral issue? Do we have a right judgment of what is involved? or do we just say, 'Recover our brother'. There is a history attaching to this man. Think of the mighty works of Jesus in this place, and yet the pitiful state of this man. Where was he when Jesus was performing His mighty works? The Lord Jesus takes him by the hand and leads him out of the town. That is the first step. Get out of a wrong position! This town represents the sphere of God's governmental dealings. Are persons in such a sphere conscious of where they really are, as having been the subjects of disciplinary action? I have heard of a brother who sat behind and ceased to break bread because of difficulties which had arisen in the meeting, and yet he wished to carry on certain services which had been entrusted to him. If we come under disciplinary action, assembly-applied or self-applied, we find ourselves in a sphere of God's governmental dealings. And so Jesus took him out of the town. "And having spit upon his eyes, he laid his hands upon him, and asked him if he beheld anything". Would we not be inclined to say now, that the man is healed? But we may be too ready to assume that healing has been completed. This is not a matter of immediate healing. There is a process of recovery to be gone through and we need to see what is involved in the process. We must not receive persons into fellowship, as recovered, if they have only had one touch when a process is necessary.

We will do damage to the Lord's work if we do that, for the case may be such that more than one touch is necessary. In this case the Lord Jesus spit upon the eyes that were to be healed. I believe it involves that he is to be helped to see by direct application of what was involved in the downstooping grace of Jesus. There was to be imparted an impression of the character of Man who stooped so low in grace to set aside man after the order of flesh and blood. It is perfectly evident that he had the wrong kind of man in view. That, evidently, had been his basic trouble. Now Jesus asks him if he sees aught. He is working in this brother, as we may call him, who had been under disciplinary action, in order to get him to judge the root error. He asks him what he sees, and the answer is, "I behold men, for I see them, as trees, walking". Now, that is a good start. The first use of opened eyes is to see where we have been wrong and to reach a right judgment of our course. It is not yet the ability to see what was in that lowly Man who walked here - who moved in lowly dependence upon His God - whose every move was under the control of the will of God, and yet He Himself God. But he has arrived at a judgment of the root error and he can speak about it. He says, in principle, I see that I had men before me - men who were out of true proportion in my mind. Then, you might say, he is ready for fellowship now. But no! the process has not been completed yet. It is good to have eyes opened to see the point of departure and to judge what brought in the blindness, but it is also necessary that the moral glories of the Lord Jesus shine into the soul to hold it as an anchorage against a repetition of the error.

Isaiah said, "When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and left alone of men" (Isaiah 53:2, 3). Why? Because the vision was filled with man after the flesh and his spirit of self-exaltation rather than the humble Jesus. "Having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). Does that Man fill the vision of our souls? That is the character of Man the spittle suggests; One who in His Person is God, but in manhood became obedient - even to death.

Then it says that the Lord Jesus laid His hands upon him again and he saw distinctly, and was restored and saw all things clearly. He is now ready to move happily amongst the saints. Not only does he see the sin of Bethsaida which had brought upon it the Lord's governmental pronouncement and had contributed to his blindness, but as having the second touch he sees all things clearly - in proper proportion. Think of the value of having the Lord's hands placed upon us in adjusting power; those hands that served so faithfully; hands that were available to men to meet their ills and woes; hands, the power of which, we might say, formed the universe and weighed the dust of the mountains; hands which were yet to be pierced by apostate and wicked men; those hands laid upon us to impart an impression that will remain upon and fill the soul for ever!

As we thus receive an impression of the Lord Jesus and the blessedness of His work, we are able to weigh things in relation to Him; in relation to the impression that has come into our souls. What a balanced condition is thus created! Our service will be balanced by that impression. So that the

man is told not to go into the city, but to his house. He was not sent out immediately to preach the gospel after his restoration. He is to move in the sphere where the impressions received are to be worked out practically; the sphere in which he is peculiarly responsible and where he can shed a right influence, thereby testifying to the reality of the adjusting power of the Lord's touch. And then, as that sphere is brought under proper regulation and control, and his manner of life commends him, the Lord would make available to him a wider sphere of service.

Well, one has felt the Lord's help in bringing these cases to our notice. They are examples of how He, in perfect servitude, would not only set out the detail involved in recovery, but the deep feelings which accompany such adjustment. Such cases are to be borne on our spirits. True feelings are necessary if we are to be of value in such cases. May the Lord graciously help us all, in working out the problems with which we are faced in our local settings, to have right feelings and a true appreciation of the process involved in recovery.

Calgary, April 1943

SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE

S McCALLUM

Acts 26:27 - 30; Philemon 4 - 12; 2 Corinthians 12:1 - 5

It is before me to speak a word on spiritual substance in the believer. One of the great features of the present moment is God's operations amongst the saints to augment this. He is using circumstances which, under the hand of the enemy, might hinder the work and retard development of what is for Him, to bring about enlargement in this great matter of spiritual substance. Christianity is not something ethereal; it lies in substance and has been presented to us in a glorious Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, in blessed substantiality. In Luke's gospel it is written of Him, as coming into the world, "The holy thing also which shall be born" (Luke 1:35). "The holy thing!" John's epistle speaks of that which we have handled. Both speak of the substantial side of Christianity, as expressed in Christ personally. I want to speak of it tonight as seen in a man of like passions as ourselves, so that we might be affected by it and take inventory to see whether we are marked by this substantiality of Christianity as seen in a vessel like Paul, or is our knowledge of God in mere words and thoughts of the mind? One loves to turn to this great vessel to whom was committed the great service of completing the word of God; as though God in committing the ministry of the assembly to him loves to bring to our attention the substantial side of His work, the product of real spiritual

experience in such a vessel. In the New Testament there is more said about Paul and his person than of anyone else, except the Lord Jesus Christ. We read of his hands, his feet, his eyes, his bowels, his voice, his clothes, his books, his cloak; as if God would bring these details before us to enhance the greatness of His work in an earthen vessel; in order that, as attracted by it, we might seek to lay ourselves out, too, in this path of spiritual experience, so that we might have substance in a similar way.

In the book of Job, God says to Satan, "Hast thou considered my servant?" (Job 1:8). Think of God coming into this city and taking up any one of us and saying to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant?' Think of God telling the people around us to take a good look at us. I wonder what they would find. I wonder what Satan would find. Is there a young brother or sister that is not wholly committed? Are you espousing some secret thing; some feature of evil? Christianity lies in spiritual substance in persons. I want to stress that. Christianity has been set forth perfectly in Christ. Let no one be deluded in regard of that. God has begun with perfection in Christ, and He is operating in us to bring us to that perfection. It is not that you and I make it; God is bringing us into it. In Christ as Man out of death - Christ in glory - we have Christianity set forth in perfection, but let us not forget what is down here. What is up there is wonderful, but think of what there is down here! God says, "The word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit, remain among you" (Haggai 2:5). We must not press what there is at the right hand of God to the exclusion of what there is down

here. God has that in this city to which He can call attention.

In regard of Paul, you will have noticed the expressions in the scriptures read: "Such as I", "Such a one", and "Such a man". Speaking to king Agrippa, he says, "I would to God ... that not only thou, but all who have heard me this day, should become such as I also am, except these bonds". He does not say, such as I was, but such as I am, bringing in the very conditions in which he then was, the glory of all he was according to God's work in him, and all he had gathered up in the way of spiritual experience in the ways of God. Dear brethren, what are these ways yielding to us? Are they yielding substance?

Take the books of the Psalms: we have in them a great spiritual treasury in which God opens before us the wealth gathered in spiritual experience in circumstances which would naturally overwhelm us and bring our spirits down. But through the operations of faith in us and the Holy Spirit, the very circumstances the enemy would design to trip us up become the avenues in which, in many, there is gathered up that which enters into the divine treasury to minister to and augment the wealth already there.

And so he says, "Such as I also am". You may say, 'What ego!' What does he say in 1 Corinthians 15:10? "By God's grace I am what I am; and his grace, which was towards me, has not been in vain". Can we say that, dear brethren? Are we all making the most of the experiences through which we are passing? The circumstances in which God has called us may be naturally embittering to our spirits, causing grief, sorrow and pain. But are we

making the most of these things in the way of becoming enriched as to what God has for us in them, so that substance is built upward in us and the testimony is thus presented before the world? God has in mind that this should be not in words only but in all the substantiality of Christianity entered upon in living power, and experienced in a living way by the support and help of God. What a treasury Paul was! What possibilities lie in the working out of these things! How attractive the position is from this viewpoint! Paul says, "I would to God, both in little and in much, that not only thou, but all who have heard me this day, should become such as I also am". This wonderful vessel is viewed in trying circumstances as liberated in his soul in all the glory of the system in which Christianity is expressed. In his spiritual ardour and enthusiasm, he is serving in holy liberty unhindered and undampened, in the midst of all this great earthly pomp and glory. And we, dear brethren, as liberated in all the holy feelings that belong to this great system, in our testimony should radiate light and warmth, right thoughts and right feelings, so that we express God Himself.

You say, 'He just wants people to be converted'. But there is more than that in it, Paul was alluding to what he was at that moment. Some of us have to go back in experience to bring forward what we once were, but Paul before these authorities says, "Such as I also am". One thinks of our young people who have to testify before authorities, employers, in schools, and, indeed, all of us in our public lives. What can we say? What does Paul say? Is he quoting Scripture? Yes, but not that alone. Is he bringing

principles to bear? Yes, but not that alone. "Such as I also am", he says! I ask you, if tested and faced by the public in these matters, could you call attention to this fact as Paul did? The Lord Jesus said, "Altogether that which I also say to you" (John 8:25). How poor it is to say, 'I remember the day I was brought to the Lord; I was so bright my joy was full, but it has dimmed; I have lost the conscious sense of joy in my heart'. Why not be in the fulness and liberty of the glorious system that is here? God has committed Himself to it and is bringing it through in victory and triumph, however terrible the combinations of men may be in their systems. "Such as I also am". What a word! You may have the books of ministry, you may have every volume, but what have you in yourself? What have I? Is the position in our localities supported by just mental knowledge, by what we have in books, in Scripture, in literature, or can God point us out as substantially formed in the glory of the system? Paul had a chain attached to him and soldiers beside him, and we say that if circumstances were not so limited, how much more attractive our testimony would be. This man with the chain and the soldiers is God's servant, and God is helping him. I bring this forward to help any who may be faint-hearted.

In Acts 23 the apostle had a terrible experience at Jerusalem. It says that the chiliarch feared "lest Paul should have been torn in pieces" (verse 10). I think of the dear young men and what some may be going through in these days. Their lives in jeopardy; they do not know what will befall them - their lives perhaps taken at any moment. Think of God operating through all the different

circumstances in Paul's experience to bring deliverance: and so this word, "The following night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast testified the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome also" (Acts 23:11). Is it not encouraging, dear brethren, the way the Lord stands by a man of spiritual substance? We might be concerned as to right expressions and mere principles, which are right in their place, but think what it is to testify out of the substantiality of a heart that knows God, like Paul did. He was a man like ourselves, but he had turned to good account every experience that had come his way; whether it meant loss or being oppressed in regard to things generally, he was buoyant as to his inward parts; he was liberated; he was in the glory of the system over which the Son of God is Head.

Now I want to pass from the side of public testimony to a more delicate, inward side. There is hardly anything more delightful to read than the epistle to Philemon as it bears on practical christianity and the workings of the system. The greater we are spiritually, the more simple we are in details and the practical matters of life. Paul is not unfolding the glory of heavenly counsel as in Ephesians, or dealing with his intelligence of the mystery, but is bringing to bear in this delicate situation help that comes of ripened experience with God. He says, "Being such a one as Paul the aged". Greater room should be made for this tender, refined side of the system, as in this epistle, for if christianity does not refine us, what will? Some of us try to excuse ourselves by saying we are rude, naturally, but christianity refines. It is a system of refined feelings, and

does not harbour or justify what is uncouth. This minister of the assembly not only unfolds the light of the assembly in Ephesians but embodies the grace of the system and the tender feelings that belong to it in dealing with what we might think of as a small affair - the matter of a runaway slave. Our spiritual greatness in the realm of divine things lies, not only in unfolding the glory of heavenly counsels, but in radiating the spirit of the system and bringing others on to that basis. I would dwell on this because, if we are to help one another, it is not done on the basis of principle only, which is right in its place, but on the basis of what we are substantially as filled with the fruits of spiritual experience.

In the previous epistle the apostle spoke to his child Titus in relation to a set of different conditions, showing how balance marked him. In the epistle to Titus he does not bring in the tenderness of love's expressions, nor the personality that he brings in in the epistle to Philemon. He says, for example, "For there are many and disorderly vain speakers and deceivers of people's minds" (Titus 1:10). He uses no uncertain language in dealing with principles of evil. There is no use of saying we must pour in the tenderness of the system in dealing with evil: there must be balance. He says, "Who must have their mouths stopped" (verse 11). And again he says, "For which cause rebuke them severely" (verse 13). In such conditions we have Zenas the lawyer and Apollos mighty in the Scriptures brought in, but when we come to Philemon, it is not Zenas the lawyer or Apollos mighty in the Scriptures. You do not secure a brother by arguing the pros and cons of the case merely.

Here we have Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, fellow-workmen, not that Zenas and Apollos were not, they were all essential and an integral part of the system. In settling the tender relations between brothers it is, "I exhort thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus, once unserviceable to thee, but now serviceable to thee and to me: whom I have sent back to thee: but do thou receive him, that is, my bowels". Dear brethren, may we be helped in regard of spiritual substance in such matters as this in our localities and be more able to radiate the glory of the system in adjustment of relations with one another. Paul's ministry can rebuke, can speak sharply when needed, but can express all the feelings that have come to light in the mediatorial system.

"Wherefore having much boldness in Christ to enjoin thee what is fitting, for love's sake I rather exhort, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also prisoner of Jesus Christ. I exhort thee for my child ... whom I have sent back to thee: but do thou receive him, that is, my bowels". We have often seen the bringing in of this and that scripture in a cold, unfeeling way, to settle matters when perhaps the bringing in of the radiancy of the glory of the system, as seen in such a vessel as Paul, might have saved a delicate situation that sometimes arises - as in this scripture. Paul might have said he had enough to think about. What about Philemon and Onesimus? Let them work it out themselves; how often that marks us; but Paul comes into the matter in the wealth of refined spiritual experience, as substantially full of the knowledge of God, and uses his weight to bring about the enjoyment of these relations which are so refined

and precious. May the Lord help us more in regard to this side of the economy.

Now I want to finish with another feature, and one would speak humbly as to it. But I think we all would like to know more about it. Paul is speaking of an experience; it is not theoretical, or academic, or taught through the ministry, but he is bringing into the local position at Corinth the wealth of an experience through which he had gone. He says, "I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago, (whether in the body I know not, or out of the body I know not, God knows;) such a one caught up to the third heaven". It is as though heaven is so delighted with this kind of a man, a man who knew what it was to turn circumstances to such good account, that heaven can take him on. If we are found in the way, God will take us as far as we allow Him, just as Paul was taken. He was caught up; he did not go up. There was no earthliness, no worldliness or influences of the world holding this man down. No, he was caught up! Ezekiel was caught up by a lock of his hair. In Ezekiel 7 there is reference to the baldness of those who made much of wealth; they have no hair: such could never be caught up. But Ezekiel, who was not bald, had hair by which he could be caught up. I am alluding to spiritual life. If spiritual life is damaged by material things, in which is the life of the world, we will never be available for such a glorious experience as this. Paul was so light, materially speaking, that he could be caught up. The power of gravity could not hold him down; it might with some of us. Paul says, "I know a man". Think of him bringing this into a local assembly, as though he would say to the brethren,

'There it is'. What a treasury he is! He could bring into the assembly, not just what was unfolded to him in the way of divine counsel from a sovereign standpoint, but what he was as developed in manhood in Christ. He had to speak to those at Corinth as to babes in Christ, but in that environment he brings himself forward as a man, and such a one caught up to heaven. Dear brethren, what wealth he brought into that locality! What attractiveness!

I might say, 'I got a wonderful touch in that book I read the other night'. Thank God for that, but what kind of a touch have we had on this line of "a man in Christ?" "Such a one caught up!" What influence that would have in our cities! What power in the service of God! That is not mere words in our care-meetings or in assembly-meetings. Think of the substance lying behind "such a one caught up to the third heaven". What blessed knowledge he would bring out from such a realm to fill out in substantiality what he had to face in the position down here!

May the Lord help us in regard to what has been suggested: substantiality in regard to power with men, or in adjusting matters in brotherly love, or in bringing forward what we have in the way of spiritual experience as enriching the testimony.

Vancouver, April 1944

"THE HELP WHICH IS FROM GOD"

S McCALLUM

Acts 26:22, 23; Isaiah 6:1 - 8; Isaiah 7:3, 4, 10 - 14; Isaiah 38:1 - 6; Isaiah 39:3 - 6

I have been thinking of the need of help from God in regard of this meeting tonight, and so I have read the scripture in which Paul says, "Having therefore met with the help which is from God, I have stood firm unto this day". Everyone of us will readily admit that the day is one in which help is needed. I have particularly in mind our making use of help from God, and the results that come from it. If we are to be in the testimony, continuing in spiritual vitality involving personality and spiritual quality, it is essential that we meet with the help which is from God.

Now the one who spoke these words was the apostle Paul. What personality, what spiritual quality, are to be taken account of in that vessel! And he attributes all to this great fact of having met with the help which is from God. He met with other things, too, but he was not necessarily affected by them. In Philippi he met with one who had a spirit of Python, who represented what would hinder, not help. But having obtained the help which was from God he was able to continue. And dear brethren, there is help from God now to meet this kind of thing. The great enemy of the testimony knows every device to use as he moves to hinder us if he possibly can, but the great thing is to be in the position and the circumstances in which we can meet with

help which is from God, for we need it. Paul met this terrible thing at the very entrance of the testimony into Europe. He met it as he came out of Lydia's house! I would call special attention to that sister's house. "A certain woman, by name Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard; whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul" (Acts 16:14). The house was baptised and Paul was constrained to remain there, and it was as coming out of that house, "as we were going to prayer that a certain female slave, having a spirit of Python, met us". I mention that because if we are not garrisoned by help which is from God it is possible that we might be entirely upset and deranged by the scheming activities of the enemy. He knew the form the truth was taking in Paul's ministry and intended to upset it; but though Paul was distressed, the testimony went forward in power. So that as Paul stands before king Agrippa he says, "Having therefore met with the help which is from God, I have stood firm unto this day". And that is what is needed today. The current of this world is fast leading to apostasy and we need the help which is from God. And in reality we are surrounded with it, for the Lord Jesus is on high for us and the Holy Spirit is down here, and we have the saints and the fellowship and the ministry!

Now the scriptures in Isaiah show by example how we may make the most of divine help, or how we may profit but little from it, or how we may not profit at all. The three persons of whom I have read all met with help which is from God. Isaiah got the most possible gain out of the help available. He tells us, "In the year of the death of King

Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple". And then he tells, in detail, of the glory of that scene and the effect it had upon him. He said, "Woe unto me! for I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips". He was having to say to the scene of God's presence, and he got a very definite sense of his own condition and state. This is greatly needed with us as we have to do, in the most intimate way, with the things of God and the realm in which God is known. The presence of God is holy! And it is essential that our moral state should be discovered to us. We cannot profit from the help that is coming from God if the springs of our moral being have never been touched. As Isaiah is in the holy environment of the presence of God, whose train fills the temple, he has the sense that he needs help. And with the flood of light in our day and the wonderful privileges that belong to us in serving God in His very presence, it is essential that our moral springs should be judged. Our moral state must be discovered. But let us not be afraid, for the position is filled with agencies of help! We do not have to go far, as Romans 10:8 says, "The word is near thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach". Someone here may have a concern as to his state. You do not have to go far for help, it is near to you. Isaiah did not have to go out of that holy sphere. And in the assembly help is all around us. Isaiah said, "Woe unto me! for I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips". I want to stress thus the necessity of the discovery of moral state with us, for we may unconsciously take a position of not needing help. We may not be sensible of needing help. Peter, good

brother that he was, said to the Lord; "Thou shalt never wash my feet" (John 13:8). But, dear brethren, such a statement as that needs sifting. "Jesus answered him, Unless I wash thee, thou hast not part with me". It is a great thing to accept help, and to make the most of the help that is given. When Isaiah said, "Woe unto me! for I am undone", one of the seraphim flew to him, and he had in his hand a glowing coal. I want you to notice the urgency of this matter - how help came at once! So if any of us is suffering from unjudged conditions these agencies of help are available. From God's side the channels are clear, but from our side they are often stopped up. But the Lord would help us, for He desires that we go in for the best that He has in mind for us. He will take us as high as we are prepared to go, but dear brethren, we need help. So it says here, "And one of the seraphim flew unto me, and he had in his hand a glowing coal, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar". That represents help from God for Isaiah, and it is a challenge to us whether we are prepared to be thus served in the way of help when moral state is discovered and help is needed. Isaiah is in perfect submission to the help as it comes; "he made it touch my mouth". Isaiah had been speaking of the uncleanness of his lips. But the glowing coal which had been taken with the tongs from off the altar was made to touch his mouth. What a word that is! Our mouths - they need to be touched for the service of God in whatever form it takes. Isaiah was sent to Ahaz and Hezekiah and many others, but before he could serve them and be of help to them it was essential that his mouth should be touched. And we all need our mouths

touched in this way if we are to serve rightly. We cannot serve with unholy lips.

Now I want to point out that Isaiah, as having been helped, is available to help others. Because we are present at the meetings does not necessarily mean that we are available. There is a service to be performed and help has been dispensed, and Isaiah is ready for it. He says, "Here am I; send me". But we may avail ourselves of the help that is coming from God and not be available to do what God has in mind. Do we hear the query, "Who will go for us?" Isaiah says, "Here am I; send me". He did not wait for the seraphim to tell him to go. The work had to be done and it was difficult work, too. He was to bring home to the people of God a message that was not very pleasant. Do we turn away from this? Or do we make the most of the help which comes from God and do what He wills to be done? "Here am I; send me". What a word! Isaiah's moral state was discovered, help was given and was used, and the outcome is, "Here am I; send me".

Now a word as to Ahaz. His history shows how we may be surrounded with the most wonderful channels of help and be in the midst of the most wonderful environment and never profit from it. Such was Ahaz. He was served by Isaiah, a wonderful personality, who met him at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field. What surroundings of help for Ahaz! Isaiah was there to help this brother. He was fresh in the current of the help which he had received from God and was ready to help others, to be a channel through which that help could flow. Ahaz was surrounded by help. Think of the

refining process that is suggested in the fuller's field. And Isaiah was to take his son. His whole house is in the matter. His son is in it. His wife is in it; and she is called a prophetess. What a word to the sisters, for they too can be available in this great service of the help which is from God. Isaiah's wife would not be engaged with mere gossip, but would be ever ready to speak of the help which is from God.

Well, Ahaz was surrounded by all this help and when the prophet spoke to him he would not ask for a sign from God. It seemed rather pious. Taking the matter casually we might say that Ahaz was a pious man. But let us look into the matter. What underlies this pious expression? Does it mean anything? "Ardent lips, and a wicked heart, are as an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross" (Proverbs 26:23). Laban was like that. He says to Jacob, "Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh" (Genesis 29:14); it was a pious utterance indeed, but it must be weighed. We must not be casual. While we are to have confidence in one another and we must have confidence in one another, yet we are to have a judgment about each. And what does this amount to in regard to Ahaz? As we go into his history we find that he removed the lavers from off the bases and took the sea from off the brazen oxen in God's house. He was the kind of brother that would do away with the purifying and cleansing processes. No wonder he did not avail himself of the upper pool or the fuller's field! That kind of person cannot receive the help which is from God for he does not want it. He interfered with the great administration of cleansing and purifying; and although surrounded by help

from God, and having the great prophet Isaiah available, yet he profits not at all by all this. It is an entirely negative picture, as far as Ahaz is concerned.

Now, in Hezekiah we have one who profited in some measure from the help which was available to him. He failed later and received further help, but again he failed. The need of help, if we are prone to vacillate, is very great. We see Hezekiah experiencing great victory; then we see him weeping as having to face the will of God concerning him. Then he gets help again, only to succumb to the social side of the world as represented in the princes of Babylon. This, dear brethren, is a very humbling matter; one which we need to be concerned about. We need to stand firm. The apostle says, "Having therefore met with the help which is from God, I have stood firm unto this day". Standing firm is what is needed. Isaiah was such a man, but Hezekiah yielded. Think of his earlier history! We are told, "Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up into the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah" (Isaiah 37:14). Think of the help that he had as he did that! What an impression one would get from the part he would take in the service of God or in the prayer meeting! What priestly power he had with God! And yet, when it came to facing the will of God which involved his leaving things here, he turned his face to the wall and wept. But he got help again - the figs were used. Think of the slow painful process as the figs were applied to the boil! But then, he got help and he wrote a composition: "The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness" (Isaiah 38:9). But then he

succumbed to the influence of the Babylonish princes. Satan moved through this avenue and Hezekiah succumbed. According to Isaiah he never recovered from this. We hear no more of him in this book, save the word from Jehovah involving Israel's overthrow, and his own words: "Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken ... for there shall be peace and truth in my days" (Isaiah 39:8). May we be like Paul and Isaiah who made the most of the help available. Let us be concerned, therefore, that there may be full results from meeting with the help which is from God.

Winnipeg, April 1944

ANOTHER WAY, ANOTHER MAN AND ANOTHER WORLD

R W STOLLERY

James 2:25; Acts 8:34, 35; Luke 20:35

These three scriptures will suffice to introduce the subject in mind, which is: another way, another man and another world. As together we have been enjoying real Christianity through the ministry, pure ministry from God and from Christ by the Spirit, which has affected each one of us. Our minds have been set in motion in the way of making holy committals to be more heavenly, and our affections have been stirred by the Spirit of God so that these holy matters shall be in our souls, not only in our minds, as we have had it, but in our souls, in our affections, our emotions moved by the great truths of Christianity. So that these scriptures came to mind to speak of tonight with a view that all of us here should be happy and restful and satisfied. God has introduced a system by which the human heart can be perfectly satisfied. There is no lack in that system. There is no need to go outside it for satisfaction. It is perfect and complete.

So I would speak first on another way. There are many ways in the world, some dark and devious and corrupt, but Christianity involves one way: the way. A synonym of Christianity in the book of Acts is, "The way". There were those who were of the way. So that James says of Rahab that "she had received the messengers and put

them forth by another way". The geography of that way is not recorded in this epistle, but it is a spiritual way. It is not an ordinary way, as Christianity is not an ordinary way. It is different; it is another, and yet withal it is "the way". So the Spirit of God through James records this great matter, that having received the messengers she put them forth by another way. In actual history, as you will remember, these two spies came to her house on the wall. They came to spy out Jericho. Great matters were in hand though obscurely performed, and yet not so obscurely that the enemy did not discern their coming; but he did not discern their going. He saw them coming but he did not see them go because the going back involves another way; and one trusts we might get help tonight on our goings back, that we might return another way. The messengers were going back; the eunuch, in the second scripture read, was going back, and now the inquiry tonight is, How are you and I going back? How are we returning? What did we have in mind in coming? Was it some social contact, or was it with the desire that we might be helped in this time of help when the windows of heaven are opened? As we have had it in these meetings, there is excess of grace that is operating towards us to help us on the heavenly line. She sent them forth another way. What comes to light as they were in her home is that she hid them, and that is the test of this other way: being hidden. Christianity involves hiding. True Christianity involves being hidden. This is the hidden way; the vulture's eye has not seen it; the lion's whelp has not trodden it; but, dear brethren, it is God's way. If I seek a reputation in it and seek a name in it, that is just the ordinary way, the world's

way. The way of prestige and of fame is to be seen and to be acclaimed, but this way is the way out of the world through Jordan.

So it says in Joshua that Rahab hid the messengers under the stalks of flax. The basic idea was there in her house; the basic element of purity was there even with such an one, and as the matter proceeds we discover that not only has she flax but she has a cord. The basic material now is being utilised. It is a cord to let the messengers down. It is part of the way; the men were hidden, they were let down and they were sent. She sent them to the mountains to hide three days - it is a Colossian position. She was taking on the features of a Colossian saint. She had the idea of being hidden, and that is one of the most fundamental teachings, I believe, dear brethren, in the Christian position, that we are not seeking to be great in this world; we are not seeking advancement unduly. If my work is thoroughly done and I come under the observation of my employer and he advances me, that is one thing; but we are not living, studying and anxious that we shall make a mark here. The "other way" would repudiate such a thought. It is to hide; it is to cross the Jordan; it is to be identified with Christ in His death. It is being hidden with Him; to come up with Him, indeed; to appear now in another light and in another world.

So these spies return another way; and these meetings, I believe, have tended towards this line. We have, I trust, a different outlook; we are not looking towards the world. Our faces are not set towards Egypt, or even towards the earth. There has been a change, another way has been

opened up to us: the way of surpassing excellence, indeed, the way of love. It is a hidden way. These meetings have not been published in the newspapers, nor our comings together. There is no idea of delegates, no idea of publicity. That is the ordinary way, but Christianity is the spiritual way, another line, and so Jericho comes down. The hidden way really reduces the world. That is, it does not do it now publicly, but to faith the world has been brought down. They say, 'We cannot understand you', or 'You are not like other people'. Nor should a Christian be like other people; not that we study to be different or peculiar; that dishonours Christ; but then, our objects are different. Our objects are in another world, connected with another order of man, and there is reproach on the name of Christ here. If one of His professed followers is just like one of the world, following in the way of the world, that never brings the world down; he may go down with it. Saved, as it says, so as by fire. But the sequel of this way involves that the world is brought down and that is in truth just what happens for faith. The world is reduced. Is it so? Is it really so to us tonight that the world, to faith, has been brought down? That Jericho has been brought down?

Well now, there must be more than the way. Christianity, as I said, affords scope for the renewed mind to operate. To the new man Christ is everything and in all. So the eunuch was returning too. He had come up to Jerusalem to worship and now he is returning. It says that he was reading. "And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he

opens not his mouth". He might may, 'What kind of man is this?' And he does enquire. He says to Philip, as he sits up with him in his chariot, "I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this?" Who does the prophet speak about but Jesus? Who do all the prophets speak of but Jesus? They all spoke of Christ. "Searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed out, testifying before of the sufferings which belonged to Christ, and the glories after these" (1 Peter 1:11). He was speaking of the sufferings of Christ; a Man who was not insisting on His own rights, or His own way; who was committing Himself to God; who was trusting God. "In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth". I can well understand, and all of us here I believe can understand, how it was that the eunuch would puzzle over the writer. He does not know: so he says, "I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself ... ?" Is Isaiah talking of himself? If I talk of myself I am not truly representing the way. The prophet was speaking of Jesus. He was speaking of another Man. Dear brethren, that other way must be filled out in the graces and excellence of another order of man. This is the order of man: a Man who is going to the wall; a Man who is not defending Himself; who is humiliated and in His humiliation His judgment is taken away, and it would appear that He is to have no generation. The enquiry is made, 'Who shall declare it?' If the Ethiopian eunuch could be here in Montreal tonight he would see a generation who, in some little way, is declaring that generation, for we are

of Christ. We are of His order. We are saved in the power of His life and we are of Him. We belong to Him. So the urgency is that some of these features which mark that Man should mark us. His life was taken from the earth, involving that He is elsewhere. He is not on the earth. He has died! He died, was buried and He has been raised. Now He has a generation after His own order. They are persons like Him. That is, as I understand it, I should be more like Christ in a detailed way. And so we have the beautiful suggestions as to the mouth of Elijah on the mouth of the Shunammite's son; his eyes upon his eyes, his hands upon his hands, that there might be correspondence in a detailed way with the heavenly Man.

Well, God was operating in this eunuch. He may have gone to Jerusalem in just a religious way, for this is a religious setting. He had come up to worship; he is a worshipper. I suppose he had heard about Jerusalem and the glory of God and His temple there, but he is returning now and as he goes back to his country his thoughts are not about the glory of Jerusalem and the glory of the temple but about One who was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. Something by the Spirit of God was operating in that man. He was born anew. Had he received that in Jerusalem? Had he got that from the priest in the temple? They would be going on with their services, I suppose, as before, but now another Man looms on the spiritual horizon of this eunuch. What does the chariot matter? What does all the glory of being a man in power under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, matter? How differently would he view her

treasure now. What treasure was he now carrying back! He had seen another Man. He had found another way. That is the prayer of each one of us, I believe, and our desire that we, having been here at these meetings, might have seen the features of Christ in the ministry; that the Lord Jesus might become very attractive to us as the heavenly Man; as One who was cut off down here but who lives above; One who has our affection now where He is. "For ye have died, and your life is hid with the Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Well, in the light of all that, he says, "Behold water; what hinders my being baptised?" He is going that way. We need much water. Philip's ministry had water; John the baptist's ministry had water, and we need much of it because there is so much about us that requires cleansing. We have so many natural traits about us which need to disappear so that we might move in this heavenly way, in the company of a heavenly Man; for that is what it is - the heavenly Man.

Now the last scripture involves another world. The Lord is speaking to the Sadducees and He says, "They who are counted worthy to have part in that world, and the resurrection from among the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage". The Lord thus introduces the idea of another world. Has God the power to fill another world with men like Jesus? He has, and He is doing it. Oh, you say, I know that heaven will be a wonderful place. We shall all go to glory through the finished work of Christ. But that is not what is in mind. That other world is not a future matter; it is to be enjoyed now. It involves, dear brethren, the fellowship, and I wish, as the Lord helps, to work this out in the early section of the Acts where there are certain

who return to Jerusalem having seen a Man go up to heaven. Elisha was urgent that he see Elijah go up. Elijah was urgent that he be seen. Elijah was not tantalising Elisha when he said, "If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so to thee; but if not, it shall not be so" (2 Kings 2:10). God is not putting impossibilities before us. God is saying, 'It is all so simple', and we are to prove it is all so real; that the fellowship of the saints, the fellowship of the people of God, is the only real thing here below; that scarcely anything else matters but the fellowship.

So these persons, who are spoken of in Acts as men of Galilee, are addressed by the angel, "Why do ye stand looking into heaven?" They were looking into heaven. You say, 'That is a good place to look', but the enquiry is, "Why do ye stand looking into heaven?" That is like coming to these meetings and saying we had a good time. We can look, but how are we looking? Are we in faith? Have we met here in faith? Has the Holy Spirit been free in us? Have we made resolutions or are we returning just as we came? The spies returned another way. The eunuch returned with another Man, with the hidden Man in his heart.

Now I want to say something about these men of Galilee. They are not seeking prestige here. They are not seeking personal advantage. They are in reproach. They had no religious status: they were men of Galilee, acknowledged so by the two men, and the inquiry is, "Men of Galilee, why do ye stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up ..". Note a indicates that heaven could scarcely wait another moment until He arrived. It was

not a passive entrance; it was an active, energetic movement. He was drawn. He could have gone by Himself, but, as it were, speaking reverently, heaven could not wait another moment until He returned. He was cut off here, cast out here, but for heaven and heaven's affections it was urgent that He should return, and so He was taken up. It says, "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven", from you, not from Jerusalem but from you, as if there were no one else from whom He had been taken but them. Think of these men; accrediting them with such attachment to Jesus that He had been taken up from them, and that was so. Mary says, "They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him" (John 20:13). She was possessive - she had affection for Christ, and if we do not have affection for Him where do we stand in this other world? God is peopling that world with those who love Christ. And so they returned, it says: "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the mount of Olives" - beautiful circumstances introducing the fellowship, the partnership which Christianity involves.

Is there a lonely Christian here? An isolated one? A Christian who has not found a home? Why not? Why not have a home where affections proper to Christian fellowship operate? There is none really in a sense more miserable than a Christian without a home. Ecclesiastically there is public disruption. There are many Christians who have no home. They do not know what family affections are. They are prepared to pursue an isolated, lonely course just waiting for the Lord to come; maybe grieving over conditions in their church, as many are, but not

understanding that there is a wonderful holy fellowship, the fellowship of God's Son, where they can find a home, a real spiritual home with all the furnishings. All that is needed to make you happy, restful and satisfied is found there. We know what it is and I doubt, dear brethren, that we appreciate it enough. Do we appreciate the labours that men of God have faced, labouring in the truth that we might have what we have today in Montreal and New York, Toronto, St. John, and other little spots throughout the country?

So it says, "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the mount of Olives". The allusion would be to what is spiritual. It is a mountain and it is the mount of Olives. There is no mount like it. It is where Jesus had been alone. "And by night, going out, he remained abroad on the mountain called the mount of Olives" (Luke 21:37). "Abroad" is a spiritual suggestion. The disciples, I suppose, were at home, but Jesus was there all night alone. The disciples had been in that spot and now they go back. We are not to go back unchanged to our local settings; we go back with a spiritual touch, or else what is the gain of these meetings? If there is not some spiritual impression that we take back as in the fellowship, take back to the brethren, to our small localities, we have missed the true value of the occasion. And so they return. It says, "And when they were come into the city, they went up to the upper chamber". It alludes to what is heavenly: there is elevation; it is heavenly and is occupied with heavenly persons, persons who have been with Jesus. Earlier there were those who had been with Him on the mount, who had

seen Him in His own environment and glory: "Being with him on the holy mountain", says Peter (2 Peter 1:18). He speaks of the glory, the excellent glory, and he meditates upon it and his affections are impressed. He speaks about the excellent glory and says, "He received from God the Father honour and glory" (verse 17). The whole situation is glorious, holy and heavenly.

Now these men are coming back and going up to the upper room to be with the brethren. That is outside of this world; it is "that world", really. The world suggests where persons can move about and can become satisfied; where you can have what you wish. The Christian world involves the fellowship, and if you have any other world our desires are towards you in prayer that you might discover that God has another world, not only another way and another Person, our Lord Jesus, but there is another world in which there is great latitude for movement, holy movement, where you will find the brethren. So they go up to the upper room "where were staying both Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew", etc. They were staying there. I believe the word literally means living there; that was home. That was their world. Ah, they had seen another Man and their vision had been filled out in the beauty of that Man. Now He has gone up to heaven and they say, 'What is there to live for now but that Man?' We are not to go to heaven yet. We may go any moment, but now it is not only to be looking into heaven, but working out down here what is heavenly, and that is the test: to work out in circumstances of the wilderness what is heavenly; to be heavenly here below. It will be no challenge

to be heavenly up there because we will be suited for it perfectly. We will have bodies of glory like Jesus; the atmosphere will be conducive. You could hardly think of not being heavenly in heaven. But then, am I heavenly down here? I believe that the Spirit is indicating to us that we should be heavenly down here. So as they returned to that world, so full of opportunity, it was to experience in the fellowship a holy liberty and holy joy. They returned and found there Peter and John and others staying with them. It says, "These gave themselves all with one accord to continual prayer". They gave themselves. That involves that if we are to be marked by the features of heavenliness we are to give ourselves to prayer.

Well, in closing I would like to impress on our hearts the blessedness of another way - the spiritual way, which gives freshness to us as Christians here, who are led by the Spirit, and then that that other Man whose personal glory burst upon the soul of the eunuch may be seen in increasing measure in our manner of life and conversation, and that we may be truly at home in that other world which is available to us in upper-room conditions where those who love our Lord Jesus are engaged with what is heavenly. May the Lord bless the word.

Montreal, July 1945

OUR HOUSEHOLDS - THEIR BEARING GODWARD AND MANWARD

L E SAMUELS

1 Kings 6:4; 1 Kings 7:1, 2, 4, 5; Daniel 6:10; Proverbs 7:6, 7; Acts 18:1 - 3, 24 - 28

I have in mind, dear brethren, to say a word as to the bearing of our houses. The house of God should underlie the thought of the household in a locality. We should have in mind the way in which the heart of our God is rejoiced as He finds His pleasure where He can rest, in a sphere where all those blessed, holy activities find an outlet and a response.

Solomon, you will notice, provides time in which the house is built. It becomes a complete idea, a finished product of spiritual exercises. Solomon was seven years building the house of God. But I have particularly in mind the verses we read and the distinct contrast between what is said as to the windows of the house of God and what may mark the windows of our own houses. The windows of our houses are to be open, speaking of the outlook of the saints in the locality in which they are found. The windows of the house of God were closed - having fixed lattices. It is a spiritual matter. In the house of God we are together and not concerned about the outside world. But we are concerned about providing restful conditions into which the blessed, Supreme God can come and find His delight and rest. We would provide conditions in which God can dwell.

He delights to dwell amongst us. He dwells in His sanctuary. His sanctuary is made up of living spiritual material with spiritual feelings and affections providing a place for Him. Material things are shut out. There are closed windows with fixed lattices. We are not going to disclose to the world or let the world find an entrance into the precious, holy atmosphere of the house of God. We are together to provide pleasure, satisfaction and joy for God, the blessed Supreme One.

Our houses are to be patterned after the house of God. They are to reflect in some way every holy feature of the testimony of God and of His workmanship. Solomon was thirteen years building his own house. As if, dear brethren, it was a great matter for Solomon. What must have entered into those years! He was building the house of God, but at the same time he was concerned about his own house. He would pattern his house according to the impressions received from God's house. The exercises of every brother should be for his house to be on this line, but it will cost him something. It is a matter of sacrifice and energy. We cannot have our houses according to God without paying for them in real sober exercise before Him. But what is our outlook? They must have windows and, dear brethren, Solomon is greatly concerned about his windows. He would have them a certain way to let in the light. He speaks of them specifically, saying, "And window was against window in three ranks" - as if, dear brethren, it is not only that the windows let in divine and heavenly light but there is the reflection of that light in the home. The light of the glory of God not only comes in, but is reflected. The light

comes in and finds an outlet in relation to men and in relation to God.

In the further scripture in Daniel we have opened windows. Daniel's window implies spiritual feelings and affections. What God is doing in regard of universal matters is reflected in spiritual feelings in the household. His were difficult circumstances, like ours today. The testimony was in reproach. And we are in reproach! Our households cannot be classified as belonging to the world. God has placed light in our dwellings, and we find ourselves in a position of reproach. Daniel knew reproach. It means suffering, and Daniel knew it. In such a day our houses are to be marked by an increased spirit of prayer. "And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and, his windows being open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime". Think of what that means! His upper chamber, and opened windows. It was an open matter. The idea of what is 'opened' is wonderful. These windows of Daniel's were never shut. His outlook was toward Jerusalem, although accepting the government of God that His people were where they were. We need right assembly feelings in our prayers; feelings for the people of God, not only in our own city, but wherever the interests of God are. God's people are in reproach, and I own them as my people.

So Daniel's house is used in relation to prayer, referring to what is priestly. This would enter into one's desires for the houses of God's people; that they may be marked by the spirit of prayer, especially in regard to the

testimony universally. Daniel helps us in this regard. What spiritual refinement is seen as our minds are held rightly in relation to the current features of the testimony. Not only on Monday night should our prayers and heart outgoings be heard, but here Daniel in his own house reflects the spirit of the prayer meeting. So Daniel's household continues. Not one year or two years, but fifty or sixty years.

When we come to Proverbs we have a further thought of the window. We get another side. Solomon is in his house and he looks out of his window and beholds a sorrowful sight. This is our attitude toward the city, the city in which we live. Do our compassions go out? Do we pray in connection with the gospel and its activities in the place in which we live? Solomon looks and sees one passing down the street not held in relation to God, but held in the chains of sin. He marks that. He uses his window not only as an outlook for the reproach of the testimony, the reproach of Christ, but he is marked by right spiritual feelings, godly feelings of compassion for others - the simple, held by the chains of sin. The house would be available to every sorrowful soul - to every matter that reflects the testimony of God. We long for additions in our localities. How will they come? Perhaps through our families. Thank God for the children of the saints that are added. But there is another way that addition may come. We are to hold ourselves available in our houses to souls really interested in regard of God, discerning when there is some evidence of the work of God and praying for it. Is that the kind of outlook we have from our houses, dear

brethren? If our houses are available in this way, God will come in and richly compensate us.

In the last two scriptures read we have Aquila and Priscilla. Paul comes to Corinth and finds them. They were in reproach, as it says, "just come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife, (because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome)". They were the beginning of the local setting at Corinth. Paul goes to Corinth in the governmental ordering of God and finds this couple. And you can depend upon it that this house was marked by having windows. The windows of Aquila and Priscilla were heavenward and earthward. I mean that their house had that bearing. Wherever the work of God was in that city they were available. So it says, "And because they were of the same trade abode with them, and wrought. For they were tent-makers by trade". As to their business, they were tent-makers. They lived in a very simple way, and were not hampered by great things. God will come in to give us what is essential in our houses, but we do not want our households open to the features of this world. They were linked up with the public position of the testimony. They would hold things here lightly. We do not want to allow what is merely natural to dominate us; we hold things lightly. We are to hold our houses in relation to the house of God, at the disposal of the testimony, for the comfort and welfare of His people. We may not be here long. I do not think we shall be here long. Then let us fill out our days that our households may reflect what is heavenly; delighting in every feature of the work of God; our houses available to one another, not having particular friendships, or selecting the company of some and not others, but held in relation to the work of God.

And then we have Aquila and Priscilla brought in in relation to Apollos. "A certain Jew, Apollos by name ... began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And Aquila and Priscilla, having heard him, took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly". Well, now, dear brethren, you see the spiritual activity of such a household. What a lot enters into such circumstances. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos home with them. And the object was to unfold the way of God more exactly to him. What he would learn in that house, as found with Aquila and Priscilla! Priscilla had her part in it. The wife, the sister, enters into the matter. She is there ready to contribute to the wealth of the occasion. They take Apollos and unfold to him the way of God more perfectly. Think of what was seen through the windows of the house of Aquila and Priscilla! Look what they brought into their house, and see what went out. "And when he purposed to go into Achaia, the brethren wrote to the disciples engaging them to receive him, who, being come, contributed much to those who believed through grace. For he with great force convinced the Jews publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ".

Well, dear brethren, we would desire that our households might be available for the extension and enlargement of the work of God, with our windows open, available to receive every divine impression, and our outlook such that others may be attracted and blessed.

From Notes of Readings in New York and Other Ministry, 1945

WORSHIP

A B PARKER

Genesis 22:4 - 24; Exodus 33:18 - 23; Exodus 34:5 - 8; 2 Samuel 15:30 - 32

In each of the scriptures read there is the thought of worship. It is with this in mind that they have been selected, counting upon the Lord to see how experience and pressure are intended to enrich the service of God. The great end that God has in mind is that we might become true worshippers. We are told that the Father seeks worshippers. He seeks them! He seeks persons who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. The apostle Paul told the Philippians that "we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh" (Philippians 3:3). We worship by the Spirit of God. But we are also to be regulated by the truth. We are to worship in spirit and in truth.

It is in mind that as we come under the teaching and yield ourselves to the truth, we begin to know something of worship as related to the truth which experience works out in our souls. Experience thus gives substance; it adds volume and depth to our response to God, and that is what He is seeking, worship in spirit and in truth. There is the need for drawing near to God in the power of the Holy Spirit, for God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. We must have a sense of who God is: "He that draws near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who seek him out" (Hebrews 11:6).

If He is known to us as God, His will must carry through; our welfare physically, personally, financially or otherwise, will be secondary; the will of God is paramount! What He says must carry, as it did with Job. He said, "Behold, if he slay me, yet would I trust in him" (Job 13:15). He knew God. He had said, earlier, "Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah" (Job 1:21). Do we know God as Job did? Should the wind strike the four corners of our houses, would we worship God? Could we worship God in the presence of the loss of all we possess? We can only do that as we know God as supreme! But pressures are intended to bring about enrichment of the service of God.

Do not think that I am holding out something impossible. We may never have the experience that Job had, but he had it and he worshipped God in the presence of terrible disaster. But then, God has not withheld His best. He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. So that the question may well be raised in our hearts, Are we withholding anything from Him? This query brings me to our scripture about Abraham. God put him through a very extended exercise. The features of fatherhood are seen peculiarly in him. Both his names - Abram and Abraham - involve features of fatherhood. And yet he had no son. He wanted a son. God had said to him, "I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward" (Genesis 15:1). And Abraham said, in effect, 'If you would reward me, give me a son'. And God did just that! But think of the long years that Abraham had to wait until that desire was realised. As each day passed the feelings of fatherhood were being developed; his

desire was to embrace a son! And finally Isaac was born. What a joy it must have been when Abraham could say, 'My son', and Isaac would answer, 'Father'. Think of the happy relations between father and son! And then God spoke to Abraham. In principle, He said, 'I have given you a son whom you love; now I want him'. Jehovah had given, and Jehovah was about to take away. Can Abraham, in the presence of this say, 'Blessed be the name of Jehovah?' What does he say? When he came near the place where he was to offer up Isaac, he said to the servants, "Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship". Worship! Can we enter into this feelingly? It was a matter of soul experience with Abraham. He knew God!

It may be that in our experience we have been brought to extremity. It may have been at the bedside of a sick child. As the little body wastes away we realise that only God can help us. What can we do? Pray? Yes. But can we worship? I do not mean after healing comes in, but when there appears to be no hope. As he went to offer up Isaac, Abraham had in mind to worship. He piled the wood on the altar and bound Isaac on it and took the knife to slay him. And as he did it there was worship in his heart! No wonder that Jehovah said, "Abraham, Abraham!" What pleasure he must have given to Jehovah! We are to learn what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Abraham is a remarkable example of one who had learned that. He was prepared to go through with all that that will required. Why? Because he knew God. "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you". What faith! He knew God and believed Him. He knew that God could raise Isaac

up from the dead. But Jehovah did not require him to go that far. He said, "Now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me". What a wonderful end, we might say. But that is not the end. Abraham has in mind to worship. And how is he to worship? It must be with some fresh apprehension of God. It is to be in a fresh understanding of the truth. He calls the name of the place Jehovah-jireh. "It is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided". What a fresh outshining of the truth! And in the full blaze of it Abraham offers the ram, caught in a thicket by its horns; he took it and offered it up for a burnt-offering instead of his son. Jehovah received His portion!

I would like to dwell, for a moment, on this great truth that on the mount of Jehovah will be provided. I would like to understand it better. But there is a peculiar touch in it as we consider the greatness of the One who, as the ram, was offered. Think of those horns of strength! Think of the idea of maturity as set forth in the ram! It suggests the thought of the Son of God. He is not seen as a Babe in John's gospel where the great idea of the Son of God is developed. "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14). What majesty! And as we see Him at the grave of Lazarus, where the Son of God was glorified, we see the power that the horns might suggest, in that word, "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43) "Marked out Son of God in power ... by resurrection of the dead" (Romans 1:4). What a scene of power! But we are told that the ram was caught in the thicket by its horns. And I would suggest that we must go to Gethsemane for this. The One whose power was manifested at the grave of Lazarus is

seen in agony in prayer. "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: take away this cup from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). The horns are caught in the thicket of the divine will. The burnt-offering is provided. The ram is offered. God gets His portion.

Well, I pass on to Moses. It is not now a matter of personal or individual exercise, but a great assembly crisis. Moses had been on the mountain with God, and while there the people had turned to idolatry, and it was a question of how the divine Presence could be secured. Moses is concerned about the glory of the name of Jehovah, and about the promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He is not an opportunist. Jehovah had proposed that He make of Moses a great nation. Instead of the children of Israel it would be the children of Moses! Satan was not making this offer. It was Jehovah! But Moses was concerned about the name of Jehovah - the testimony. And we can have no other motive in our hearts as we face assembly exercises! It is a question of how the divine presence can be held and the people preserved. Let it never be said, "Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land" (Numbers 14:16).

Moses acted for Jehovah. He pitched the tent outside the camp. God came down. The glory appeared. But before this the sons of Levi had slain three thousand in the camp. The righteousness of Jehovah had been maintained. And now the divine Presence is secured and the glory appears. The issue is settled, we might say. But Moses says, 'Show me Thy way, show me Thy glory'. He is concerned that there may be some fresh accession of light - some fresh feature of the truth as the result of the exercise. Jehovah

says, 'You cannot see My face. I will show you My hinder parts'. And so, at the divine appointment Moses went up the mountain and Jehovah came down and stood beside him and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. It was the name of Jehovah as applied to this crisis. Not that it applied to this crisis alone, but the crisis had brought out the occasion for this disclosure, and Moses, as sympathetic with Jehovah in the crisis, was prepared for this accession of divine light. "Jehovah passed by before his face, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy unto thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation" (Exodus 34:6, 7). I believe we can see how this name relates to the crisis. Slow to anger. But nevertheless His anger burned. Moses interceded, he reminded Jehovah of His promises. Jehovah showed mercy - keeping mercy unto thousands. He forgave iniquity, transgression and sin. But He was not clearing the guilty. Stephen tells us that Israel was carried beyond Babylon because of their idolatry. There was evidently an unjudged state with some of the people. And this leads us to examine ourselves, for we may pass through assembly crises and not thoroughly judge the sin that is involved.

And so, as Jehovah's name was pronounced, "Moses made haste, and bowed his head to the earth and worshipped, and said, If indeed I have found grace in thine eyes" (verses 8, 9). What an apprehension he had of Jehovah!

How he had expanded in the truth! And so he worships Jehovah in this fresh light as to His Person: "Jehovah, Jehovah God merciful and gracious, slow to anger", etc. Thus it is that the issues amongst us are to yield fresh knowledge of God as we are with Him in them and our capacity to worship in freshness - "in spirit and in truth" is enlarged. But if matters go unjudged we must remember that Jehovah is "by no means clearing the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation". So that we not only stand in danger of losing our way in the testimony, but may be storing up God's government upon our children! But Moses made haste and bowed his head to the earth and worshipped. This is the great end to reach in these matters.

Now I go on to David. It is not here a matter of the assembly in the wilderness. It is the day of kingdom glory in the land. David has been used of God in bringing about the divine pleasure. It is not yet the fulness of things, but the power to subdue all things is seen in David and that power has been wielded and Jehovah has been with him and his enemies have been overcome. But Satan is always ready to attack, and he used a basic weakness to cause David to sin, and David must reap the harvest of that sin in the government of God. First of all we read that with Absalom went two hundred men that were invited who went in their simplicity not knowing anything. That element is carried away first, falling prey, without exercise, to a wrong lead - an anti-christian lead! Over against this there is a brother who had just come into fellowship and he sees the issue

clearly and commits himself and his little ones to the position without reserve. We think, sometimes, that the newly converted and the young will be discouraged when trouble arises. But Ittai accepts David's challenge and commits himself wholly. He is prepared to go up and down with the king and to die with him if needs be. How often the way is pointed out in the greatest issues by some young man coming forward at the darkest moment of unrest in a meeting and asking to break bread. A man that came but yesterday. How can he be right? But he is right!

Well, David has to flee. And the priests come out after him bringing the ark. It is all right for an Ittai to come out after David, but it is another thing to carry the ark from its appointed place. We need to be careful. Jehovah had supported David. But He had not committed Himself unreservedly to David. Jehovah had used David to bring the ark into its place, but that place is not to be surrendered because David has to flee before Absalom. And David is quick to discern, and says to Zadok, "Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me again, and show me it, and its habitation" (2 Samuel 15:25). Jehovah does not commit the testimony to any mere man. Joshua learned this when he asked the Man with the drawn sword if he was for Israel or for their enemies. Nay, said he, As captain of the armies of Jehovah am I now come. But what will become of the ark? It is well to see that we are brought into the testimony, through grace, but we are not indispensable to the testimony. The Lord Jesus said that the very stones would cry out if the disciples held their peace. The ark was not

overwhelmed in the temple of Dagon. Nor will it be in Jerusalem because David has had to flee. "From eternity to eternity thou art God" (Psalm 90:2). The position is impregnable. Well, David has all this in his heart, even though he is being driven out. And so we see him ascending the mount of Olives, weeping as he goes, having his head covered, and barefooted. David, the governmental hand of God is upon you! What will you do now? He worships! "When David had come to the summit, where he worshipped God ..". How he stands out here. As accepting the government of God, but nevertheless holding to the choicest thoughts of the rights of God, he worships. What must that have meant to Jehovah? Not only is David accepting his governmental stroke, but he is worshipping. From this point on, the outcome is certain. David is in command. His moral greatness outshines the darkness of the governmental storm. He is a worshipper! And his worship is coloured by his acceptance of God's government.

Think of the apostle Paul in the inner dungeon at Philippi. What had he done to deserve such treatment? His back had been lashed and his feet were fast in the stocks. He had but answered a cry of need to come over to Macedonia to help. But now he is imprisoned. What are his exercises? Would he go back in his thoughts to the time when he had caused men and women to be cast into prison because they were followers of Christ? How often he must have remembered that! He tells us that he was not fit to be called an apostle because he had persecuted the assembly. And now he is in prison! But he rises above the pressure.

He and Silas pray, but in praying they praise God. How rich would that service of praise be! As we measure ourselves in the light of these scriptures are we not ashamed of our poverty in praise and worship? Well, the Lord is prepared to help us in these matters.

It becomes increasingly evident to us that the truth must be worked out in us if we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. But what infinite skill is used in our formation! And the Lord is helping us to see that the end of a matter is not reached until we acquire a fresh disclosure of Himself, which leads to an increased ability to worship. It is a question of knowing God. We are prone to repeat expressions unduly in speaking to divine Persons in praise. Our language should not be stilted. And if we are with Him in the exercises which are constantly coming up we will be sustained in constant freshness each Lord's Day. Hymn 72 refers to God as, 'Our God whom we have known'. We are learning Him here in pressure, and in some little measure we are being formed to sound His praise. The praises of His people form His habitation, and will do so eternally.

Los Angeles, December 1945

"THE GRACE OF LIFE"

A BROWN

1 Peter 3:1 - 7, Ephesians 5:25 - 33; Acts 18:24 - 28; Romans 16:3, 4

The thought in mind, dear brethren, is to speak a little about the grace of life. In our scripture in Peter it is connected with a husband and a wife. We may adorn our houses with pictures and ornamentations, but I believe the Lord would remind us that one great essential adorning to the setting up of the house is the spirit of the grace of life. The grace of life is what heaven desires to see coming to light in the young wife and the young husband. While the young ones are in mind particularly, none of us is beyond this. I feel afresh impressed as to the grace of life coming to light in regard to a brother in the great feature of obedience. But many of us may not have been obedient. Oh, dear husbands and brethren, let us search our hearts! How oft-times have we been disobedient to the word, to what the Scripture says? It is a searching matter for us as to current ministry - the maintenance of what is holy in regard to the fellowship. Mixed marriages - have we been yielding? Radios - have we been yielding? The question of unions - have we been yielding? Have we been disobedient to the word? I am seeking to engage our minds with the possibilities that lie within the scope of the manifestation of the grace of life, and the healing and recovery that can be effected by it. You say, 'How is it done?' Well, Peter was a

family man, and he would help us and encourage our hearts in regard to this. He must have known something of this experimentally. If a husband, a brother, be disobedient to the word he may be gained, he may be won, he may be recovered by the conversation of the wife. It is not the speaking, mark you, according to the footnote, but the evidence of the grace of life. Oh, beloved sisters, how have we sought to work out this great divine principle in relation to our erring husbands? I know it entails the presence of the Lord, but let me encourage your heart, dear sister.

The evidence of the grace of life can be the most effective thing in your relationships with your husband, affecting both the natural and the spiritual phases of our lives. There need be no compromise of what is naturally proper. That is prevalent in Christendom, but, dear brethren, I would to God that afresh it would be placed on our spirits that what God has joined together we should have no part in nullifying or dividing. Peter has before him the spirit that should mark a sister who is expressive of the grace of life. The grace of life could never come to light apart from a brother or a sister having this spirit. It is a wonderful thought - the grace of life. But it is a sister who is motivated by the power of this meek and quiet spirit who can be used to help her erring husband. Speaking reverently, the grace of life would never fail in its efforts in recovery if the Spirit of God were operating through us. How lashing we can be with our tongues! How unsympathetic we can be with one another! But the grace of life is not that; it is our manner of life. Romans speaks to us of the law of the spirit of life - the great sense of what has

set us free; but the grace of life is the manner of it; how it operates in us.

Dear sisters, I appeal to you tonight. Few have husbands who do not err, but here is a wonderful means of healing and recovery that may operate in every sister relative to her husband - the grace of life, the spirit of it. He comes into the house and takes account of his wife - that sister imbued with the Spirit - going about her duties in power, ministering to her husband. What an honour, what a dignity! And furthermore Peter says that "they may be gained without the word by the conversation of the wives, having witnessed your pure conversation carried out in fear". We brothers are often unwise, but there is perfect safety in this formula, dear sisters. You will never err on this line. No one will catch you in your words in this manner of life. It is the grace of life, and your erring husband, taking account of that and being held by it, will be recovered, not only as a husband but recovered to the assembly. Think of a sister with the ability to recover her husband to the truth of the assembly and all that that means! Would a husband not value such a wife? Indeed he would! What would God think of such a wife, of such a sister? Peter tells us - the adorning, the furnishings, which in the sight of God are of great price. Precious furnishings indeed! And then it goes on to say, "Whose adorning let it not be that outward one of tressing of hair, and wearing gold, or putting on apparel; but the hidden man of the heart". This word is to sisters: "The hidden man of the heart!" A sister may have a husband, but she has a hidden Man in her heart, none greater than He! It is what governs

the sister in relation to what is spiritual as she maintains the natural side. But the prosperity of what is spiritual lies in the hidden Man of the heart - the great appreciation of Christ in glory and the wealth that is connected with Him as having the assembly in mind.

So it speaks of "the incorruptible ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price". Does it not afford encouragement to you, dear sister, that the grace of life operating in relation to your husband can afford something for the heart of God? Is that not wonderful? The grace of life operating in the sisters, moving in recovery, and resulting in brothers being preserved in obedience to the truth must be of value in the sight of God. What valuation have we put on it in its operations in the sisters who are wives? I would encourage and stimulate their hearts in the service, having Christ in mind, the hidden Man of the heart, to bring out assembly features in us who are husbands. The grace of life operates over against the principle of what is dead; it is the Spirit of God operating through us in what we do as well as what we say.

Now Sarah is referred to and then it says, "Whose children ye have become". That is, it is not what we are naturally. This is what we are as under the power and influence of the Spirit. Sarah is seen in relation to Abraham, whose children we also are as of the household of faith. That is basic and the positive side, so that as his children we take on his features, we are marked by having faith, and what is spiritual engages us. But it says of the sisters that they have become Sarah's children, and it is in relation to the household and subjection to their husbands.

So that we would have a wonderful household where a sister like this is found. I suppose, in figure, Proverbs 31 would be an answer to all this. It is worth reading from the view point of the working out of the grace of life. You do not have an idle woman there. She is a housekeeper, and that is what we need in our days. We need housekeepers, houses set up to be kept, and kept in relation to God, like the house of Obed-Edom. The ark remained with the family, they were in perfect complacency with Christ. So one would covet to have a house like that of Obed-Edom, where the Lord would be free, and be at home as coming in to bless.

Now, I will go on to speak to the brothers. The brother is in mind in this scripture, also. Six verses are allotted to the sisters, but one to the husbands. "Ye husbands likewise, dwell with them according to knowledge, as with a weaker, even the female, vessel, giving them honour, as also fellow-heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered". So that when the husbands, the brothers, are praying there would be support from the sisters, from wives who bear the features of the grace of life. Think of the furnishings connected with such households - "fellow-heirs of the grace of life". This scripture is based upon the fact that the grace of life has operated in a household - Abraham's house. It is wonderful to think of the possibilities that lie in it, for there is the danger of matters going outside of the household and causing damage if this grace is not operating. Matters should be worked out there in relation to God. Confiding in others may sometimes bring comfort, but this is a matter into which the Lord is brought and into which God is

brought so that the grace of life is operating effectively and there are no negative results in such a case.

In Ephesians the brother is also in mind. Three verses are allocated to the wives here, but there are many more to the husbands. "Husbands, love your own wives, even as the Christ also loved the assembly". Dear brothers, this is for us. We speak of this scripture rightly in regard to Christ and the assembly, but the governing principles of it are not to be pictures on the wall, but the grace of life operating in us. Husbands are in mind. The subject is not dropped; it is carried right through to the end of the chapter, showing that the spiritual relationship between a husband and a wife has to be maintained; and here it may entail correction on the part of the wife, as the great example set out in the chapter would suggest. If, dear brethren, the grace of life has operated in our wives to bring about recovery in us, think of the greatness of Christ and the assembly, and the operating principles that we have in this section. It is not tongue-lashing. Some of us may be good at that. But the flesh in me will never gain anything in another but flesh; but the grace of life operating in a husband may effect a great deal. This principle governed the great apostle himself relative to the saints at Corinth. Things were done in the grace of life, so that, in principle, none were lost. We often refer to what Christ is doing, according to this chapter, but the exhortation is to husbands. Have I been able to help my wife on the principle of the grace of life. That is how Christ operates in relation to the assembly, "that it might be holy and blameless". It is the idea of subjection in Peter, but it is love operating here. There is subjection with the wife in this

chapter too, but it is love in the husband, operating in relation to his wife. "Husbands, love your own wives". I believe, dear brethren, that brings us to what is spiritual; how things have to be done. The Lord is the pattern for us in John 13 - how He did things; and we are to do them likewise, as He says, "If I therefore, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example that, as I have done to you, ye should do also" (John 13:14, 15). The Lord did more than that. He washed their feet and He wiped them with the linen towel wherewith He was girded.

I am not speaking abstractly, dear brother and sister; I am speaking of things that may actually exist among us, where the grace of life has operated in the husband and wife. Moreover, dear brethren, think of our localities, and what prosperity would be in them if the grace of life were operating more freely. So that I referred to the Acts to give a concrete example of how the grace of life operated in relation to a brother who was mighty in the scriptures. It might be said that no one can refute such a brother; no one can contend with such a one as Apollos. But at the time he had not gone far enough in the ministry, in the word of truth. But there were a brother and a sister, and the grace of life was operating in them so that they could approach such a one and help him and stimulate him in his ministry. How many of us, dear brothers and sisters, dear husbands and wives, have been able to stimulate a ministering brother and to add to what he has? But Aquila and Priscilla, moving in the grace of life, were able to help him and to stimulate him.

I just close by referring to the passage in Romans where this same beloved brother and sister are referred to, and the grace of life is again seen as operating in them. This is how Paul himself would regard them; not only coming under the appraisal of heaven, but their value in the testimony appreciated by the apostle and by all the saints. Oh, might I encourage the dear brethren tonight! God is afforded pleasure by the grace of life operating in us, but then the apostle says, "Salute Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workmen in Christ Jesus, (who for my life staked their own neck; to whom not I only am thankful, but also all the assemblies of the nations)". Why are we not known, dear brethren, among the saints? Paul says, "for my life". Think of the life of the apostle! How do you regard him? How do you regard his ministry? The apostle says, Prisca and Aquila "staked their own neck". Not like Reuben, who, to preserve Benjamin would say, 'I will give my two sons'. Not that! It was not a matter of sacrificing others for the sake of the testimony. The principle of surrender is our own neck. So that the ministry of the beloved apostle was continued and the blessing of it has reached down to our day and will be continued until the blessed Lord Himself comes, and these beloved brethren had part in that because the grace of life was operating in them. May the Lord bless the word!

Westfield, New Jersey, July 1946

THE LORD'S INTEREST, AND SERVICE TO HIS OWN

S McCALLUM

John 20:11 - 16; John 1:35 - 39; John 11:19 - 27; John 21:15 - 17

It is before me, beloved brethren, to speak a word on the Lord's interest in each of us as it comes before us in John's gospel, especially having in mind the help that flows out from His service connected with that interest. For the sake of clarity I desire to enlarge on four questions that come out in the passages that I have read. The first, "Whom seekest thou?" the second, "What seek ye?" the third, "Believest thou this?" and the last, "Lovest thou me?" The first and the last are connected in a peculiar way with the person of Christ; the second with the divine dwelling place; and the third with the truth. I mention this at the outset, for I would desire to stimulate with all of us greater affection for God, and for Christ; greater interest in the saints; love for the saints; and greater interest in the truth; feeling the importance of each one of us understanding and knowing the distinctive place that we have individually in relation to this service of Christ. So that we are not just lost in a glorious entity, however great that entity is, but there is maintained in our souls the preciousness of our links personally with Christ as forming part of that great vessel, the assembly. I am sure that we all

need to see this distinctive place, and be concerned to enjoy it as in the affections of Christ; because the greater our link personally with Christ, and the more we enjoy intimacy with Him, the better able we shall be to enter upon and to lay hold of, and to enjoy, the truth in all its greatness as it is coming before us in our time. One of the most affecting and interesting things about John's ministry is the place that individuals have in it, and the place that the service of our Lord Jesus Christ has towards them, even to the extent of devoting a whole chapter to one who is the subject of the works of God, and the object of the tender interest of Christ, the Son of God. We would like to instil into every heart, especially of the younger men and women, a sense of the interest that the Son of God has in every one of us, and John brings before us in his gospel the wonderful character of the economy of love into which divine Persons having entered are serving the saints, with a view to their being brought on to the glorious spiritual and heavenly levels of the truth that John has in mind in his ministry.

There is nothing more affecting than to take account of the economy of love as it is formally brought before us in this gospel: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand" (John 3:35). The Son is operating in the economy, having in mind the variety of our needs, so that we might be helped through the service that He has come to render in the place that He has taken in this

wonderful economy of love, with a view to the best results being secured in each of us. God has in mind that the best should be brought out in each of us, and we have humbly to admit that we have not always furthered the divine interest in this regard, perhaps even retarding and hindering the service of divine love, but the Lord would help us to see the gracious and tender character of His service in this gospel as He moves in relation to each one.

I begin with Mary in chapter 20, desirous that we might be freshly helped in taking account of this one often spoken of in the ministry. The questions that the Lord raises are a delightful feature of the Lord's service in love in John's gospel; their remarkable character and brevity, yet their pungency. Who can put questions like the Son of God? This first question to this heart capable of such affection, and expansion in relation to that affection, stands related to Himself personally. "Whom seekest thou?" It is interesting to see how the Lord brings up the question of person in this inquiry, not what seekest thou, but "Whom seekest thou?" Did He not know whom she was seeking? He did indeed, but He loves to bring out from us you see in answer to His probings and to His questions, language that, as framed upon the lips of His lovers, is so delightful to Him. It is one way that the Lord takes in John's gospel of bringing out things, and it is an important matter that things should be brought out, that language should be framed in regard to what we are thinking. Many of us like to keep

things within, which is good in certain settings, but it is a great matter that things should come out, and there is nothing that moves the affections of our Lord Jesus Christ more than words framed upon the lips of those that love Him. Think of what He said to His own, "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Matthew 16:13), and when He was told, He said to those around Him, His disciples, "But ye, who do ye say that I am?" (verse 15). Peter says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (verse 16). What must that have been to our Lord Jesus Christ, and what must it be to Him now in the midst of the rising tides of apostasy, when Christ is being given up on every hand, to find those upon whose lips there can be framed suitable language that can give expression to His worth, that can express what He is in their minds, and in their outlook and in their affections.

What did it mean to David in the presence of the worthlessness of a Nabal, to find an Abigail, attached publicly to Nabal, yet in her heart with affection for David. Think of what it must have meant to him to find one who could give suitable expression to his moral worth and choiceness. In this she undoubtedly represents the result of the prophetic service of Samuel. Does it mean nothing to our Lord Jesus Christ at the present time? Indeed it does not, and I should like every one of us to have a sense of this. We may think that we are only but one of a great number, and not much to be taken account of, but we want to see that we have all individually a part in this

great matter. The assembly knows and understands Christ; what comfort that is to His heart; as David could say to Abigail, "blessed be thy discernment" (1 Samuel 25:33). It is much to Christ to find in the assembly that wonderful intelligence which rightly appraises His work, and His glory, and His incomparable grace. The fruits of the Holy Spirit's operations in the assembly are bringing about a choice living appreciation of this glorious Person, whose service we are now drawing attention to in this wonderful gospel. I would encourage every heart as to the delightfulness of this, the expression of love's language, in love's appreciation of Christ, which will not be deterred wherever oppressing and antagonistic conditions obtain. In one such as Mary of Bethany in that holy scene in John 12, despite the unsympathetic character of what was in the environment, in Judas, she was unhindered, and I would say to the young brothers and sisters, in our various localities, that if personal, hidden, intimate links with Christ are livingly enjoyed, there will be no deterring of the flowing forth of the heart's appreciation of Him, whatever the circumstances may be. We are far too ready to blame the circumstances we are in, and to blame others for hindering us. If our links with Christ were greater and better and more living, we should be more in the holy living current of all that belongs to the closing days of this dispensation.

I speak thus, dear brethren, feeling the importance of the development in our souls of secret

intimate links with Christ, the need of understanding better the white stone and the new name upon it, that no one knows save he that receives it and Him that gives it, (Revelation 2:17). It is not anything to be brought out and paraded in household talk, or the like, but what is inwardly cherished and not known by any but by the loved one, and the Lover, Christ Himself. It is important in our localities, that we pursue the truth and the teaching with all eagerness, giving ourselves to reading and the like, but it is equally important, dear brethren, and especially would I appeal to the younger brothers and sisters, that from the earliest stages of our spiritual experience, there be promoted and developed with us, these hidden links of holy intimacy with Christ, that will stand us in good stead in all the constantly recurring crises in the testimony. There is nothing that will hold us like personal links with Christ; if they were greater and more livingly enjoyed, the progress in the truth would be more manifest and apparent with every one of us. For we must admit, dear brethren, that it is hard going if links with Christ are not known personally. How the Lord values these! Think of how He tested those in John 6; the teaching was becoming very involved, as certain thought, but the fact of the matter was that they were not prepared to go forward in the teaching, and it says of them that they went away back and walked no more with Jesus. And Jesus turns to His own disciples, and He says, "Will ye also go away?" (verse 67). And oh! that answer of Peter's, "Lord, to

whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal" (verses 67, 68). What was it that held Peter despite all his failings and his weaknesses, which are recorded for us for our profit? It was his personal links with Christ, and I would say afresh to the young brothers and sisters, as well as to all of us, that in facing the working out of the teaching of Paul's gospel, and all that it means in relation to deliverance and salvation, there is nothing that will help us like personal links with Christ, because we may come to a time, maybe in the throes of deliverance, when we feel like giving up. We wonder whether we have any link with Christianity at all. We wonder whether we will be able to continue, but oh! the link with Christ, how it holds, amidst all the horrors of the darkness, connected with the analysis of good and evil within us! "Whom seekest thou?" says the Lord to Mary. He knew whom she was seeking, but He wanted to bring it out.

The Lord wants to bring things out with us, and when we speak, you know, things come out. It may be bad things, but it is well that they should come out, in certain relations, because thus we get help; and Mary got help as she gave utterance to what she had in mind. And in this passage there is a certain amount of cloudiness attaching to Mary. Great unfoldings are before the Lord, but there is a certain amount of cloudiness in Mary, and not only in Mary but in distinguished persons like Peter and John, and is it not so with ourselves at times, dear brethren? Where was the teaching of John 13, 14 and on to 17?

Where was it in the souls of Peter and John when they went to their own home, relaxing in their own home? That was not the place to relax, when the Lord had been unfolding, as some of us have been having it, the blessedness of the home of love above; they went to their own homes, but Mary stood without. The Lord is bent upon helping all of us, but He helps Mary particularly here, because she is standing by, as it were, ready to be helped. There is a certain amount of darkness there, love for Christ, but darkness; she needs to be enlightened; she needs help in her mind. She has a heart that loves Christ, and as we look around this audience, how many there are who are known to have hearts that love Christ, but maybe minds that need to be enlightened; for love for Christ without enlightenment is not everything, although some of us sometimes would make it everything. The assembly is marked by intelligence, and those that form it would be marked by intelligence, and Mary's mind is to be helped, as all our minds are being helped in relation to the truth, and the question is whether we are prepared to take in the truth, to be taught, and to be subject to the teaching.

Mary was ready for it; it is a great thing to be subject to light as it is presented to us as the man that we were referring to in John 9. He was a subject of the works of God. The Lord said to him "Thou" when he heard that he was cast out. What a chapter depicting the personal interest of Christ. The Lord hears that he is cast out, and He finds him and says,

"Thou, dost thou believe on the Son of God?" And this man's answer is, "And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?" (John 9:35, 36). I would appeal to every heart; we have been under the present choice ministry, but are we standing by ready to take in the truth, or are we building up a barrier of mental resistance to the truth as it comes to us? That is insubordination. The Lord would help us to take on the truth as it comes out, to accept it and to expand in the knowledge of it; for that is what the Lord has in mind. And as to John and Peter, where were their minds? Had they not been under the teaching? I am speaking guardedly, soberly, in regard to these two beloved men, but these things were set down in order that we might profit by them. Often those who have part in labouring among the brethren may need help themselves, as these two, who were inclined to settle down in a position. Had they not been under the teaching in the closing chapters connected with our Lord's finishing service in this gospel? Where were their minds? Where are ours? We have the mind, the thinking faculty of the Christ, the capacity to think rightly, but speaking from what I observe in myself, we are sometimes too spiritually lazy and indolent to employ this marvellous faculty to help us in the understanding of the truth. The Lord says, "Whom seekest thou? She, supposing that it was the gardener, says to him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away". There is no end to what love in our hearts for Christ

might do, but then a heart that is charged with love in this way needs to be enlightened; it is a question of intelligence, teaching, in regard of the matter. "Jesus says to her, Mary". Oh! what a word. To think, amidst the throng here that each one has a distinctive place in the economy of love, and in the divine mind, and in the Lord's heart. Think of the personal link here. "Mary", just a word you see; the Lord did not have to take fifteen minutes or thirty minutes to give a long explanation, just the word. She turned herself, and said unto Him, "Rabboni". Now who are we seeking in the meetings? Is it just the meetings? Is it just the brethren, all right in their place? But is the Lord before us, and have we hearts that are seeking after Him? We may have minds that need to be enlightened, but we are in the place where we will get enlightened. Are we prepared to be subject to the teaching that is coming to us in this relation?

Now I pass on to speak of the next one, "What seek ye?" We find two who are affected by one who is ministering, and whose ministry leads to Christ. What a great matter it is, that the ministry of all who serve should lead to Christ. Why should we project ourselves into the service, dear brethren? All true ministry that comes from Christ, must lead to Christ, and if we project ourselves into the ministry, and becloud the greatness and the glory of Christ, we shall not help the saints in finding Christ, and in finding the home of divine love. It is important that the ministry should lead to Christ, and that is where

John the baptist's ministry leads. John the evangelist is wonderful in speaking about John the baptist; while he does not belong to our dispensation, yet his language is remarkable, not only in serving and in ministry, in pointing to the Lamb of God here, but even when he is brought into an argument, his composure is maintained and he speaks of Christ. In chapter 3 there was a reasoning among certain of his disciples as to baptism, and John is brought into it, and how he speaks of Christ! You see it is not only what we are on the platform, but what we may be as working out things in relation to one another in ordinary conversation in our houses or elsewhere. John was not reflecting on his past experiences, or relating any memoirs of exploits in the work of the Lord, but everywhere you see him he is pointing to Christ, and that is where all ministry should lead. So these two that heard are led to Christ. How delightful this is! But the question is, "What seek ye?" The Lord puts this question, not whom seek ye? but "What seek ye"? And the Lord would bring that out, you see. At this moment what are we seeking? Not only whom but what?

The Lord wants to know what is in our minds. We have been under ministry; what are we seeking? What have we before us? These two can put it into words. What you want to know, or what you understand, or what you have, or what you think should be; put it into words. Many, especially those of us who are younger men, think we know much, but

it is a challenge to think of the scripture that we know nothing yet, as we ought to know it (1 Corinthians 8:2). So these men here are able to tell what they want. They say, "Rabbi". They pay deference to Jesus in this way: "Rabbi ... where abidest thou?" And He said to them, "Come and see". And the Lord would say that to us. There has been open before our souls in these meetings the wealth of that home of love, close to the Person of Christ, and our place in it. What a home it is! I am just referring to the principle of it suggested here; "Where abidest thou?" John has a way of presenting the Lord Jesus Christ, the person of Christ, which the human mind cannot follow. You need spirituality, the help of the Holy Spirit, to understand John's ministry. He speaks of the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father. The natural mind cannot understand that, you see. Similarly he records that the Lord said to Nicodemus, "the Son of man who is in heaven" (John 3:13); the natural mind cannot take that in. He says to Philip and the others there, in John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?" The natural mind cannot follow John's line of teaching. We need the help of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is ready to help us, in regard of spirituality so that we might apprehend what is in mind in the teaching, in this exalted line of ministry that John the evangelist gives us.

Now I pass on to speak of the next question, which bears on the truth. "Believest thou this?" The

Lord is bringing much out. In this section He was operating in relation to a certain locality, and He had in His skill, and in His wisdom held up His movement to Bethany, in order that through the protracted exercise that would develop in relation thereto, there might be something additional brought out, some further expansion in the knowledge of Himself. Martha is like many of us, you know; we hear the truth and we go over it time and again. The Lord does not say, 'Hearest thou this?' She heard it well enough. The question, dear brethren, in the meetings is whether we are believing. "Believest thou this?" The Lord has something specific in mind. It is important in the presence of the wealth of the ministry that faith should be operating. It is very touching that in the epistle to the Ephesians, that is before us these days, Paul's parting salute to the brethren is, "Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father" (Ephesians 6:23). Why should he say that? You do not find it anywhere else in any of the epistles. Love with faith. Why bring it into Ephesians where all the wealth of the counsels of God is unfolded? Paul is really saying to the brethren, as he thinks of the importance of his ministry, 'You will not only need love, brethren, but you will need faith'. Peace first, restfulness in the soul, and love; but love with faith. If we are to apprehend and to enjoy the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, we need living, operating faith. It is said of certain, to whom in type the gospel of the glory came, that the word did not

profit them, the word of the report, because it was not mixed with faith, (see Hebrews 4:2). And all the light that is streaming so blessedly to us in the ministry at this time will not profit us if faith is not entering into the matter, if it is not "mixed with faith in those who heard". This is very important and Paul gives that finishing touch in the Ephesian epistle, "Peace to the brethren". What a minister he was! Your heart is stirred in the presence of a minister like Paul, and we are not without such ministers. So this matter of believing enters into John's gospel, faith, active and living faith, in relation to the Son of God, and not only love. In relation to all the questions, love is there; it is an integral part of the teaching, and behind the teaching, but then we need faith. "Believest thou this"? Martha comes out with that expression of faith: "Yea, Lord; I believe".

I finish with a brief word as to the last chapter, "Lovest thou me?" It is the last feature of the Lord's personal interest in us, in one like Peter, one who had erred. In the opening of the chapter Peter is moving, but how is he moving? It was an itinerary that led to nothing but emptiness. But the Lord was behind; He was on the shore. It is very interesting, that touch; it does not say He was standing on the land, He was standing on the shore, the shore standing related to the sea, where they had been in their fruitless efforts. Peter says, "I go to fish" (verse 3). And there were those that were going with him. A great deal of the difficulty and trouble amongst us is not only with a

leader who goes astray, but with those who help him to go astray. And it is very important that we should help one another on right lines, that we do what is right, and pursue what is right, whatever the cost may be. John, the writer, brings himself into it, not by his name personally, but as a son of Zebedee. But there they were; they were helping what was wrong, but the Lord comes in and He brings the matter up with Peter. The Lord has a right to bring questions up with us. Why should He not? But oh! the love that is the basis of the Lord's action! In adjustments amongst us it is important that love should be the basis, that we are not just criticising one another. The Lord is dealing here on the basis of the dining, and the "Lovest thou me?" He is dealing with Peter on the basis of love, and you know much can be worked out on that basis. Peter has to come to it; he found it a little irksome; but he has to come to what the Lord has in mind; and whoever we are, you see, we may have to be adjusted, but the Lord has a personal interest in us and He would help us to be adjusted, as He says to Peter, "Lovest thou me?" May the Lord help us into a greater enjoyment of His own personal interest in us, and what we are in the divine realm, as it says, "They go from strength to strength: each one will appear before God in Zion" (Psalm 84:7). All are the fruits of the service of divine love.

London, July 1946

SEEKING THE WELFARE OF GOD'S PEOPLE

A N WALKER

Nehemiah 2:10; Esther 10:2, 3; Psalm 122:6 - 9

I was thinking of Paul's allusion to Timothy in his epistle to the Philippians, pointing out the care that he had as to how the saints got on. He was not referring to Timothy's ministry. There is the care in regard to ministry, but besides that - and ministry may be very full and serviceable to the saints - the apostle stresses a further feature with respect to him. From the ministerial point of view, he was anxious about his ministry to the Philippians, but he sent Timothy to them that he may be refreshed, knowing how they got on. It might be charged that ministers should have that care, but my concern is that here is a feature available to every one of us, and caring how the saints get on will carry with it spiritual prosperity. You say, 'I cannot do anything'. That is not my point for the moment. The point is, do I care? - not only in regard to my own city or my own section of the city - but do I care how all the saints get on? Do I care? That is on my mind for the moment, and I appeal to sisters and brothers alike. I commend it to the younger ones, to have an interest and concern not only in any particular section of the city, but further afield.

It is remarkable how, the more one extends his interest, the larger is the scope that he can take in. It will be so, that if divine interests are really with us we shall not stop

anywhere. It is marvellous what we have under God's hand to bring extension to us in a very practical way. On Monday nights at the prayer meeting, letters are read that stimulate practical care as to how the saints get on even on the other side of the world. What a wonderful system we belong to; that we can have a divine interest, and care, to have part in assembly interests. I may be a bed-ridden saint; I may be an obscure sister or brother; but my concern is, Do I care how the saints get on? Does it bow me when I see retrogression? Does it stimulate and refresh me when I see progress?

Nehemiah serves as a model. I do not think he is called a prophet. I do not think he is even called a scribe. He is referred to as governor. He had had an important position before the king, and was going about his business, but incidentally somebody comes from Jerusalem - his own brother. As my own brother comes to me, as engaged in a government office, what is my chief topic of conversation with him? We come together in each other's households - relatives after the flesh. What is the topic of our conversation? He says, 'Tell me how things are in Jerusalem - what is the position in the city?' "And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, Those who remain, that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire" (chapter 1: 2, 3).

It was after all this that he was performing his duties as the king's cup-bearer, and it might have appeared that

that was the end of the matter. He might have said, 'I am sorry to hear that'. It is striking that the apostle should say, "genuine feeling". I am inclined to think sometimes that we are weak about that. We have a sort of long-distance view. There must be some reason why he should say, "care with genuine feeling". What a man Nehemiah was, going on with his work every day but bowed in fasting and prayer, day after day. He is saddened and distressed about the report that comes from the land. But what can one man do about it? I think this ought to encourage us - the value of one person. Do not let us despise the value of one! Nehemiah makes a great point of it. Remember for me, he says. I do not suppose he thought the words would ever come into this extraordinary volume. "Remember for me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people" (chapter 5: 19).

We should be encouraged by the feelings of one person, and eventually it all shows itself. The king wants to know why his countenance is changed, but it only develops the genuineness of the feeling that is there. Oh! that we might take it on and share in the genuine concern as to how the testimony prospers. Then the way becomes opened under God's hand. We might think we are the very last persons to do anything, but God will intervene, not, however, if we have no feelings. In spite of the long distance, in spite of the importance of the position he was holding, results show that Nehemiah comes forward to put his hand to the work. "There had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel". It is remarkable that there should be anybody grieved about that, but there are men grieved about it.

You might think it would be a matter that would be approved by all to see the release of a man from an important position such as he held. Think of all that was involved in his leaving Shushan and going along to Jerusalem. Surely there would be no one that would be displeased with this thing! But there were - these two, Sanballat and Tobijah and others with them. Such usually run in groups. I am inclined to think that one is an Ammonite and the other a Moabite. They are not entirely foreigners. They are in the range of the matter. Indeed, they are related to the high priest. It says of this group, Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, that "it grieved them exceedingly". Let us shrink from contact with an element like that, that is grieved as a man devotes himself to seek the welfare of God's people. That element is in the position of relationship. It is Ammonitish and Moabitish, and it is there that grief always shows itself. These are elements that will show themselves antagonistic to a Nehemiah, but he says, 'We went on with our work and we finished the wall'. I am positive if we give ourselves to this great work our souls will prosper.

We see it in Mordecai - an extraordinary character he is. These things will be carried down and put on the divine record. Here is this man's record - "And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?" There is a divine record of all these wonderful acts, sometimes very much under reproach but coming out now in glory. "For Mordecai the Jew was second to king

Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the welfare of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed". There can be no question that if we devote ourselves more to the care of divine interests, and in seeking the welfare of God's people, we shall prosper.

The psalm we read from would confirm all this. It is a psalm we delight in. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee". There is room for increase, spiritual prosperity, and I am positive this is one of the ways by which it may be reached by every single one of us. "They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy bulwarks" - notice these "withins". In the maintenance of divine principles - the maintenance of righteousness - there will be peace, and not only peace but prosperity. There are palaces within the walls - residing places, where the inner movements of divine Persons express the divine mind - so that it goes on to say, "prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes I will say, Peace be within thee". And then above all, how wonderful the last verse is! "Because of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek thy good". That must be the topstone in the movement. There can be no question that in seeking the welfare of God's people, it will enhance the beauty of God's house: "Because of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek thy good".

I commend the word to us practically. I believe it applies to every one here, conscious that as we prove this we shall find that on the annals, or records, true spiritual greatness will be found. Read Mordecai's record, and you will see this devotion to the Lord's interests in terrible days and at

great personal cost, but eventually turning into prosperity. And, finally, "Because of the house of Jehovah our God". Think of adding to the prosperity of God's house, beloved brethren, having God in view now, not merely my brother. May it be so!

From Notes of Readings in New York and Other Ministry, 1946

OVERCOMING

J H TREVVETT

(Extract from an Address)

2 Samuel 23:34, 37

Eliam suggests to us one who overcame in the sphere in which many of us have been tried - the home. He is said to be the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite. You will remember what happened when Absalom usurped the throne and David had to flee. One told David saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom" (chapter 15: 31). We may well wonder what David would say to this. But thanks be to God, David is reaching the apex of his spiritual career. He is reaching the summit where he worships God and not even evil tidings will sway him. What a word for some of us when we assemble with the disciples to break bread! How often some sorrow; some impatience; some fractious child affects our minds and hinders us from reaching the summit as David did. As David is on this holy ascent he simply says, "Jehovah, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness". This is one of the most swiftly answered prayers in Scripture. Immediately Hushai the Archite, David's friend, appears. Is he not a better friend than Ahithophel? He is David's friend; a man who is prepared to go into the city and still be David's friend! He was the answer to David's prayer, for he was used to turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. You know the history of Ahithophel, what a traitor he was, and his sorrowful end. There is hardly anything more pathetic

than David's breathings in Psalm 55. What touching phrases the psalmist uttered! "It is not an enemy that hath reproached me - then could I have borne it; neither is it he that hateth me ... then would I have hidden myself from him; But it was thou, a man mine equal, mine intimate, my familiar friend ... We who held sweet intercourse together" (verses 12 - 14) What a sorrow it was to David! Suppose that he had not worshipped. Suppose he had not taken part that morning and you had asked him, Why? Would he, as some, say, I was overwhelmed with sorrow? Remember the incident in Leviticus 10, when Aaron was overwhelmed by the death of his two sons, Nadab and Abihu, and Moses could not find the goat of the sin-offering because it had been burned instead of being eaten. Moses reproached him and Aaron said, "Such things have befallen me" (verse 19). He had suffered a most serious bereavement, but this is not intended to thwart or hinder the service of God. According to Deuteronomy 26, God is not to be robbed - not even in our times of sorrow and mourning. We are not to allow the dead to be a substitute for the service of God.

And so David reaches the summit, and Hushai the Archite, David's friend, appears. But what about Ahithophel? He was in the city with Absalom. He would support Antichrist! Think of going astray to that extent! Some go astray through indifference or petty grievances. They come to the meetings and sit behind. But not this man! He went the full length of evil, even to allying himself with an Absalom. He became Absalom's counsellor and friend. But God saw to it that he lost his power. I assure you that if anyone leaves the path of faith and holy separation to the

name of Christ, where light is, they do not carry the light with them. I have long since learned that persons who do that become darkened. The light in them becomes darkness. They not only lose their Nazariteship, but lose all trace of spiritual power and influence. Ahithophel was like that. He went the full length, but his son Eliam as much as said, 'My father is turning away to Absalom, a usurper, but I am clinging to the people of God and to David the king'. David would value that. I do not know what else Eliam did, but I know that he is in the list of David's mighty men, and I know that had he gone with his father, or succumbed to the honey of nature, he would never have been in that list. But he is in it, thank God!

I would appeal to anyone here whose wife, or husband, or other near relative is at issue with the saints and the principles of the fellowship. Are you going to compromise or weaken the position by pampering the sweetness of the ties of nature? Such ties will cease. They may be cut off abruptly, but they will certainly cease by and by. But your link with Christ and the people of God will never cease. I would like to be like Eliam - that what is next Christ's heart should have the upper place in my affections; that I should rightly value the people of God! It was evidently so with the one who wrote,

'Nor what is next Thy heart
Can we forget;
Thy saints, O Lord, with Thee
In glory met'. (Hymn 160)

What is next Thy heart - Thy saints! The people of God were in Eliam's heart and he overcame in the home - the centre of natural affections.

And now we will pass on to the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, and in doing so I want to speak particularly to the young brothers and sisters who are earning their living. Whatever kind of a master you may have, labour at your work "heartily, as doing it to the Lord, and not to men" (Colossians 3:23). Think of the possibility of serving the Lord Christ in your daily employment. You may say that your employer is an unconverted man and he does not give you your due. Jacob had ten reductions. Had they been advances he would not have said to Laban, "Thou hast changed my wages ten times" (Genesis 31:41). He had said to him earlier, "It was little that thou hadst before me, and it is increased to a multitude, and Jehovah has blessed thee from the time I came" (Genesis 30:30). God spoke to Laban saying, "Take care that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad" (Genesis 31:29). He would not have him hurt Jacob for he was as the apple of His eye. By and by the employer may confess that he has greatly benefited by having a Christian employee. Can your employer say that you give him more in value than you receive in wages?

Well, this man of whom we read was armour-bearer to Joab. Joab gets the medals; he sees to it that he gets the reward, not the armour-bearer. He was like the man of Colossians 2:8 - full of philosophy and vain deceit - the man who would not brook a rival. It is said of Joab that he slew two men that were more righteous and better than he. He slew them because he was afraid of being supplanted.

Your employer has not used such tactics against you. He may be forward, but you serve the Lord Christ! You can introduce into your employment, which seems so drab at times, all the dignity of the Colossian position. But think of the kind of employer this armour-bearer had. How he must have filled out that trying post! And he has a place amongst David's mighty men, but not Joab! Think of the employer being ruled out and the employee coming into a place of honour in Christ's day. See how your position may be presently reversed! You may have only a brief time to wait. If you are manifested in Christ's kingdom and have rule over a city, would not that be far better than ten advances under a benign employer? Well, whatever hardships the armour-bearer had to bear under one whom I judge to be a most unscrupulous employer, he is presently found in the number of David's mighty men. What an encouragement to apply ourselves to our daily duties with a view to serving the Lord Christ and awaiting His day of manifestation.

From Notes of Readings in New York and Other Ministry, 1946

WISDOM THE HANDMAID OF LOVE

E A KELSEY

2 Samuel 20:14 - 22; Acts 6:1 - 8; Acts 28:1 - 6

These scriptures have presented themselves to one's mind as bringing out that where love is, wisdom will operate in love, and situations will be met in a way that is for the glory of Christ, the pleasure of God, and the furtherance of what is of Himself in testimony.

So that in this first scripture we are considering there is the uprising of Sheba the son of Bichri. I suppose it is instructive that as soon as the matter of Absalom is completed, this matter of Sheba the son of Bichri arises, as indicating, perhaps, that we are not to look for or expect rest in a scene where there will always be militant exercises as long as the assembly is here in responsibility. That, I apprehend, is one great gain of the weekly city reading that is being so happily taken up in a universal way, in the spirit of subjection to light. That is to say, it is a militant matter, and the Lord would strengthen the saints so that exercises might be met; that our souls might be formed in the truth, and thus we might be helped in our responsible setting in the light of the assembly here. But Sheba arises and it is a difficult matter. Joab would have met it according to his own ideas, but he was a ruthless man, and ruthlessness is not compatible with love. There is no need for weakness because of the absence of ruthlessness, and Joab's conduct here, one would submit, was ruthless in character. Indeed,

he had just behaved in a ruthless way in relation to Amasa, which treatment of his brother brought the government of God upon him in a later day. For if we are ruthless with one another, and do not express as to our day what is in accord with the spirit of the dispensation, we shall assuredly reap some governmental consequence in our own experience as Joab did. But then there was one thing about Joab which I think we can commend, even though he was acting in a kind of official character and basically was wrong. I would just submit that, so far as I am able to discern, Joab turned the battle to the gate when he said to the wise woman of Abel, "A man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David". One feels, dear brethren, that a person like that is to have no quarter. Many things might be advanced, you know. The enemy throws much dust in the eyes of the saints in times of difficulty, but if it can be defined that one has risen up against the king, against David, that must be met unsparingly. That appeal - the name of David - would cause a response in every loyal heart in Israel, just as the name of Christ and the interests of Christ call for a response on the part of every heart that is loyal to Him. In principle, this is seen in our meetings of assembly character when matters come up. It is a question of David; it is a question of Christ; it is a question of the king; and I think that Joab rightly defined the position, although acting in an official way. He would have moved on lines that were ruthless, had it not been for the counsel of the wise woman of Abel, and that I thought, is where love came in. There was love there, dear brethren, before there was wisdom, for

divine wisdom is not a matter of human resource or human intelligence or human intellect. Divine wisdom proceeds from love. I am sure we would all agree that that is supremely so in connection with the way the love of God has found expression; the hidden wisdom of which Corinthians speaks. As we think of that place of a skull, Golgotha, suggesting no doubt the absence of wisdom on the part of those who should have had it, we realise that love was not there. It was the princes of this world in their fancied wisdom, with hatred instead of love, who crucified the Lord of glory. Is it any wonder that the prophet Isaiah says that the princes of Zoan are become foolish (Isaiah 19:13), for in that, dear brethren, was the utter folly of this world made manifest. But there was brought to light the wisdom of God that would recover man; that would bring to pass for His eternal pleasure every thought He had counselled, and what love lay behind it! So that the wise woman speaks to Joab. You will notice she has influence with him. I do feel that that is a matter to impress us: that love has influence. She says, "Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. And he came near to her". You will remember that when Martha met the Lord Jesus as He was coming to Bethany at the time of the death of Lazarus, she influenced nobody. Martha was orthodox. Dear brethren, orthodoxy has not much love. But when Mary moves, others move, and when Mary weeps, others weep - marvellous to relate even Jesus Himself weeps, and the depths of those holy feelings of His soul in sympathy with one who exemplified love are seen at that time. So that it is love that has influence, and this woman had influence, even with such a one as Joab.

Well, why make so much of love in connection with her? Because she was a mother in Israel. She speaks of herself in that way. She says, "I am peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel". I am sure any thoughtful person would be prepared to acknowledge that there is no human love so unselfish as mother love. The love of a mother is an affecting matter to take account of. The scripture says, "Had my father and my mother forsaken me, then had Jehovah taken me up" (Psalm 27:10). And Jehovah, speaking through the prophet (Isaiah 49:15, 16) says that a woman may forget her child but He has graven Zion on the palms of His hands. So that, dear brethren, you see one's point is that the love of a mother, and especially a mother in Israel, is an unselfish love - it is not seeking any credit. We are very much given, and one speaks as knowing one's own heart, to desire credit for what the Lord might help us to achieve. One thinks of Deborah in that relation, for Deborah is a lovely model to contemplate. She says, "Until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7). Think of the dignity and power she had as a mother in Israel, and yet I am sure Deborah would never have any regret or ill-feeling that in Hebrews 11 Barak gets the mention and she gets none. Read her beautiful song and you see how she magnifies the heroic actions of her sister Jael in the way she disposed of Sisera according to this very matter of wisdom of which we are speaking. How unjealous she was - how rich in features marking a mother in Israel! Thus, you see, there is the operation of wisdom in this woman of Abel - this mother in Israel. She goes to the people of the city in her wisdom and

the head of the offender is thrown over the wall. It is a matter of what is effected. Joab's methods might be effective according to his own mind, but he would have destroyed the inheritance of Jehovah, and the mother, or mother city, as it might read, in Israel. How beautifully she speaks as a true mother in Israel, for every mother in Israel has the assembly enshrined in her heart. She says, "I am peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?" Just one little city in Israel; not a very big one, surely; the city of Abel, although it appears to have been a very ancient one, I would judge, with a good history. But think of what the woman says, "A mother in Israel", "The inheritance of Jehovah". She has no outlook but the assembly. So as love operates in such a one as that wisdom is not lacking. She is one that is accustomed to having matters ended, "Just inquire in Abel; and so they ended". How often, dear brethren, things drag on year in and year out, they are not ended. Yet love is there, admittedly. No one would raise any question as to love being found among the saints. Whatever the extent of it; whatever the character of it; love is there, but what about wisdom, because wisdom is to operate through love, and the matter is to be ended. And the matter was ended when the head of Sheba was thrown over the wall, because, dear brethren, one would say humbly, that if the situation exists that a man has risen up against the king, against David, then there can be no other issue than that his head should be thrown over the wall. That is to say, the rights of Christ should be maintained and the glory of the Lord should be

upheld and every heart loyal to Him should disown the one who would rebel against Him. I am sure that would find an echo in all our hearts through grace.

In the scripture in Acts it is a different matter. I think it is just as clear that wisdom operates there through love, for love was not in any way lacking in that chapter, but it is a sorrowful feature as well as a humbling one that so early in the history of the assembly this spirit of rivalry should arise. It is spoken of as murmuring, the spirit of complaining, but it would seem to be a spirit of rivalry, also. What is going to meet that but love? The matter is met in a complete way through the operation of wisdom and the recognition, too, one would submit, of where wisdom is to be found; for wisdom is to be found in the assembly. So that the scripture says, "But in those days, the disciples multiplying in number, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews because their widows were overlooked in the daily ministration". Why should it be "their widows"? Why should what is sectional come into our minds and our feelings in relation to what has been set up in this community? This was a community where they had all things common and no one called what he had his own. Why that little word "their"? These are the seeds that the enemy would seek to sow, so that matters are viewed in a sectional way instead of a collective way. "And the twelve, having called the multitude of the disciples to them, said, It is not right that we, leaving the word of God, should serve tables. Look out therefore, brethren, from among yourselves seven men, well reported of, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we will establish over this

business: but we will give ourselves up to prayer and the ministry of the word". Take note of that word: "Look out therefore, brethren, from among yourselves seven men". It is a question of what is found among the brethren, and of making use of it. There is leadership according to God, and we all give thanks for it. But this is a matter, dear brethren, where the thing was put into the hands of the brethren, in the confidence, shall I say, that the assembly is entitled to, and the situation met so that love again prevailed undisturbed, which is the normal atmosphere of the saints. And there was a definite yield for God from what had been an ugly situation; manifestly the work of the enemy, which had threatened disunity and disruption. It was met by men being chosen who were characteristically full of the Holy Spirit. One just dwells on that for a moment as to the need for the recognition of the Holy Spirit. He is the only Power there is among us. In christendom at large there are church deacons, and church laws, and church ritual teeming with antiquity, but dead; the antiquity only indicating how dead it all is. But dear brethren, without assumption we say humbly and thankfully that we have the Spirit; it is a question of the recognition of the Holy Spirit and of availing ourselves of the Holy Spirit, and above all of being exercised to be full of the Holy Spirit. I am sure the Lord would encourage us to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And so out of such a situation as this emerges Stephen. One thinks of him in that way, the matter having been met in all the grace of the dispensation; for it was not a matter that called for extreme measures, and all matters that arise among us do not call for extreme measures. Some

of them are an opportunity for the expression of the grace that marks the dispensation, and it affords pleasure to heaven and it affords delight to the heart of the blessed God as He sees His own character, as expressed in this wonderful dispensation, worked out among the brethren in the way they take things up in the spirit of grace. So Stephen emerges - this lovely vessel who is ready to seal his testimony with his blood - he emerges as spoil for Christ; something peculiarly for the heart the Lord Jesus as He emerges as the first martyr in the spirit of his Master, following in His steps, indeed, following in the same spirit. He says, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:60). Not to Stephen falls the responsibility or the right to say as the Lord Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Only He could utter such a wonderful prayer as that, followed later by the word that the glad tidings were to be preached beginning at Jerusalem. But Stephen, to say the least, is following in the steps of his Master and could say, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge".

In connection with the last scripture one just had in mind the apostle Paul as a prince of the Levites, and yet ready, in love, to perform the most humble service. I am sure we would view him as one who sets forth in his life and pathway the levitical features that are so pleasurable in the sight of heaven. And so I thought that in this well-known scripture Paul exemplifies love as underlying all levitical service. One is persuaded, dear brethren, that no service is effective to any degree unless love underlies it; and what marks levitical service is that the need is

discerned and met. Paul saw at this point that there was a need. How great it was appeared later. But he saw there was a need and it was met. We might have thought the beloved apostle would be weary and unserviceable after the experience of his shipwreck with all its arduous sufferings and the secret exercise of it with God. But, dear brethren, love is ever on call. The first mention of love in the Scriptures is in connection with the great type of the Father and the Son. Isaac says to his father, "My father", and Abraham responds, "Here am I, my son" (Genesis 22:7). Love is ever on call. So with Paul, however menial the task might be, he would discern the need which existed and gather his bundle of sticks. "And Paul having gathered a certain quantity of sticks together in a bundle and laid it on the fire". He saw there was need of a fire, and that the fire was to be maintained, because one would suggest that while the viper came out of the heat it was the fire into which he fell to his destruction. Had there been no fire there would have been no power to destroy the viper. Power was found with Paul to shake it off, but he shook it off into the fire. How important it is, dear brethren, that the temperature should be kept up, that the atmosphere of love should be maintained at its proper level, so that this condition of things might be maintained and the enemy's attacks - for he will surely attack - will be rendered ineffective. And Paul as a true levite exemplifies the Lord's words to His servants at the close of Mark's gospel as He speaks of them not being harmed by deadly things and serpents. And it says too, "the Lord working with them" (Mark 16:20). What is going to be effected anywhere or in any place or at any time

if the Lord does not work with His servants? But He is working with His servants; they, down here in their weakness and need and feebleness, it may be, and He there in that place of power and exaltation that is rightly His at God's right hand; but "the Lord working with them" goes on to the end of the dispensation. And so the Lord's word in Matthew's gospel: "And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age" (Matthew 28:20). So that one would suggest that the beloved apostle, a prince of the levites as indeed he was, seeing this need would undertake it. He did not leave it for somebody else to do, for a true levite does not pick and choose his service. He takes up what is to hand. He sees the need and he meets it whether it be great or small, in the spirit of the One who has seen all need and has met all need. He is to be enshrined in our affections as the great Leader, the Prince of the princes of the levites; One, dear brethren, who was set forth in type in the tabernacle system as the lampstand, the light of which shines over against itself. So that all service in that way is to reflect glory upon Christ and not upon the servant; for the levitical principle is that the light shines over against Christ. Thus Paul sees the need and it is met and the fire is there. The viper may come out of the heat engendered by it; a proper condition of things, but he is destroyed by the fire. So, dear brethren, there is the drawing power of love and there is the expulsive power of love, and both are needed. The expulsive power of love is much less in evidence than the power of attraction as expressed in love. One thinks of the occasion of the passover, when Judas was there, and love operated. It is a solemn word. Love operated on the

part of the Lord Jesus in giving Judas the morsel. And when he had received it he went out. It was the expulsive power of love. It says in John's epistle, "They went out from among us, but they were not of us" (1 John 2:19). And as love's temperature rose - one would reverently say - the Lord Jesus says, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him" (John 13:31). One believes in this way the Lord would have wisdom operate among us through love, so that while love never fails, wisdom may not be baffled, and that matters might not remain unresolved or drag on, but as in the case of the wise woman of Abel, and so they ended. Matters should be ended to the glory of God, that out of difficulties that may arise there may be a yield for God. Issues are to be met in wisdom and skill that love would provide; so that, dear brethren, we might be maintained in the closing hours of the assembly's history with the temperature, shall I say, kept up in such a way that the well-being of the saints is secured and there is power for the destruction of the enemy as he would appear, seeking to attack the very hand that had rendered the levitical service, underlying which was love.

New York, October 1946

APPRECIATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP

E J MAYNARD

2 Samuel 19:24 - 30

I desire to say a word, with the Lord's help, for our encouragement in what might be termed restfulness in, and appreciation of, the Christian fellowship, into which, through grace, we are called. I believe it is important that we should be encouraged to appreciate what has been recovered to us in these remarkable days in which we live. It is a most choice time in the history of the assembly, although a day of small things and a difficult day. It is remarkable how the Lord, in His grace, is bringing to light the greatness of the assembly as it is in His own mind. How comforting that we are able to look into the whole of Scripture, for we are told that, "As many things as have been written before have been written for our instruction" (Romans 15:4), and we find there provided for us the comfort of the holy Scriptures. So I thought it might be well to suggest how Mephibosheth affords an example of one who declared himself to be restful in, and appreciative of, the place in which he was set by David, a place at the king's table. This scripture might well apply to us at the present time, as to encouragement and restfulness and appreciation of the fellowship. We face difficulty from time to time which arises out of the absence of this very thing; because persons are not satisfied and restful and appreciative of the place in which divine grace has set us.

David challenged the heart of Mephibosheth and in so doing he brought to light what was there. David also had to do with Shimei; but when Shimei comes David does not challenge him at all; he makes his speech, but at the end of it David simply says to him, "Thou shalt not die". But it is remarkable how he challenges Mephibosheth and how the challenge drew out the love that he had for the king. So the Lord would help us as to what He Himself has worked out in us for His pleasure; each fresh challenge to our hearts would simply serve to bring out what is pleasurable to Him. The way in which Mephibosheth addresses himself to the king is remarkable. He says in verse 28, "For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king; and thou didst set thy servant among them that eat at thine own table". What a deep-seated appreciation and value of the saints! It is especially important that every one of us, particularly those who are younger, be able to value, as inseparable, the Lord Jesus and the saints. The Lord loves to have us value the saints as being set among them. They are His own sovereign selection and that for His pleasure. Mephibosheth indicates in his way of speaking of his father's house that he had appreciated grace, because it was a matter of grace in David. Grace had been shown to Mephibosheth, for he had been given a place at David's table. So, in these conditions, the Spirit of God tells us how the man conducted himself in the absence of the king. He shows his appreciation of the grace that had been shown him and the favoured place in which he had been set, but he especially makes a point of the value of the saints, "them that eat at thine own table". One feels we need to be

encouraged to value the saints and our being set by the Lord Jesus among them.

Mephibosheth says, "Thou didst set thy servant among them that eat at thine own table". They are a select people, peculiar to the heart of the Lord Jesus. It says in Hebrews 2:11, "He that sanctifies and those sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren". It leads on to the worship of God; for the Lord proposes to worship God and sing His praises among His brethren. So one would desire to encourage our hearts in this thought of appreciation of the fellowship, as being set among the beloved saints by the Lord Jesus for His pleasure.

But it is remarkable, dear brethren, how we are prone to exercise our own wills, and this leads to sorrow and to pressure on the brethren for it is often necessary to spend time and care on persons who habitually exercise their own wills. Mephibosheth not only shows he is restful and appreciative of grace, and of the Lord's people, but he says, "What further right therefore have I?" There is a man who would appreciate how the Lord Jesus, in the most supreme way, moved here for the will of God; how He said to His Father, "Not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:42). So Mephibosheth appreciates the fact that he is set in a place of grace and dignity, as among the saints, and that it is a place where no one has a right to exercise his own will. How we should appreciate the way in which the Lord Jesus moved here for the pleasure of God, and, like Mephibosheth, be restful among the saints, in the fellowship, appreciative of grace, and prepared to surrender our own wills! What a word: "What further right therefore

have I?" This would settle many a question with us. It should be the language of those who have been taken into favour for the pleasure of divine Persons. May the Lord encourage us and help us to covet the spirit of this man and to be appreciative of all that into which grace has brought us.

From Notes of Readings in New York and Other Ministry, 1947

"SHEPHERDS AND TEACHERS"

P LYON

Ephesians 4:10 - 15; Acts 20:28, 29

I wish to dwell upon shepherding and teaching. They are, as mentioned in Ephesians 4, a dual gift differing in character, but expressive of the same blessed nature, love. In shepherding, we are in the presence of the love that feeds, protects, and serves even to death, in love's strength, that which belongs to Christ, which is essentially His. It is because the saints are His personally that they are the peculiar prey of the prowling wolves without number, of which Paul warns the elders at Ephesus. While eldership is always limited in administration to immediate localities, yet the Ephesian elders furnish a world-wide pattern. The apostles have passed, but the shepherds and teachers, among the gifts that are the spoil of the ascended Man, remain. He, who ascended of His own volition, and is exalted as raised by the Father's glory, has sent love's momentous message to the assembly, through a sister beloved, which should stimulate all sisters to emulate her, in having messages from Christ for the assembly He so loves. I admit that the word to Mary in John 20 was to His brethren, but they are the persons who constitute His assembly. He alluded to His ascension as if to assure the hearts of His own that, whatever would happen, His going into that realm of power and glory as supreme, His going above all heavens, disclosing what pertained to His Person,

and the power He would exercise there in His own realm, would determine His own service through the vessels by which His graces as Head would flow to His body, so dear to Him. John writes for a broken day, and the allusion to the ascension of Jesus, in addition to His resurrection, comes but to reinforce, in days of trial, the constancy and service of that love that had known every woe in making His sheep His own, and now has no other thought in that realm so glorious, into which He has gone, than to serve in the same lowly downstooping love in which He sought only to serve them here, even unto death. Thus it is for Christ, having spoiled the enemy, to subordinate from the enemy's spoils to His own service of love those marvellous triumphs of love divine, testified to in the gifts, given for the edification of His assembly.

We are greatly restricted publicly, therefore the more do we value what is within our reach, coming to us in the gifts available as the result of the love and service of Christ, which taking no credit to themselves are but the glory of the Giver. The unholy self-exalting abuse of gift has been unfolded before us in the Corinthian disaster, warningly, during these days. To co-ordinate one's gift so as to enhance the glory and grace of the Giver is love's way, and there is no other way. He has shown it in the path of surpassing excellence, and He will tread that way with those who repudiate every self-seeking motive that leads upward before men in vanity and pride. The blessed grace and glory of the downstooping way has been fully displayed in Him.

What a shepherd was Paul! He had no organisation to support him, as have the professed shepherds of christendom, who speak in clerical language of a living. For Paul it was here a dying, as every true shepherd knows "the dying of Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:10). He was not busy to get a living here, he was concerned to set forth the glory of the dying, the dying of Jesus. There has never been, nor shall there ever be, a dying like that, so glorious in the sight of heaven, and in the hearts of those for whom He died. It is so precious, this dying of Jesus. Paul speaks of bearing it about, he did not forget it and leave it, it was woven into his constitution, shall I say, in the constraining love of Him who was all his strength, in the suffering footsteps and service of his blessed Master. Shepherds! are they furnished with university degrees of theology in a scene where the foe's efforts throughout the thousands of years have been to mar what belongs to Christ, with all the moral darkness pertaining to Satan's domain? No, for every degree and attainment is acquired through learning directly from Christ. A shepherd knows the sheep all by name. I admit the saints are unforgettable as of Christ's flock, but among the many glories possessed by the Chief Shepherd is this, that He knows the name of every sheep and lamb, and the sheep know the tones so varied, but ever in love, whether in appeal, admonition, or censure, the tones of His voice. It is a faithful Shepherd with whom we have to do, thank God, or none of us would be here tonight, enjoying these happy seasons of fellowship together, for which we thank God unfeignedly. It is not in such company that men acquire academic credentials! The Corinthians were rich in those,

and very poor in consequence. It is said in Scotland that the shepherds continue by generations; that it is in the blood and the bones, so to speak; their university is the rough weather, the heat by day, the frost by night, and in that they are not self-advertising. We hear not of peerages offered to shepherds, though none are more noble in heaven's eye, for the Chief Shepherd is in heaven, and fills the hearts of His under-shepherds in the care of His sheep.

A shepherd, as I see, is constitutionally in it, not academically; he would not be taken on by his employer for his Grecian learning or human wisdom. We do not hear of shepherd strikes! Night and day, the life of the defenceless sheep is their affair, and the vigilance which wild beasts around calls for, necessitates a further pledge of the character of what marks the shepherds. There never was a greater call for this service, dear brethren. Shepherding wins the hearts of the saints for teaching, and teaching involves a school every day for two years, Luke tells us, no suggestion of holidays. The hour is strenuous, for it is one of exceeding gravity and brevity, as the imminence of our departure draws nigh. As we begin to attend school we may well be appalled at our ignorance, but we are not told of any dismissals from that school, "daily in the school of Tyrannus" (Acts 19:9). But the teacher was such a shepherd, that he gained the ear of the learners in teaching as having won, on Christ's behalf, the ear of the scholar. So, dear brethren, shepherding lays the ground for teaching.

Joseph at seventeen was tenderly caring for his father's flock; none were missing, you may rest assured. None should avoid the holy and happy favour of serving under

the Lord Jesus. You could not serve Him in relation to what is dearer. He made perfectly clear in His commission to Peter as recovered, that He did not grade sheep and lambs in His affections. There is graduation in relation to other matters, but not in what is next His heart, and the lambs are as near as the sheep are, and Peter is promised that he shall be allowed to seal his shepherding with his dying. In what other way could shepherd service find a true issue, for if one has served in the grace of the Shepherd who died, what better than to seal one's service with the supreme privilege of dying for Him? It is a question of the skilfulness of the hand, and the integrity of the heart, and God made way for David, in marvellous grace. One might say, he will never be king, but God had said that no other will, and when God says it, He will take His own way and time to bring it about, as with David, the one whom He had appointed. He took him from the sheepfold; that is where God is looking for persons for promotion; for who else can He trust? He will promote you with life and gift, for your brethren, but keep moving among the sheepfolds. He goes there Himself, and He makes His selections there. He took him; where were the combinations of Saul and his murderous opposition? Where was the Philistine? God took David; the taking, I think, is a peculiar expression of shepherd delight. God took him approvingly, and what did He do with him? He trusted him with all Israel.

In Nimrod we see a mighty hunter, but, before the Lord, restricted, but the shepherds never. Instead, they are given a blank cheque and a free hand in love's vision and love's mission. This shepherding service is never over until

it is over for ever. There is no shepherding in heaven. If we miss it now, when shall we ever have it again? You may say that the hunter gets his way at times. He does, alas, and never more than when the shepherds are sleepy. "He that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4), and there are those "who by night stand in the house of Jehovah" (Psalm 134:1). As we were seeing, dear brethren, the hunters are many, for there are many antichrists, working through educational channels wrongly used, and through athletics. One is reminded of beloved F.E.R.'s remark, that he came to it as a young man when he came into fellowship that light reading and athletics were for ever over. It was an understood matter, and it is sorrowful when it is otherwise with any one of us. Well, says somebody, You must give the young something. Christ has given the young everything. I say it in reverence; He has given them God; and do you think that if the old need God, that the young can have a miserable substitute? No! It is God or nothing. Verse them shepherd-wise in what is essential, and you will nurture them tenderly and wisely and firmly out of what is extraneous. I say firmly because the shepherd in Luke 15 lays a sheep upon his shoulders. It does not say that the sheep leaped there; He may have held him there, and no doubt did, as a wandering sheep. Oh! dear young people, appreciate the shepherding of Christ personally to your soul, as manifested in those who serve, that God's flock might prosper, and that His sheep and lambs might be continually fed and protected! Fear of yourself will make you more sensitive to shepherd care, for the foe knows well enough, and he takes no holidays. I say it soberly, he is

never more busy than when we are taking them. Thank God these are not holidays, they are holy days, and when our leisure is spent in holy days we can count upon God to increase them to us, in His providential way.

You will remember the scripture in Micah speaking prophetically of Christ that He will feed His flock in the strength and majesty of Jehovah; Blessed Shepherd! Oh! you say, 'That is to come;' yes, and meantime, well, He has shepherds like Paul; we are told that Paul went from house to house and he called upon the elders at Ephesus to take heed unto themselves. That is the first thing; it is a question of saving oneself, and others also. "Wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers". I admit that is eldership; which needs to be maintained in these democratic days: eldership is not formal, but the fruit of experience with God in the various phases of the testimony, and steadfastness; and what elders they are when God makes them such! What submission and respect is due to them in our localities! They are not throne seekers; crowned they are by Him who has alone the title to the crown; the Crowned One. But they understand that they cannot better use their crowns than to throw them at Christ's feet. You say, that is in a coming day, but let love make it the present day. Again you will remember the living creatures know; that youthful energetic element, fruit of incessant prayer and care and experience, and rule in eldership in a locality; the elders know nothing better, and what else is there better than to bow worshipfully to the blessed God, who brought about living conditions among the saints!

At Corinth alas, the trend was to hold their thrones at the expense of Christ and of the brethren, reigning as kings. You may ask, must I reach mature years for this? No, Miriam started as a shepherdess early, with her eye on a young lamb in a very defenceless setting, and she could, so to speak, counsel authoritatively the greatest woman in Egypt. God will make way for the shepherd spirit. He pledged Himself to it in Christ as He brought back from the dead the greatest Shepherd of the sheep. It is what He is doing in His providential way, providing a measure of calm amongst the nations, though yet incomplete, as man must be, until he comes under the sway of the Son of man; and yet there is more room now for shepherding love. Shepherding, you understand, is a universal service, for the Lord's love for all is impartial universally, but it finds peculiar place where the Lord has set you. You say, 'How do I grow in it'? In the tender appreciation of that secret history you possess with the Good Shepherd, of the love in which He died for you, and the care which He exercises in life, and love towards all.

It is beautiful to see it, dear brethren. As I say, shepherding guards, protects and nourishes, but it has in mind teaching. You may say, 'Well, I do go visiting a little'. Thank God. Now if you are moving with a shepherd heart, you will give a touch assembly-wise as the crown of your shepherd service. That is, people are not shepherded to pursue their course alone, individually. No right shepherd ever thought otherwise than to bring a stray sheep back to the flock. In the shepherd's mind the sheep's life is bound up with the flock under the shepherd's hand, the Good

Shepherd Himself. To be astray means death to sheep. Oh! what skill paves the way in the shepherd's love that stoops, as we were hearing the last day or two, to adapt itself in saving love, to the conditions in which the sheep are. For if we do not stoop to where they are, it is that we do not hold them in the elevation of God's highest thoughts. The higher you view them in the divine counsels, the lower will you stoop in love to serve them in the conditions, though sorrowful, in which love finds them.

And so the shepherding and teaching are presented in a dual way together, so that as love makes its way to the hearts in the tenderness of the Good Shepherd, it is hard to resist. Thank God it is, and woe betide us if we do resist that love of Christ in His under-shepherds, that makes it perfectly clear that they are in love's vigilance, love's faithfulness and love's obligation, to care incessantly. And what they say to us privately or as among the brethren, is but an index to what they say to God and to Christ about us privately. For who can bring the Great Shepherd to the sheep who does not take the sheep into the presence of the Great Shepherd? We are told that He is going to put a crown of glory upon His shepherds, and under-shepherds. Their brows have been marked by grace strained, and we, alas, have had our part in contributing to that strain on their grace. May we rather gladden those under-shepherds of Christ in a happy submission to their lead and their spiritual authority, blended with such tender compassion! But the time will come when the brow of the under-shepherds of Christ, that have often borne traces of grace in love's service over wandering, stubborn sheep and lambs,

shall have placed upon their brows, each one of them, a crown by Him who, in shepherd love, was once crowned with thorns, and is now crowned with glory and honour.

What a day when the oft-misunderstood and even slandered under-shepherds of this day, who have suffered too, in shepherd care, to assure the flock for God and for Christ, shall have placed on their heads, by the once-pierced hand of the Chief Shepherd, a crown. We have the word approved of God. It is a question of a secret sense of approval, the stay of the heart that would want nothing else, on the public line, because He has not yet come forth wearing many crowns, our blessed Lord! We would not be before Him in His glory, we would follow behind Him in His suffering. No angelic hand shall act for Him, the angels, holy angels, interested peculiarly, providentially, in the care of the saints, but not used vitally or spiritually. They have never proved The Shepherd that died for the sake of the flock, they worship Him, and do well so to do, but they have never had to meet the wolves that have made that blessed Shepherd so precious to our hearts. Through no angelic hand of great power, but with those hands so expressive of love's service, He has reserved to Himself the delight of placing on every brow of every under-shepherd through this dispensation, and earlier too, that token, resplendent of His approval publicly, with which He has already supported secretly, His suffering servants.

Well now, dear brethren, I want to tell you that it is noteworthy to take account of this teaching that is so urgent, for the foe has a scheme of darkness that is the only alternative to divine illumination. There are universal lords

of darkness, a whole hierarchy of moral darkness, and God counteracts it with teaching. It is the scope of the truth, and the place of each of its component parts, like a great structure, the foundation of which is Jesus Christ. Persons say, 'I do not follow these things'. Well, may I suggest that if you are more susceptible to the love of Christ's shepherding personally, and through His under-shepherds, your mind would be more submissive to and receptive of divine teaching. There never was a moment like this, dear brethren. Think of the lavish ministry of these last days from the Head in glory, all to the end that His body may be built up in relation to the heavenly part and portion of the saints of Christ. The trend of all the teaching is heavenly; it may be liberating, as at Corinth, of what is foreign, and the word is, "Loose him and let him go" (John 11:44), to go into the heavenly domain, to which the purposes of divine love have called us in Christ, and of whom the Spirit is already the blessed earnest in our souls. Oh! dear brethren, let us see to it that, susceptible to shepherd love, we become appreciative of the teaching of life!

The wolves did not get in when Paul was there. He says, 'The wolves will get in if the elders do not take heed'. Think of it! All that is most murderous in the hunting of life is kept at bay, but all that is most gracious and blessed, in the surrendering of life, in those serving. "I make no account of my life as dear to myself" (Acts 20:24). You have only one life, and if you owe all to the given life of the Son of God, then you are in that life, young people, and there is a sphere divinely appointed, in which there is a divine niche awaiting you. I trust you have discovered it,

and are filling it in your respective localities where you live. The only life that was ever worth living, He laid down. Our transient life under the shadow of death, we are invited to surrender; such is His grace. You say, 'I can understand the glory and grace of His giving His life', but, is there not accompanied with that the tender grace, that would accept our life, to be surrendered, on love's altar, in the promotion of the great vessel, for which Christ gave Himself, the assembly? I believe many shirk the assembly in practice, in a substantial way. It is converted into a theory, to save the lives of those who profess to propound it. If Christ thought it worth while to die for the assembly, did He make a mistake? Never could we conceive such a thought; then we must be making a mistake, if we are not dying in Christ's name for that great vessel. And you know what dying is; it is love's suffering, sacrificing determination, in love's devotion, that every thought in the purpose of God, every desire in the heart of Christ, every activity in the power of God's blessed Spirit here, shall be substantially accepted, and kept alive in the saints; among whom we are left to serve a few years, or months, or weeks, or days, or hours; but a time so great, to fill out with love so eternal and so great.

So there was the apostle, he kept nothing back, but gave himself in the spirit of Him who gave Himself for the assembly. Christ kept nothing back, and are you going to keep anything back? Our presence together as of the assembly testifies today the love that kept nothing back, and we glory in Him for so doing. Let us see that, in love's constraint, we keep nothing back in serving in shepherd

care, and in imparting light in teaching. I do not mean that there are many teachers, but we are told that there should be those who are to be apt to teach, and let us see to it that in the shepherding of souls protectively and tenderly we are concerned to make an impression, or to suggest an impression of Christ upon them, in relation to His great love for the assembly. The shepherding, therefore, dear brethren, paves the way for teaching. Shepherding melts the heart in love, where the heart is receptive and submissive to it. And thus the mind is held now as the affections are detained in the spirit of the service of Christ. The heart and mind become receptive, diligent and persevering, for it is a question of quietly plodding along and living in these things. The school of Tyrannus did not turn out its pupils overnight. We cannot take royal roads and short cuts, but have to settle down to it in love's devotion, and we shall then find the fruit of the spoil of Him who has gone up far above all heavens. As we are in activity here as shepherds and teachers, He helps us downward in shepherd love, and lifts us upward spiritually, in the glorious light, not only of God's government in His house, as seen in the Corinthian epistles, but in relation to those counsels of love divine that conceived that He who should become Man should have in His body and His bride, a vessel adequate, as His body, to display Himself, and as His bride, God's own blest answer for the satisfaction of the heart of Christ. May the Lord bless the word.

Durban, September 1947

THE END

A E MYLES

Genesis 49:33; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:24 - 28; Revelation 21:5, 6

It will be observed, dear brethren, that these scriptures speak either of a beginning, or of an end. Within these two terms there is obviously a span, or space it may be, of time. The thought of the end is mainly in mind, and one recalls what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:8, "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning". He is speaking of course, from the standpoint of what is under the sun, and his words have reference to what is accomplished within the span of a man's life. I refer to that, because I wish to speak first of what is effected in our souls by God down here, within the span of our life. That is why I referred to Jacob. He is at the end of his days, and it says, "When Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples". That was a good end; dignified, and suggesting control; not a hurried exit with many things unattended to, but departing as a saint of God should depart, in all the dignity of his place and portion before God.

It is to be noted that when Jacob came to his end, he had no personal matters to put right. His concern is for his sons, the generation that was to follow him, and for the blessings that were to be theirs. He was not full of grief, because of moral questions unattended to; all was clear, as

it should be. Those that are to be near to God must understand that under His feet, as it says in Exodus 24:10 there is "as it were work of transparent sapphire, and as it were the form heaven for clearness". That is what we are going to, to be near God; and there is no darkness there, nothing hidden. What was there under His feet was a work, suggesting, I believe, something that He would accomplish in our souls, through our having to do with Himself within the span of our lives, so that where there was once darkness, there is now suitability to be near God. How happy is the lot of a saint whose time has come to depart and be with Christ, if, from his side, all is clear. We know that from the Lord's side all is clear; as the hymn-writer says, 'Not a cloud above - not a spot within' (Hymn 22); but how good if from our side, all is clear.

Now, as I said, Jacob is concerned about his sons, having the continuance of the testimony in view. He is something like Paul in his second epistle to Timothy, where he speaks of the finish of the race, saying, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He speaks of his being already poured out, and in the light of that he urges Timothy to fill up the full measure of his ministry. In other words, to carry on the part of the next generation. The work that the Lord does in our souls, the moral work down here, is of so intensive a character that He only has a number of His people under His hand at any one time; they come before Him in generations; there have been many such since the day of Pentecost, and the Lord limits the number that are on the earth at any one time, I believe, in view of the intensified moral work He would carry out in our souls;

and as one generation passes, another comes forward. There is to be the idea of a link of continuance between one and another, so that the ministry and the work of the Lord should be carried on.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 4, we have before us what might be called the ending of this dispensation. That is, a longer span, a longer period of time, extending already to over nineteen hundred years, and it is on the spirits of the brethren that that great event is near. We have had it before us in the meetings this day, and I believe the Lord is in the suggestion, so that our thoughts should be expanded, and that we should be on the alert, and that we should make better use of our time, especially in relation to all adjustments, in view of the end of this dispensation. What a dispensation it has been! What sorrows have come into it! What battles have been fought for the truth! What attacks the enemy has made again and again on the testimony! But the saints have not been overwhelmed; there are still here on this earth those who treasure the truth, who love the truth, and who are being directed and governed by it; those who raise no question as to the authority of the Lord in ministry; they are still here.

You will remember what a great intervention was made some hundred and twenty years ago, when light was given to beloved Mr Darby and others. I make no excuse for mentioning his name; he was a chosen vessel, and his life could be looked into. How that stands in contrast with many of those who head so-called religious movements in the world, whose own moral state cannot be examined; but I think we could say of beloved Mr Darby that he was like

Christ. That intervention brought to us what has been called the recovery of the truth of the assembly. The Lord has helped the brethren to go on with it, from that day down to the present day, and I see no evidence of surrender; those that wish to surrender the truth depart from us; but with the beloved brethren I see no evidence of desire to surrender, but eagerness to know the full mind of the Lord; and especially at this day to come under the finishing process, the work, the refining work that the Lord is carrying out today. It is indeed a finishing process in view of His coming. How our hearts should delight to come under it, we do not need to fear it; the Lord knows what He has in hand, He knows how to effect His work, and He is carrying it out, and to all who would be with Him in this matter, He will give a part in it, for He employs many in these great works. But soon the work is going to eventuate in what I have read of in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "The Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel's voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven". We are nearing that moment, dear brethren, and I am sure the Lord means to affect us by the truth that He is pressing on us today, so that the process of purifying, and cleansing, and adjusting may go on more quickly, so that we should be ready for the end of this dispensation. No one can speak of the day or the hour; that is in the Father's keeping. Even the Lord Himself does not take the place of knowing that hour, it is in the Father's hands, and there it rests; but that means that if no one knows, then it may be any moment. No one is entitled to say, 'Tomorrow', or 'The next day', or 'Next year'. It

may be any moment. How powerfully that should affect our hearts.

Now I read in 1 Corinthians 15 of what is called the end. Obviously a final idea is in mind, and I want to speak about that. You will remember in the first chapter of John that the Spirit of God, in the early verses, gives us certain thoughts about the Lord Jesus, so that we might have a right understanding of His greatness and His glory, and hold Him rightly and reverently in our thoughts. It says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (verse 1). Then in verse 2, "He was in the beginning with God". Now, so far as I understand that great and wonderful passage, the Spirit is giving us a measure of understanding of the greatness of Christ. We need a beginning for our thoughts; creatures need a beginning. It need not be a historical matter, and it would seem to be the divine intention to carry our thoughts back as far as the creature mind can go, even the mind of one who has the Spirit of God. But we touch, as it were, the infinite, we just touch it, we come to the border of it; for we are to know that "He was in the beginning with God". You notice the personal pronoun introduced in verse 2, as though to identify what is said with a Person, a glorious Person; and then the passage goes on to say "All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being". Notice how the statement is strengthened by the negative, as though there is zeal on the part of the Spirit to exclude any idea in our minds that anything could be done without the Lord Jesus. He is before us as the One who exercises the almighty

power of Deity in creation. How these thoughts would magnify Him in our eyes!

Then a little further down in the same chapter it says, "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated his glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth" (verse 14). What an intervention that was! Some of us were speaking today about interventions, how God has come in again and again in the supremacy of His own power, to effect His will in blessing, and to carry out the plans of His heart. What an intervention this was! Long periods of time had passed since the beginning spoken of in Genesis; much history had been enacted on the earth; but now, this was the greatest event, the greatest event that had ever happened on the earth, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. When that glorious Person whom we apprehend as the active Operator of all Godhead power came amongst men in a condition in which He could be seen; and He was not alone, as John speaks of Him, it was as an only-begotten with a father, full of grace and truth.

Now in the passage in 1 Corinthians 15, we have this same blessed Person before us, completing all the great administrative services, ruling until He shall have put down all enemies, annulling the last enemy itself, which is death; so that we might come to what is called "the end". I have spoken of the greatness of this dispensation, and we have light in the Scriptures as to the next dispensation. It will be a time of glory, a wonderful time for the earth, when God will bless men, even in flesh-and-blood conditions. He will show the triumph of righteousness under the rule of Christ;

but although it will go on for a long time, it has a limit, and a period is set, a very long period according to our minds; but still a period is set, a thousand years. And then these great events, the finishing up of things, brought about by Christ in the exercise of His power, the whole scene being in mind; not only a dispensation, but the finishing up of everything that remains unfinished, from the beginning of creation down to that time. The Lord Jesus will do that. What has not been affected by grace, will be dealt with by judgment. He will do it all. He it is who will exercise the divine power of judgment, "Neither does the Father judge any one, but has given all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22). And then, this great end. Think about it. Let the blessedness of it come into our souls, dear brethren, this marvellous idea that God is to be all in all. Christ's authority is used so that this great end should be reached and God should be everything, "all in all". The stamp of fixity is to be put upon everything, with no change. Things could not be finalised as pleasing to God, as long as they are changing. He must have that which morally is like Himself, without change. Now the Lord Jesus will bring all that about. We shall be with Him, the assembly will be with Him, for the assembly will have a unique place in reigning with Christ, and will be used by Him administratively, for the assembly has the knowledge of God, and of the mind of God. I am drawing your attention to the glory of One who can bring finality into this universe.

That brings me to the scripture in Revelation 21. It is something to wonder at. "He that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new". Think of that, dear

brethren, think of the immensity of it, put in a few words. We are in a world that is full of the glory of man, full of his works, but think of the glory of One who can say, "Behold, I make all things new". All things, heaven and earth, everything is to be new, and it is to be brought about by Christ, for He it is who carries out all these great operations of almighty power. He says, "I make all things new". He does it Himself. Who could lend any counsel, who could lend any help, who could proffer help, in such a matter? And then notice verse 6, "He said to me;" that is not said in the early part of verse 5; that is a general statement. But now He is speaking to John, He is giving John impressions, as though he has the capability, due to the work of God in him, to take in what is being said; and this is what He said, "It is done!" Majestic operations beyond human understanding, and yet the beloved servant, this bondman of Jesus Christ is taken into the secret of how almighty power will be exercised, and it is expected of him that he would understand, so far as the creature can understand, what is so great. I am greatly impressed with these words, "It is done". It is finality; blessed unchangeable finality. All things new, not a trace of the old, no sin to wither, nothing to mar that scene, nothing to disturb the pleasure of God. And He that sat on the throne said to John, "It is done".

From one viewpoint we might say, it is not done yet, it is a future matter. As to actuality that is so, it is a future matter, but what do we understand and how can we take it in? What is said next, I think, would help us: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end". "I am". Notice that. What do we come to? Ah, dear brethren, we

are coming very near to God, if our thoughts are following these scriptures, and if we are near to God in the light of Christ and His greatness in our hearts, then we can understand what He says, "It is done". Does it not just mean that God Himself is the beginning, and God Himself is the end? The actual carrying out of things is a detail, the power to carry them out is there in divine Persons, and especially in the hands of Christ, to bring everything to eternal finality, where love, divine love, will be wholly at rest. Now I have tried to give a little impression of what is perhaps the longest span that Scripture speaks about; what Moses speaks of when he says, "From eternity to eternity thou art God" (Psalm 90:2); what another has described as a divine parenthesis in the midst of eternity; when the power of God was exercised in this great intervention, when our Lord Jesus came down to carry out all that was in the heart of God to do, and could say at the end of His life here, as John's gospel records it, "It is finished" (John 19:30). He would give us to understand that that particular matter was finished at that moment. Had He not told us we should not have known, for who could look into that great transaction between God and Christ on the cross, who could tell us how it progressed? It was between God and Christ, something that no creature eyes could look into, or understand, or speak about; but the Lord would give us to know that at that moment, that particular part of His work was finished. It is a great idea in Scripture, to understand when things are finished.

As I have remarked several times, we are near the end, the end of the dispensation, and there is a finishing work

going on in us, so that we should be brought into accord with the work of Christ for us; and the Spirit in us is equal to the matter of bringing us into accord with all that Christ has done for us. And then, you might say, What remains? Well, this remains, dear brethren, that God expects co-operation on our part. If there is self-will and lawlessness, then this finishing work is not going on, and the Holy Spirit has to turn to the matter of conscience work, and I believe firmly that conscience work always results in more love, more love for Christ. What the Lord said to the Pharisee in Luke 7:47 would prove that: "He to whom little is forgiven loves little". Little apprehension of forgiveness, little love; they go together. And I believe one great result of all the conscience work that has gone on in this city, and in the other cities, will bring about greater love for Christ, and more usability in the assembly in relation to the service of God, for the nearer we are to God consciously, the greater the felt need of holiness, to be in correspondence with what I have already referred to: "There was under his feet as it were work of transparent sapphire, and as it were the form of heaven for clearness". May the Lord help us all, as He searches our hearts. I, like you, dear brethren, have been made to fear, and to search my own heart, as to whether I have gone deep enough, and far enough in the matter of repentance. We are all being searched; do not avoid it, let us welcome it. The One who may be searching us as regards certain matters, is going to make us ready, by that searching, for His glorious coming, and for His glorious appearing, when we shall be with Him, and for our place in the millennial day, and in the eternal day, with all its restful

unchanging blessedness, in that God has had His own way, and has come to His own end, and in that there is not a thought of His mind, or a desire of His heart, unfulfilled. He is making us ready for that, and may the Lord help us to welcome all that He would do to make us ready.

Sydney, October 1947

THE INFLUENCE OF MANHOOD IN VIEW OF COMPLETION

P H HARDWICK

Deuteronomy 33:1 - 8; Daniel 9:17 - 23; 2 Corinthians 10:1 - 3; Philemon 8 - 10

I would like to speak of these three men, Moses and Daniel and Paul, as exercising great influence among the brethren, among the people of God, and especially as helping them to reach completion in certain lines of exercise. Likewise we, as being near the end of the assembly's time and being concerned about completing everything which we have to complete, may perhaps catch the spirit of these three men and be helped to influence one another, for good, for it must surely be said wherever there are brethren together, few or many, they do influence one another. Where divine love is operative and there is cleaving to the truth, the influence is for good, and it is to be calculated therefore that everything will be finished that should be. We hope to end well, but as at Corinth we may have to face some adverse influence working at times in a person or in persons, and the lesson for us is to allow for the necessity for self-judgment in ourselves. This all has to be thought of when we are contemplating the thought of influence amongst God's people.

The first thing which really would arise in our thoughts would be the kind of person that a man is, so we may inquire at the outset of our meditation, what kind of a man

is Moses, and particularly what kind of a man is he under pressure, when there are difficulties? What we find is that Moses exhibits a wonderful spirit throughout the whole of his pathway, having in his mind always great thoughts of God and great thoughts of God's people. Indeed these two things always go together. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that if we have poor thoughts of the saints it is likely we have poor thoughts of God. The two act and react upon one another; moreover, what is needed alongside of great thoughts of God and great thoughts of His people is small thoughts of oneself, all seen very happily in Moses, the man of God. The word used for man, as many will know, is Ish, meaning, I believe, that in all that Moses had to undertake, whether for good or correction, or in suffering or in victory, he always had the affectionate feelings of a man, as I might say, a husband. He had, as it were, God's feelings for His people. God says of them later, "I was a husband unto them" (Jeremiah 31:32), and I believe Moses shines in this particular way as he shone in affection and real husbandly thoughts towards God's people. He would not be hard unless he had to be. We think of him as even hesitating to speak, "I am slow of speech" (Exodus 4:10) he says. Stephen says of him later, "mighty in his words and deeds" (Acts 7:22), but he says of himself, "slow of speech". It was no doubt a thing which God helped him in, but that is what he says and that is what he meant. Think of the meekness of spirit too, which marked such an one, even under the most irritating circumstances of the whole people worshipping a golden calf, Moses going up to the mountain and saying he would

pray for them, "Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin", he says, (Exodus 32:30). Think of being served, dear brethren, by a man like that. We have known the spirit of that in our day. Again when the people were calling out for flesh (Numbers 11), Moses confesses that God had told him to carry all these people in his bosom, as a nursing father carried the suckling. Think of being served for forty years by a man of that spirit and being brought by such a man to the fringe of the heavenly land. We have been brought in just such spirit by many of those who have led and helped us; we have been brought now as it were to the very fringe of the land. We are in the plains of Moab, as we may say, our eyes lifted up across the Jordan thinking of the good land and the goodly mountain and Lebanon; we are thinking of heaven, the assembly being the anteroom to heaven; we are thinking of all that is heavenly now which we may say a man like Moses would help us to reach, reach in spirit, that which we are soon going to reach literally.

So we are led to think of the spirit of a man like Moses, how he would impress the greatness of the inheritance upon us, as Paul says in our day, that we have a holy calling, a heavenly calling, a high calling, the "calling on high of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). It is that kind of thing which Moses typically sets out, and with which he charges himself through many a wearisome year in the wilderness to bring us to at the end. So his blessing is beautiful, dear brethren; he is about to depart himself and he leads the brethren, as you might say, with great thoughts of God and His movements, and great thoughts of the saints. What a great God we have! God in His holy

movements, as it says, He "came from Sinai", that is in His majesty. How majestic are His movements! Especially how they appeal to us at the present time. Our God moves in majesty according to His own rights of glory, coming from Sinai; then He "rose up from Seir unto them". Sinai is at the beginning of the wilderness, Seir being at the end of the wilderness, and Mount Paran being in the middle of the wilderness; that is, God covers it all, He would cover every part of our wilderness journey, dear brethren, with great majestic shining, as from Himself. This is our God, and He is not moving alone, as He says through Nathan to David, He is walking the wilderness with us in a tent and in a tabernacle, content to go along in all the lowly humble circumstances which belong to a pilgrim people. Who can compass a God like that? So great He is and yet coming down so low, and yet the pilgrims that He accompanies are necessary to Him in His love, and so He comes down like this in order to shine upon us and encourage us in the way. We might well, therefore, dear brethren, encourage one another at the end of the day with great thoughts of God, for He is our Father, He is our Saviour, He is our God, the eternal God, but He has come down so close to us that we can know Him even in our pathway right to the end.

Then these wonderful thoughts about the saints, not forgetting the place that Moses had amongst them, for there was never a lawgiver like him. The law here is not merely the enunciation of the ten commandments, it is that which the people of God are to live in. That is the heritage; nothing more happy than for us to find out what it is to live in the blessedness of the will of God, that good and

acceptable and perfect will of God. It is not merely that which is put before us at the outset but that which opens out before us in all its grandeur, and includes the great thoughts of God's purpose, as it says in Ephesians 1:5, "the good pleasure of his will". These are to be the things which we live in especially at the end of our time, and Moses is set before us here in the end of the time as being the one that commanded us a law. He is likewise king in Jeshurun, a man enshrined in a kingly way in the affections of the saints, shining particularly when they are together. Well, this is Moses, the man of God. Not only has he a great place himself, not only would he give us great thoughts of God, but he would ensure, as it were, that we should step over into our heavenly inheritance as understanding God's best thoughts about His people. Think of His blessing, think of Reuben meaning, 'See! a son'. We may say that Reuben personally in Genesis is not much; he has had a shameful history but even there the greatness of what he is to be shines out, as Jacob says, "My firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength" (Genesis 49:3). But now it is not a man, we may say in our case it is not even a tribe, it is the whole of the people of God who are to shine in the great matter of sonship. For God is going to have His people as sons before Him for ever. He has not just thought of it, it is that which He has had before Him from before the foundation of the world, as it says, "Marked us out beforehand for adoption through Jesus Christ to himself" (Ephesians 1:5).

We may well admire God's pattern in sonship in Christ, the blessedness of being in such a relationship, God rending the heavens at least three times to speak to His Son, saying not only "This is", but "Thou art my beloved Son" (Luke 3:22). God would speak thus in a way to show us that intimate relationships and love are entwined in this matter of sonship. He is calling, you might say, upon His sons to be released, saying to the north, "Give up", and to the south, "Keep not back", (Isaiah 43:6). Literally this is a word for Israel, spiritually a word for us, God wanting us all released in the glory of sonship for Himself. So "let Reuben live, and not die; And let his men be few". There are many sons, but the word few is in the sense of quality. It is to point to the quality of God's sons, and it would be well as taking on the impress of the blessing of Moses the man of God that we should exercise ourselves to see that we are keeping the company of the best of God's people that we can find; those who walk in the light, the joy, the love, and the intelligence of God's sons. If we can find them, let us walk amongst them, for they are soon to cross over into the land. Moses has them thus first on his mind.

He has the praise of God in mind too, in speaking of Judah whose name means praise; for praise is being released; it is released now, "Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah". The voice is going up in the assembly, the great praises of God, praises of Israel as we read, in which God dwells. These are the great signs of maturity, the great matters of completion with which the saints will finish as going over into their heavenly inheritance. David in his day even lowered the age of the young men, the Levites, that

they might come earlier into the service of praise. God would thus have His assembly fuller and more resonant with the praises of His people. We might well take in that word, I would submit to the brethren, "Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah".

Then Levi, whose name means 'united', united to the Lord, I suppose, preparing our hearts for the saints being united to Christ. Of Levi it is said, "Thy Thummim and thy Urim are for thy godly one". The Thummim first, the perfection first before the light, meaning, I believe, that Levi has got on, we may say, in his soul; that is to say, the brethren have got on; they have arrived at something; there is not only now light about the truth, but there is arrival at the truth. Levi has something and that would be, dear brethren, I judge, a voice for us that we should see that we are arriving somewhere. The gifts have been many within our own time, not apostles, but the apostolic writings, then the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, the teachers; we have them all, we may say, but it is for us now to see that we do not fail to arrive, as it says, "Until we all arrive" (Ephesians 4:13). God said to Israel, not only the land which I give you, the land into which I bring you, but, the land into which ye come, as if God would urge upon us in the end, the glorious end, that we should be arriving at something substantial in the truth. Well, that is not all that is said about Moses, but it is sufficient, perhaps, to show what kind of a man he was, what kind of influence he exerted over the people and what kind of things he said, and what kind of things he was thinking about, for these things we would say now are to be constantly in our minds, great

thoughts of divine Persons and great thoughts of the saints. Thus he blesses the people.

Now coming to Daniel I am thinking of him as reading and praying. We may say, transferring him into our day, that he read the scriptures and he read the ministry and therefore he gained intelligence, understanding. This part of the book of Daniel is not the official service part, it is the more private and personal part, beginning with dreams and visions and now reading and praying. The veil is lifted upon the private exercises and the private history of Daniel, between him and heaven. It underlies largely the public side of this great man's service, and it is to be so with us all; whether serving in little or in much we are to have our private dreams and visions, reading and prayer and confession between ourselves and heaven. Otherwise there will be little or no power in the public service, and so we find Daniel here at the end of a certain period reading and praying and confessing. The dates will show that it was only a year or two before the people were released to go back to Jerusalem. We may not have long, dear brethren, before we are released to go to our own place on high as we have been repeatedly told. There is not very much more time for reading and praying and learning and getting understanding. Daniel was well using his time. He understood by the books, as it says, that "the number of the years, whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, was seventy years" (Daniel 9:2). Sixty-eight of them had gone; he was very near the end. As being there you see it was a question now of a suitable attitude in view

of the great release of the people of God. Shall anything hold us up, shall anything, morally speaking, prevent the Lord from having full pleasure in taking His people to be with Himself? If so, let us pray and confess. Thus Daniel prayed, and you notice as he goes on he gets away from I and Me and says We and Us and Our and within a very few verses his prayers are on the glorious level of what belongs to God; Thy city, Thy holy mountain, Thy sanctuary, Thy people. These are the things that Daniel speaks about in his prayer.

You can well understand that a prayer like that opens the way for power. You can well understand that the angel came at the time of the evening oblation. The evening oblation means power at the end, corresponding to the morning oblation. The man standing by the cross saying, "In very deed this man was just" (Luke 23:47) is in the presence of the evening oblation, the offering of the evening time. And now it is not Christ; it is the testimony of Christ, and the truth, and so if we are to have power at the end we must pray; and if there is anything to confess, as there is much, let us confess it. Daniel is not thinking merely of himself, or the three other Hebrew children; he is thinking of all the children of the captivity, all Israel, what they have done, their sin, their departure. We are thinking of it too, for we are thinking of Christendom; we have much to confess, much to take on by way of assembly sorrow; and the evening oblation is the time for us to take it on in power. At this very same time, the time of the evening oblation, Elijah had power in recalling the people to God. Think of it. Thousands and thousands of them all bowed

down and said, "Jehovah, He is God" (1 Kings 18:39) and slew the false prophets at the torrent of Kishon. What power there was there! At a similar time Ezra was weeping and confessing, blushing to lift up his face before God, for the unholy links of companionship that had been taken on by the remnant. But at that time there was power to deal with it.

It is power, not at the beginning of the day, but at the end; so that the end corresponds with the beginning. And Daniel now, in his own way, is signally approved of by heaven. The man Gabriel, came and touched him it says, "about the time of the evening oblation". It says, "I am now come forth to make thee skilful of understanding;" that is, it is to unfold to him the rest of the time, the seventy weeks, and how it should all work out. For us, of course, it is a question now of our being near the end of our time, and how that is going to work out. In his approval and the touching of him, he says, "One greatly beloved". I suppose, dear brethren, this is the way that power comes in, and the people of God are influenced for good and rightly helped, that one should be thus before God about the whole position in general, take it on humbly; and that one should read, one should pray, one should confess, and that one should take on the whole situation, as it were, as it is under the eye of heaven, and approved by heaven.

I would like to be one like that, to help the people of God to be released rightly; that there might be no moral hold-up to the people of God going out in power. You might say that God was fully justified by the exercises of Daniel in releasing His people to go into their inheritance.

Daniel himself never went, as we know; he stood in his lot but what a power there was behind the goings of Zerubbabel, behind that proclamation of Cyrus. It is not only now the prophetic word as to Cyrus, uttered years and years beforehand; it is the prayers, exercises of moral power standing behind it all in the person of Daniel. He is in keeping with his own name; he judged himself in his confession; and as we judge ourselves, we shall be called, I believe, as vessels for the power of God and the glory of God, to go forth in victory. Now that influence, we may humbly desire to take on ourselves; "The fervent supplication of the righteous man has much power" (James 5:16). That still remains, so we can take this on, the spirit of it amongst ourselves, and help the brethren, as they help us.

Now in coming to Paul, I am aware that I am coming to the best. He is not exactly blessing in this chapter in 2 Corinthians. We may say he is a father, but for the moment, his fatherly affections are somewhat restrained. There is more here in this verse or two of the apostle; but at the same time there is the meekness and gentleness of Christ in his manner. He says at the opening of the chapter, "But I myself Paul", reminding us that we are to develop in heavenly and spiritual personality. We are to be able, all of us, from the youngest believer, to the most spiritual amongst us, to say in measure, "I myself". Some may ask how can we get into it, which is always one of the very best questions, and I would suggest that one way to get into it is to keep close to the light that we have. I am thinking of Ruth in saying this. She followed Naomi as the vessel of light. She came into the inheritance; she came into good

companionship; she came, we may say, to thoughts of Christ out of death, as suggested in the barley harvest, and thoughts of the saints. She came into the field that was being reaped, the present ministry; she came into the Lord's supper, in type, the mealtime; and then there came a time when Boaz said to her, "Bring the cloak that thou hast upon thee, and hold it". The cloak being, we may say, our capacity, our personality, what we can contain. He poured into it six measures of barley. And with it she went home to Naomi, and Naomi said to her, "Who art thou, my daughter". That is to say, it is a question of the person; the personality, that is in mind. Now, dear young brethren, that is a good start, and as we may say, a normal start. If you are close to a vessel of light, keep company there; follow the light. It will take you into good things, good fields, good company. Indeed the typical teaching of Ruth's end is marvellous, as she comes into union with the mighty man of wealth - Boaz - that is, Christ!

These are very attractive things, dear brethren. And it all leads into this great matter of "I myself". Another man said, "I myself with the mind serve God's law" (Romans 7:25). He has come under the influence of the new husband; he is like Ruth. He begins to understand what it is to be to another; to be free from every kind of bondage. Now he says, I am free. I am reminded often of the Tachkemonite amongst David's men of whom it says, in David's last words - "He against eight hundred". The word "fought" is not strictly there in 2 Samuel 23:8. It is not a question of his fighting; the fighting comes in from Chronicles; but in Samuel it is his person. Think of it; what a person! No

wonder he had the chief seat, the chief of David's mighty men. This is a man formed under David, the Beloved! That is where personality is formed, I am sure, under the influence of the love of Christ. The green grass mentioned in David's last words (verse 4) is something growing, living, fresh! His mighty men as it were are the green grass. Saul never had any, not a blade. David had many, many of them; there they are like blades of green grass, coming up under the shining of the sun, and the refreshing of the rain. These are hints, you might say, if you will allow them, dear brethren, in relation to personality.

So we come to this great man, Paul, and yet so approachable. They could write letters to him about collections, and about all kind of exercises and he would write the answer, and he says, "Now concerning the collection" (1 Corinthians 16:1) and "concerning the ministration which is for the saints" (2 Corinthians 9:1) and so on. I understand that to mean that he is answering the points in their inquiries; he is taking them up, but when he has finished all this, he says, "But I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ". That is, he is greater than all his answers, and all his ministry; and he needed to be, for there was a naughty man at Corinth, a wicked man. There was one whom Paul does not name; he just calls him he. "His letters", says he, "are weighty" (verse 10). Who is the he? It is the false apostle at Corinth. "But his presence in the body weak, and his speech naught". That is what he said in Corinth. We need something to counterbalance all that. If there is anything of that kind in Corinth, or anywhere else, we shall need

personality to deal with that. "Let such a one think this" (verse 11) Paul says. He says in the next chapter (verse 5) that, "in nothing I am behind those who are in surpassing degree apostles". What apostolic sarcasm! He also says, "Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by letters when absent, such also present in deed" (chapter 10: 11), that is in actual fact. All that lies in my mind in relation to that, dear brethren, is the need for bringing all that we are to bear upon our local position. Not that there is a false apostle in our localities, thank God! But there is the need for influence for good; and so we have to call upon ourselves, little in our own eyes, so that Christ may shine, and all that we are as formed by divine grace, to bear upon the local position, for its good, so that the saints may not only be saved from evil, but carried by the truth.

How much more could be said about that. Think of this beloved brother; think of his having been caught up to heaven, the third heaven, and into paradise! Think of the personality, you might say. Think of what was lying in his soul, what he knew, what he had heard; what power he would be in a meeting. He would not have to say much, if he were there, though you would delight to hear him. That is it, I believe, that we might have some development of spiritual, heavenly personality, for the enrichment of the saints in our localities. Unless we should think that Paul is too great to deal with our small matters, he reminds us in his beautiful epistle to Philemon how interested he is in all the saints, even the smallest. One has to admit to having had to judge oneself about this; that is, overlooking the interests of the saints. And here they are!

Paul, in writing to Philemon, is thinking about a runaway slave; he had come to Rome and had been converted, and Paul, the father, says, "My child, whom I have begotten in my bonds". Think how Paul, dear brethren, could come down to the smallest of us here tonight, one who has come under the influence of the truth, we might say, a boy or girl, as we were hearing last night, a twelve year old, or even less, and under the interest of a man like Paul such an one becomes valuable; he is valuable in a spiritual father's eye; and he commends him to his master. "Not any longer as a bondman, but above a bondman, a beloved brother" (verse 16). Think of it. Onesimus now, as he goes back, will sit down in the meeting at Philemon's house. The assembly is in his house; the meeting is there; and Onesimus the runaway slave, now the believing Pauline child, is to sit there with the brethren, as he comes back, and Philemon shall have nothing against him. Philemon would say, 'Paul has offered to pay, but he will not have to pay, I will pay'. What a delightful spirit, dear brethren, the spirit in which Philemon and Paul would regard this matter; Paul "being such a one as Paul the aged" (verse 9). What a spirit in an aged father amongst us. What a benign influence, indeed may we not say simply, that we are conscious of it in these days. The benign influence we may say, such as shines in Paul. What an influence he would exert.

So we may encourage one another, dear brethren. Sometimes it is a question of outlining the truth in its scope, and saying the right thing, and saying it as helpfully as possible, and seeing to it that the brethren get the best; if

sonship is the best, let us bring it before the brethren, let us have it before ourselves. If the land is the best, heaven is the best, let us speak of it, let us have it before us increasingly. Sometimes it is a question of praying, and confessing, and giving God, we may say, a justification from our side, for God's taking us on as self-judged persons, vessels of mercy, prepared for glory. But most of all, I suppose, this great matter which comes in with Paul, the matter of spiritual personality, whether in the meeting or in regard of a person, is to have the chief place with us. Thus we shall be influential for good, I believe, and serve one another well and finish well. The Lord help us in these things, for His name's sake.

Auckland, November 1947

OUR OUTLOOK IN CLOSING DAYS

A J GARDINER

2 Timothy 4:6 - 11; Ephesians 3:8 - 21; Philippians 3:12 - 14

I have read these three scriptures, dear brethren, because I wish to call attention to what was engaging the mind of the apostle Paul as he was approaching the end of his course here, for as we know, he was the minister of the assembly, and I think it is right to say that what was engaging the mind of the apostle Paul, as he drew near to the close of his history, may fittingly occupy the minds of the saints who compose the assembly, as we draw near to the end of our history.

I have begun with the second epistle to Timothy, because that gives us the public position, that is to say the position of suffering. There is the position of suffering, and it is likely not to get less, but rather to get more as we draw near to the close; so the second epistle to Timothy is characterised by the thought of suffering, that idea entering into each one of the four chapters of the epistle, but the fact that suffering enters into the position is in no way intended to discourage, for all through the epistle the apostle sounds a note of victory and triumph, and indeed, beloved brethren, if we will think of it for a moment, it is essential that some element of suffering should enter into our position here, however little we may feel some of us have touched it as yet. It is essential that the element of suffering should enter

into the assembly's history, because we are to be the Lamb's wife, and not only be that, but to be displayed as the Lamb's wife, and to stand by the side of the Lamb in the day of His public glory.

So that we read in Revelation 19:7, "The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready;" that is, she is enhancing the occasion by her presence there. She is in every way in keeping with the occasion, and the Lamb being the One who has suffered supremely in order to maintain the rights of God and the truth of God, it is fitting, and indeed essential, that the assembly should take on in some degree the same character of suffering, but what one wants to call attention to in connection with this passage in second Timothy is the way the apostle is looking forward to "that day". It is an expression which occurs twice in the first chapter, and appears again in the passage we have read. He says, "Henceforth the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will render to me in that day". "That day" stands in contrast with this day. This day has very nearly come to its end, and it is for us, dear brethren, as committed to the testimony in this day, to have definitely before our minds "that day".

You will remember that Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, who alas were carnally minded, says, "For me it is the very smallest matter that I be examined of you or of man's day" (1 Corinthians 4:3). The Corinthians were in danger of being affected in their thoughts and outlook by the characteristics of man's day, and having man's ideals and man's standards before their minds, but Paul completely repudiates any thought of being affected by man's day. He

says, "Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord shall come, who shall also both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and shall make manifest the counsels of hearts; and then shall each have his praise from God" (1 Corinthians 4:5). It is not a general statement that everyone will have praise from God, but that in that day everyone will have his praise; that is, whatever praise may be due to him, he will have his praise from God; hence we need to have "that day" before us.

The apostle is triumphant in this fourth chapter of second Timothy. He says, "I am already being poured out, and the time of my release is come". He says, "I have combated the good combat, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith". He was conscious that he had come to the end of his course. He was now just awaiting martyrdom, the completion of his course in faithfulness to the Lord and to the truth was close at hand. Indeed so close at hand that he could say that he had finished his course, and he was, as he says, already being poured out. But what a note of triumph, dear brethren, as he was at the close. He says, "I have combated the good combat;" he is not saying, 'I have combated a good combat', as though to say that he had combated well. The point was that the combat in which he had been engaged is "the good combat", the only combat worth being engaged in. He says, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith", and so, dear brethren, there is constant conflict as we are set to maintain the truth.

He reminds Timothy that "God ... has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ

Jesus before the ages of time, but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings" (2 Timothy 1:9, 10). What a note of triumph goes right through as the apostle speaks of these things to Timothy. Let us think of our having been called with a holy calling, beloved brethren, and that according to God's purpose and grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but now come into being. Life and incorruptibility have come to light in Jesus risen from the dead, and are available to us, so to speak, by the Spirit, so that there is no reason why we should not go on maintaining the truth in holiness right through to the end. Whatever influences contrary to the truth the enemy may seek to introduce, whether it be in the religious sphere, or in the political sphere, or whatever it may be, we are encouraged to go through to the end maintaining the truth in all its features in holiness, and having power for it in "the grace which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). Paul went through to the end, and at the end he says, "I have combated the good combat, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith", and now he is looking on to that day. It is intended as a stimulus to us to see that we go through to the end whatever it may cost, that we go through to the end, combating the good combat, finishing the race, and keeping the faith, and he says, "Henceforth the crown of righteousness is laid up for me".

In chapter 2: 22, as in the presence of religious evil, the apostle says, "Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart". First of

all, "Pursue righteousness", that is what is right in the sight of God in every setting, whether it be religious or otherwise. Righteousness is the first thing to be followed whatever it costs, and so the apostle says, as one who had followed it, "The crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will render to me in that day". The crown is that which particularly distinguishes the person who has it, and Paul is setting that before us, that righteousness, what is right in the sight of God according to the truth, is to be followed, and followed in every setting, and it is to be our glory, so to speak, and as following it to the end the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give us the crown of righteousness. Paul says, "Not only to me, but also to all who love his appearing". At His appearing He will establish righteousness publicly.

Then he goes on to mention various individuals. It is a serious matter to take account of, dear brethren, that when the testimony of our Lord is in question, individuals come into view, and they are tested, and made manifest as to what they are, according to how they have stood in relation to the testimony of our Lord. It is a question of the good combat, and whether we are going on in it to the end in faithfulness, or whether we are going to drop out of it. Demas dropped out of it, "having loved the present age", and there is his name in Scripture, and millions have read about it, showing what a serious thing it is, if once we have had part in the testimony of our Lord, to drop out as loving this present age. God thinks so seriously of it that He has caused millions to hear about Demas, a man named in Scripture, and named as having that character, that he gave

up the combat, the good combat, because he "loved the present age". Think of the seriousness of it, dear brethren, the seriousness of any such thing becoming true of any one of us just at these closing moments when it is a question of completion, and here is this man who, as the thing drew near to completion so to speak, in his day, dropped out because he "loved the present age". But then, on the other hand, Paul can point to one who was with him. He says "Luke alone is with me", and then he says "Take Mark, and bring him with thyself, for he is serviceable to me for ministry". Why those two men, Luke and Mark? Why are they singled out? Why is it that those two men are so honourably mentioned? Is it not significant, dear brethren, that they are two men who wrote gospels, two men who were qualified to become the vessels in the hands of the Spirit of God to write gospels? What does that mean? It means that they had studied Christ. It must mean that. No one who had not studied Christ could possibly become a vessel in the hands of the Spirit to write a gospel, and so these two men, the one who is with Paul, and the other who is serviceable to him for the ministry, are men, dear brethren, who have made Christ, so to speak, their study, and therefore they go through to the end, because they have a perfect standard before their hearts, and that is the idea. Luke appreciates Jesus, the heavenly Man here on earth, the dependent Man, the Man whose influence always resulted in glory to God. Wherever He went, whatever He said, whatever He did, according to Luke's account, people glorified God as a result of it. So Luke was with Paul, whose ministry, as we were reading in Ephesians 3, has in

view the formation of the assembly, which is to be the great vessel throughout all ages for glory to God.

Then Mark was serviceable for the ministry. How is it that he was serviceable? He had once been unserviceable, unprofitable, but now he is serviceable. How is it he has become serviceable? The ministry is to go on to the end, there can be no question about that, and if the ministry is to go on to the end and to be fruitful, it is urgent that those who have part in it should study Christ and take Him as their Model. You remember how it says in Mark, "He does all things well" (Mark 7:37). What a Model for those who serve in any degree, and so Mark, whom we might have thought was one not particularly to be taken account of, especially when we think of his early history, is brought in here at the end as one who is serviceable. Then there is the reference, as we are so often reminded at the present time, to Paul's cloak, a reminder to Timothy that he is to have a true standard before him, for the cloak would be Paul's measure, and Timothy is to be reminded of it. Paul is about to disappear. He is about to depart to be with Christ, and Timothy is to continue in the testimony, but he is to continue as having Paul's cloak, so to speak, with him.

So, dear brethren, before I leave this passage, what one has in mind is that in the rigours and testings of the outward position what is needed is true manhood. In Luke 18 you remember that Jesus was speaking to His disciples, telling them that He must go up to Jerusalem, and there suffer every kind of reproach and indignity, and be scourged and be put to death, and the third day rise again. Then we find that a man has his eyes opened, and he follows Jesus. Then

we find, immediately following that, another man brought into view named Zacchaeus. He was little in stature and he wanted to see Jesus who He was. He went and climbed up into a sycamore tree, but that is not the way, dear brethren, to overcome smallness of stature. Which of us is not conscious of smallness of stature? The real hindrance with all of us in our inability to appreciate divine things, and to appreciate Christ as we ought to, is the smallness of our stature, but then the Lord knowing his desires took him on. He said to him, "Make haste and come down, for today I must remain in thy house" (chapter 19: 5), and Zacchaeus, to his credit, made haste and came down, and received the Lord gladly into his house. Is it saying too much to imagine how rapidly and how effectively Zacchaeus would increase in stature as he had Jesus in his house, and took account of the movements of Jesus, and listened to the words of Jesus, and came under His influence. Is it not likely that he would greatly increase in stature? He would feel, indeed, how small his stature was as he found himself in the company of Christ, but then, dear brethren what is in mind is that as taking account of Christ and the wonderful stature to be apprehended in Him, we should at least increase in stature, not that any one of us individually can come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ (that is what the assembly is to come to), but at any rate, we can increase. We can grow and we can develop in manhood, and the way to do so, dear brethren, if we are to stand in testing conditions to the end, is to allow Christ to be, so to speak, before us. "To-day", the Lord says, "I must remain in thy

house". We can well understand what an effect that would have upon Zacchaeus.

But I must pass on, and in reading this passage in Ephesians what I had in mind was to point out that, as nearing the end of his course, Paul tells us that he is concerned about the mystery and about enlightening all as to it, and then moreover, having said that, he tells us how he prays in relation to it. We were hearing last night of Daniel as a praying man, and the importance and value of prayer, but here in this passage Paul comes before us as showing how earnestly he prays. But before that he speaks about the mystery, and the grace given to him to announce among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Christ, and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God, who created all things. "That now", he says, "to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God". Earlier in the chapter he tells us that he desired that the Ephesians might know his intelligence in the mystery; that is, he would have us understand that he, at any rate, had intelligence in the mystery, which, he says, "in other generations has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the power of the Spirit" (verse 5). It is now revealed, and Paul, at any rate, had remarkable intelligence as to it, intending to convey that there is no reason why we should not increase in understanding as to the mystery. I do not say that we are likely to have Paul's intelligence of it, but at the same time he wanted them to know the

intelligence that he had, in order to show that it is not beyond the range of the saints. Indeed, he was concerned to enlighten all as to the administration of the mystery, and that we might have our eyes opened to see what there is on earth in the assembly, through which principalities and authorities in the heavenlies even now are learning the all-various wisdom of God, for, beloved brethren, it is God's masterpiece, the assembly. I am not speaking now of it abstractly or theoretically, but I am speaking of it as that which has concrete existence at this present time, and we ourselves are part of it. There is here on earth (and I say again we ourselves are part of it), that which is God's masterpiece in wisdom and love, a company drawn out from the nations, knit together, bound together in the power of the Holy Spirit in love amongst ourselves, and united in unified affection towards Christ in glory, and held in relation to Christ, so that He can speak of it, as He does, as my assembly. Whatever Satan may do contrary to the truth, there is that here, as held under the influence of Christ, and deriving wisdom from Him in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, which Satan cannot overcome.

That is a great thing, beloved brethren, that there is a sphere here in which what is of God is maintained in living expression, and it is here in various parts of the world, and in it the service of God is maintained in a unified way and in spiritual power. Love amongst ourselves is seen there, and whatever Satan brings in, God turns it all to account to further this wonderful interest of His, which He has here on earth. The war and all the ravages of it, so to speak, all the testings of it, have just brought to light love amongst the

saints in a universal way, and it has resulted in the saints being enlarged in their apprehension of this great vessel that God has here on earth, and the links in the divine nature which bind us together have been strengthened and become more real, and God has used all the moral confusion in the world, brought in by the lawlessness of man, with Satan behind it, to further this great interest of His here on earth. Whatever has happened, Satan has not been able to interfere with the service of God, but through all the testings the service of God has been enriched. The saints are being delivered from earthly-mindedness and from having their interest in things here, and heavenly things and spiritual things are becoming more and more real as a consequence. You can understand how angels are taking account of what is going on. They are learning in it all "the all-various wisdom of God". You might say, dear brethren, 'Well, it looks as though Satan is having it all his own way in the world', but it is not so. God is using everything and turning everything to account to further this great interest of His on earth, the assembly which He is forming, and He is bringing it increasingly into view and making it more real to us all.

So we read in Matthew 18, for instance, that as a last resort something may be told to the assembly. If a brother sins against a brother, or a brother against a sister, or a sister against a brother, or a sister against a sister, the one offended against is to go and see him "between thee and him alone" (verse 15). It is a question of love coming into expression with a view to gaining the brother. "If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother;" that is, an offence

against another becomes an occasion for love, and for the skill of love and the desires of love to come into expression, and that in a private way, "between thee and him alone". These movements are of no consequence in the eyes of the world, but they are taking place in the assembly, or in those who compose it. It is a question of love being developed, and love coming into expression more and more. But then, "if he do not hear thee, take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three. But if he will not listen to them, tell it to the assembly" (verses 16, 17). The assembly is there, available if needs be. What for? To settle this matter of a personal trespass between one and another, to settle it, so that things should not be left unsettled. "And if also he will not listen to the assembly, let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax-gatherer" (verse 17). Things have to go unsettled in the world, and men will allow things to go unsettled, but not amongst the saints. God intends that righteousness and love should be found practically existent among the saints, and the assembly is there as a last resort, to enforce it if need be. Wonderful thing, the assembly, what God has here on earth, and then this great vessel in which, whatever happens in the world, the Lord maintains the service of the blessed God, and in which the heart of Christ finds comfort for Himself. Wonderful vessel, the assembly, the mystery hidden from the ages in God but now made manifest. I say, beloved brethren, that we are in it. Would that we had our eyes open to understand it more, to see it more, to understand its working, to see it increasing, and to labour in relation to it.

After the apostle has spoken about this, and note he was in a prison, the conditions may not have been quite so rigorous when he wrote the epistle to the Ephesians as they were when he wrote the second epistle to Timothy, but he tells us he was a prisoner. In those conditions he was not praying to the Lord to take him to Himself or to release him from prison. He is engaged with the saints, and the ministry of the assembly committed to him, and wanting to enlighten all as to the administration of the mystery; that is, how it works, and the present importance of it, that principalities and powers in the heavenlies are learning in it the all-various wisdom of God. Surely, dear brethren, it is for us to have the assembly before us. And then having said all that, he tells us that he bows his knees. Why does he say that? Is it not that we should bow our knees? Is it not that we should understand that however much is ministered to us, if we really want to get an impression of the mystery, what the assembly is to Christ, and what it is to God, it is a question of getting down on our knees and bowing our knees; that is to say, it is a matter of real exercise. One is reminded of the incident regarding Othniel and Achsah, Caleb's daughter. Achsah is a type of the assembly, and Caleb says, "He that smites Kirjath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife" (Judges 1:12). That is to say, he is really presenting the assembly in her attractiveness. And Othniel goes and smites Kirjath-sepher, the city of the book, and overcomes it. That is, we are not to suppose that we can get into the truth of the assembly merely by reading books. Read the ministry by all means, beloved brethren. If the Lord is giving ministry to

the assembly, we ought to follow it up; we ought to be diligent to follow it up, and thank God for the ministry, for the books in which it is recorded and made available to us; but let us not think we shall get into it merely by reading books.

And so Othniel had to overcome the city of the book. He moved in energy because he wanted to have Achsah, and if we want to have the assembly, so to speak, and the assembly as wife, what she is to Christ, it is a question not simply of reading books, although we may get help as to the mind of God by reading books, but what is necessary is that there should be the energy of the Spirit, for Othniel no doubt represents the energy of the Spirit, to apprehend the truth, and if the energy of the Spirit is to come into evidence, what goes with it is that we should be marked by prayer. This thought of prayer is amplified in the incident. You remember that Othniel took Kirjath-sepher, and Caleb gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. But then she urges him to ask of her father a field. It is a question now of the influence that she exerts upon Othniel to ask of her father. That is what Paul was doing, he was asking of the Father. He said, "I bow my knees to the Father". The assembly was so great in his mind that it urged him, so to speak, to get on his knees to the Father. And that is what Achsah does; she urges Othniel to ask of her father. Then it says she sprang down from the ass, and Caleb says to her, "What wouldest thou? And she said to him, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a southern land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs" (Judges 1:14, 15). Some of us have been together

these last three days, and I think we have had a taste of the southern land which God has given us, a good land indeed. But now what is needed, beloved brethren, is the upper and the lower springs. It is a question of the power of the Spirit operating in us both in relation to heavenly things and also in relation, you might say, to the responsible life here, because if we are not maintained fulfilling righteousness in the responsible life here, we shall not be able to rise to the spiritual level that God has in mind for us.

So Paul tells us that he bowed his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts". I know nothing more encouraging than this, beloved brethren, nothing more stimulating than that we should give ourselves to praying to the Father in relation to this great matter of the assembly and our apprehending it in a real way. That the Father "may give you ... to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man". It is the Father's Spirit. The Father is the Originator of these great thoughts of divine love, and in them, Christ Himself is the Centre. And the Father in devising the assembly has been considering for Christ, providing something for the affections of Christ. The more you think of it the more you see how everything dovetails together in wonderful wisdom, but the Father is the Source of all, the One who has conceived it, and it is the Father's Spirit which strengthens us with might in the inner man. The Father's Spirit will give us something of the Father's

thoughts, and the Father's feelings in regard to Christ, and the Father's intentions in relation to Christ in giving Him the assembly, and will give us to understand the portion that the assembly with Christ is to fill out in the whole range of glory of which the Father is the source. It says that every family in the heavens and on earth is named of the Father. What an immensity of glory of which the Father is the source lies before us! And we are nearing the actuality of it. We are to get an impression of the immensity of it, the breadth and length and depth and height. The Spirit of God uses these words to convey that there is an immense range that we are to take up, that we are to enter upon. We are in the very centre of it, dear brethren, because we belong to Christ. Christ is the Centre of it, and the assembly is with Him, in the very centre of it. The assembly has the foremost place with Christ. Wonderful thing!

So the apostle prays that "the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts". As He dwells in our hearts, the true wifely features proper to the assembly will develop at the present time, faithfulness as to His interests and consideration for His tastes. There is plenty to do, dear brethren, at the present time. Proverbs 31 shows us how much there is to do, how the assembly is to be marked by activity that is the result of her wifely affections for Christ, as the outcome of the Christ dwelling in her heart by faith. All these things are open to us. I would beg of you, dear brethren, as I would urge upon myself, not to allow these things to be just abstract thoughts in our minds, but to seek that we might get a greater view in a concrete way of what there is here among the saints. The assembly is to be seen

now representatively, and its features, in all that it is for the heart of Christ and for God, are more and more to come into expression. But then the apostle gives us this wonderful example, he tells us that in the light of these great things he bows his knees to the Father. There is much wealth in the passage which one could not touch upon now, leading up to that which we so often speak of as to the assembly as the great vessel of praise to God throughout all generations of the age of ages. "To him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages". We are to be concerned as to the service of God now. How shall we develop in ability to ascribe glory to God unto all generations of the age of ages, if we do not avail ourselves now of the Holy Spirit, as capable of developing us in spiritual intelligence and affections, so that we might be formed as the vessel of praise?

Just a word now in closing, on Philippians 3, because here we find Paul also at the close of his course, for he is ready to be poured out, "If also I am poured out as a libation on the sacrifice and ministration of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice in common with you all" (Philippians 2:17); showing that he was contemplating martyrdom, and rejoicing in it. He was now drawing near to the close of his history, and what impresses one in relation to Paul in this epistle is that, wonderful man though he had been, with wonderful gift, and wonderfully devoted in service, and he still was devoted to the saints, as we see in Ephesians 3, the one thing that was before his heart was that he might win Christ, have Christ as his gain. His one desire was to know Christ better. He speaks of the "excellency of the

knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord". It is what a spiritual man has before him at the close of his career; not that he is giving up service, not that he is ceasing to pray for the saints or anything of that sort, but over and above all that, he is commanded by one thought, that he desires to know Christ and to have Him as his gain. And not only that, but he rejoices that he has been taken possession of by Christ Jesus, his goal the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus. He is viewing Christ Jesus, Christ in glory, the Man of God's purpose and good pleasure, and he rejoices that he, as an individual saint, and so with every individual saint, has been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.

It is a wonderful thing, beloved brethren. If we have it before us, I think it will help us to renounce everything that would attach any kind of importance to us as in the flesh, or minister to self-gratification in any form. The more we get into our souls that we have a prize in the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, Christ Himself the pattern of it where He is, the more we shall recognise that the one thing to do is to allow God to go on working in our souls to that end bringing us increasingly at this present moment into conformity to the One to whom we are shortly to be conformed, even as to our bodily condition. For that is what Paul had before him. He said, "We await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of the power which he has even to subdue all things to himself" (verses 20, 21). Christ's body of glory enshrines supreme moral excellence in a Man, and we

ourselves are to be found in Him, and our bodies conformed to His body of glory. We have been taken up for that.

Paul understood that God was using everything in his circumstances to further the work in him of moral conformation to Christ. He would accept everything with that in view. We read from the first chapter what the circumstances were; he was in bonds, and that unrighteously. And then certain brethren were seeking to add tribulation to his bonds by preaching Christ out of contention. Think of what that would mean to the spirit of a man like Paul! And now the question was, was he going to be overcome, or how was he going to meet it? He says, "For I know that this shall turn out for me to salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (chapter 1: 19). He would not allow himself to be overcome by it. He rejoiced that Christ was preached, and as to the circumstances, in the way they affected him, he would accept them and be with God in them, in the spirit of obedience. It is set out in its blessedness in Christ in the second chapter; it has proved itself of such moral excellence in the sight of God, that He has ordained that the One marked by obedience supremely shall be acknowledged by all, heavenly, earthly, and infernal beings, acknowledged by all as Lord. God is going to exalt publicly the Man in whom obedience was supremely seen, and beloved brethren, God will use every circumstance in our life, if we are with Him in it, and are in the light of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, to promote further the features of Christ in us so that we may be found truly answering to our calling.

Paul says, "I do not count to have got possession myself; but one thing - forgetting the things behind, and stretching out to the things before, I pursue, looking towards the goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus". "One thing", it is good for us to have one thing before us. If we have one thing before us, beloved brethren, we shall make a straight course; and if we allow ourselves to be diverted from the one thing that God would have governing us, we shall not make a straight course. What a day it will be, when suddenly, in a moment, we find ourselves absolutely and for ever with Christ. Not a trace left of what we have been, not a trace left of the flesh, nor of the poor, frail, mortal conditions that we are in at the moment; and yet it will be ourselves, in the full result of the work of God in us. What more is there to be desired? What glory to have it before us! The apostle would urge us, so to speak, by his own example. He is ranging himself alongside of us as one of the brethren, and he tells us what is before him. And if that was before a spiritual man like Paul, as he was nearing the end of his day, we, as conscious that we are nearing the end of our history here, may well have it before us also.

Well, that was what I had in mind, dear brethren, that what was governing the mind of Paul as he neared the end of his course, might be found governing us also. May the Lord grant it for His name's sake.

Auckland, November 1947

"LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU"

W F KETTLE

Philippians 2:1 - 13

Beloved brethren, I have in mind to warn against rivalry. The apostle Paul could write of the Philippians as his joy and crown, and I believe that the scripture which we have read is intended to counteract rivalry. In the fifty years during which I have been in fellowship, I have seen many leaders turned aside through rivalry and jealousy. If these things exist in this city in any measure, I would like all of the young men to take notice of what I have to say. It may be the last time that I will speak here - the Lord knows.

I believe it is a hindrance to young men who take up the Lord's service if they are not carrying out the apostle's exhortation to esteem the other more excellent than themselves. If we always did that, what sorrow could be avoided! There have been many leaders whose ministry is with us today who, for want of this, have finished their course outside of the fellowship. I believe that the Lord would have me speak of this tonight so that we might be free from the spirit of rivalry. We need leaders; they are needed in every part of the city. In Hebrews we are told to remember and obey our leaders. But think how freely the apostle could write to the Philippians! I trust that he could, if he were here, speak of us in this city in the same way and say that we, with them, are his joy and crown.

The root of rivalry and jealousy came in between the first two brothers. Cain thought that he could produce something that would please God. Abel obeyed the light he had as to God. That is something to remember in our pathway here. Obey the word! The Lord, in His address to the assembly in Philadelphia, could say that they had kept His word and had not denied His name. So Abel, in principle, kept God's word. The offerings of the two were presented before God. Abel was accepted but Cain was not. The result was jealousy, leading to murder. Of the first two brothers mentioned in the Scriptures, one was murdered! The testimony of Abel still remains - but look at Cain, the one marked by rivalry and jealousy! He went out from the presence of Jehovah - a vagabond for the rest of his life; a mark upon him - representing the Jew under the wrath of God today. God had appealed to him: "Why art thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, will not thy countenance look up with confidence? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" (Genesis 4:6, 7). Cain would have been forgiven had he repented. We need to bring this matter down to ourselves; we want to learn the lesson in it. Is there any rivalry in our hearts? Are we jealous of our brother? God may use one brother more than another. But is that any reason for me to be jealous of my brother? There is plenty of room for all of us in the service. But, as I have said, I could name leading brethren who have been turned aside through these very things - rivalry and jealousy.

We might also refer to Abner and Joab, who were captains of the host. Abner was apparently a captain of the

host of Saul but Joab was captain over the host of David. But Joab was jealous of Abner, and finally he killed him. But earlier, you will remember, they met by the pool of Gibeon, and Abner said, "Let the young men now arise and make sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise" (2 Samuel 2:14). Think of it! They would have the young men kill one another for sport! Twelve of David's servants and twelve Benjaminites fell down dead, slain for sport! What was at the root of it? Rivalry and jealousy! Joab was the kind of man that would take second place to no one if he could help it. He must be captain. But it is in us all, dear brethren. We all want to reign. We want to reign with Christ, too, in the millennium. What place had Joab there, typically, when Solomon ascended the throne? He had none! David said that the sons of Zeruiah were too hard for him. But they were not too hard for Solomon! And so, when the Lord comes and rules over this earth in righteousness and equity, will we have a place with Him? Let us think of this, beloved brethren! This is very much on my heart, and, I believe, of the Lord. Let us not allow rivalry or jealousy to disqualify us for the day of Christ's glory!

It is the desire of the saints in this city, I believe, to be one. And so, the apostle says, "If then there be any ... fellowship of the Spirit". Are we thus united here? Do we truly love one another? We know that love is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13. We are told there that unless we have love we are but a clanging cymbal. Even though we may give our bodies to be burned, we are nothing unless we have love. Love would be prepared to give the other brother his place and we take second place every time.

I often think that Peter and John would enjoy the ministry of Paul. John was always ready to take second place. We see it in Acts 3. Peter was first. But they were united! And so the apostle says, "If then there be any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and compassions, fulfil my joy, that ye may think the same thing, having the same love, joined in soul, thinking one thing". That is what we need in our localities, beloved brethren. We need to be of one mind. And then it says, "Let nothing be in the spirit of strife or vain glory". May the Lord preserve us from vain glory or strife! The passage continues, "But, in lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other as more excellent than themselves". Let us esteem one another thus! I may think that I can preach better than another brother, but there is safety in realising that there are others who can do better than I can. If you really think that - if that is the bent of the mind, you will be preserved for the Lord's service.

Then the apostle goes on to say, "For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus". Think of that mind - the mind that was in Christ Jesus. No one went so low as He. Men spat in His face! Think of the soldiers mocking Him! They put a crown of thorns upon His brow, and put a reed in His hand, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29). Those men will bow down to Him one day! The apostle says in this book, that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The apostle wrote to the Philippians that they might be saved from rivalry and division. They were to think of the Lord Jesus, and of the lowly place He took amongst men. That was the

mind they were to have. And so with us - if we are in any way successful in service and are used by the Lord in the assembly, we want to be characterised by His mind. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God". When we think of the Lord Jesus and of the place He took in lowliness here, yet being equal with God, we may well ask ourselves why we do not humble ourselves and be readily adjusted when necessary.

Think of how great a man Job was. Yet, a young man like Elihu was used to help him. But God had in mind to make Job a priest. And He used a young man to help him. An older brother may not like to be adjusted by a younger, but we should always be amenable to adjustment. Finally, Job said, I will proceed no further. He came to the end himself. But he went further: I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. God can use him now, because he has judged himself. Well, to come back to my scripture - it says that the Lord Jesus "emptied himself, taking a bondman's form, taking his place in the likeness of men; and having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him". Beloved brethren, the blessed Lord is an example for us in lowliness and meekness. Why are we not more prepared to go down so that the Lord can use us? As we think of the lowly place He took, can we be anything else but lowly vessels, available to be filled by the Spirit? We get power by the

Spirit to humble ourselves and give the flesh no place. May the Spirit help us! May the Lord bless word!

New York, January 1948

THE DIVINE ECONOMY

A E MYLES

Genesis 18:1, 2; Genesis 24:13, 14; John 1:32 - 34; John 14:21

I am looking for help to speak about the economy in which divine Persons are active towards men, in view of the Persons Themselves being served by men. The prominent thought in my mind is in Genesis 18, "Behold, three men standing near him". The word translated "standing" is really the word 'stationed'. It is a good word and I think would convey to our minds that the Persons of the Godhead have taken up agreed or arranged positions in view of drawing near to men and making men capable of ministering to the pleasure of God.

Now in Abraham here we have a man who apprehended divine Persons and without being told what to do he served these Persons from his own knowledge and spiritual intelligence. There is something here for our minds to take in, involving enlargement, for many of us are still in a state in which we constantly need directions, to have limits defined for us lest we should transgress, whereas God has in view in the assembly that it should be of service for His pleasure, for His glory throughout all ages; that the assembly is to be filled with the full knowledge of God, even filled unto all the fulness of God. As such she is capable of serving God without detailed instructions.

Genesis 24 brings out another thought. In chapter 18 the three men who appeared to Abraham are together, but

in chapter 24 we have, in this figure of Abraham's servant, one who is by Himself, so to speak. The economy is still in mind for we have to remember that we can never in our thoughts and understanding travel outside this economy: what is outside of it is inscrutable to men. Abraham, who is one of the typical figures here, and Isaac, who is another, are not standing alongside this servant, this beautiful figure of the Spirit. He stationed himself by the well. I am suggesting, having in mind the economy, that this servant typifies the Spirit and that He is there in the place that is His by arrangement, and He is there to carry out a certain service that is peculiarly His. The Lord Jesus has His own particular and distinctive part, as we all know and delight to think of, but now this figure brings before us the Spirit also having His own peculiar and distinctive part. He is operating, but not exactly separately, for while there are three Persons in the Godhead, God is One, and there is no divergence or division, and what one divine Person does another could do, but by arrangement, and in view of men's understanding and help, They take up and act in distinct positions which are relative to one another.

The Father is presented in the greatness and distinctiveness of the Godhead. The Lord Jesus took a form, a bondman's form, in which He could be commanded, in which He could die, and thus carry out His own distinctive work. But it was His own sovereign action to take that form, wholly a sovereign matter. The Spirit of God is here, typified in this servant in Genesis 24, serving, calling Abraham and Isaac His Master. So that He is, in that sense, subservient to the others, and yet the Holy Spirit has taken

that place by His own sovereign action. Before there could be any sending or service, there must be first that sovereign taking of a place or a position in which the Person could serve.

Now in this figure we have the Holy Spirit before us, stationed by the well. He stationed Himself there, as I said. Others are not standing alongside of Him, it is Himself alone, yet not alone in one sense for there is unity and oneness always in the Godhead, but in another sense He is seen alone that He might be apprehended by us in His own distinctiveness and that we might perceive the greatness of the work that is being carried out. I am going to ask that we should consider the Holy Spirit Himself apart from His service for a moment, for until we consider the Spirit in His own greatness personally apart from any service, we shall not gain liberty to speak to Him and to worship Him as we should. In stationing himself at the well for a brief time there is no service spoken of. The servant is waiting for the woman, setting the conditions by which he would have evidence that she is the appointed one for Isaac, even setting the very words that she is to speak, as though she cannot give evidence that she is the appointed woman unless when we come to the antitype there is between her and the Holy Spirit an intimacy of communion, of thought, even of word, so that in speaking the very words indicated here in the prayer of the servant she gives evidence of communion and oneness with the Spirit Himself. The thought is exceedingly beautiful; a great and glorious Person is there under the figure of a servant, but a glorious Person of the Godhead. There at the well this woman, this beautiful type of the assembly, responds without being told

what to say. She responds of herself, really the result of communion with the Holy Spirit and an understanding of that in which she has been trained as coming continually to that well. So she says the very words that indicate that she is the one whom Jehovah has appointed for Isaac. It is the assembly in type, able to respond to the Spirit with the very words indicated, and to give refreshment and to serve as suggested in the drink of water from a pitcher. The Person of the Spirit is thus being emphasised in this part of the chapter, not a service, but the Person. Can the woman here respond? Is she in communion with Him? Is she one with Him? Is she speaking the very words that He has indicated in the prayer to Jehovah? Yes, Rebecca answers most intelligently and fervently to all the requirements, so that the matter in hand can proceed.

Now let us carry this thought forward into John's gospel. I would again call attention to the economy. The Persons of the Godhead are spoken of, and what is before the Spirit in this gospel is the economy, how God is known, how He is being seen in Persons of the Godhead so that men would understand the positions which They have taken up, One in relation to Another. You see how the economy is indicated here. The Son is the central figure in it, for it is a question of testimony. When it is a question of the service of God, the Father is the great object; but here it is the Son who is prominent. A little later on we are told that the Father loves the Son and has given all things to be in His hand. It is an economy of love. It is an excellent arrangement for operations, for the Lord Jesus is in a position in which He could die. He is near to men and can

become the attraction of their hearts, the great gathering magnet for the hearts of men. How excellent the arrangement is! But He is not alone - there is this other Person. John says, "I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him". It is the Spirit, a divine Person. He has come to do certain things, and finally He is to be here and to be another Comforter, another like Jesus. Another, as like Jesus, must be a divine Person. Here They are before us, the two working closely together, and the feature that marks the Lord Jesus out as the Son of God is that He baptises with the Holy Spirit. Men are to be brought into this economy of love, not to be other than creatures but to be creatures blessed in that ineffable love which in its own origin is divine. God is love; and in view of bringing men into this economy, one of the Persons of the Godhead becomes available to be given to men. It is marvellous that it can be said of the Son that He is given for us, and of the Holy Spirit that He is given to us. These are the greatest love gifts from God, and no greater could be given to men. The Lord Jesus is given and the Spirit is given, and now we have the arrangement designed to bring men into this economy of love so that they may know the Persons of the Godhead, know Them by their names and know the particular place that each One has taken in relation to the Other. If we serve God in the full sense it must be service to the Persons of the Godhead, all the Persons. The Spirit, one of the Persons, is in us and with us. He must be in us if we are to have power, now or in eternity, to serve God. No creature could support the nearness and blessedness of the place that is ours in grace

without the Spirit in us for power to support us in such nearness to God.

In John 14:21, I would again suggest that the economy is in operation, not so much in service but in its operations of pleasure, delight in men. A little earlier in the chapter the Lord speaks of the other Comforter. He says of Him, "That he may be with you for ever" (verse 16), so that that is a fixed matter. I do not know that that could ever change. So far as I see, it never could change because we are creatures and we need that Person in us for ever; it is an unchangeable condition. But now the other two Persons of the Godhead are spoken of in most affectionate terms. The Lord says, "He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him" (verse 21). Here we have again this beautiful idea of the glorious Persons of the Godhead, each and all entitled to worship and homage from men, but moving in love to come to one that loves Christ and keeps His word. All three of the Persons are involved in this, the Spirit with us and in us, and of the Father and the Lord Jesus it is said, "we will come" (verse 23); it is a plural matter. While it speaks of an individual, because John's gospel is written in that way, yet these chapters are collective in their teaching, and in the assembly there will be many such as are spoken of here, who love Christ and keep His word. His word is a finer thought than His commandments, and I believe that in speaking about divine Persons and in speaking about the matter that interests the brethren so much today, we need to get into this more refined realm of Christ's word. It is not

so much a question of a command or order given which requires obedience, though that has its own place. If we are not obedient to His commandments we shall not be sensitive as to His word, but what I see in this is, that the economy is in operation in the way that divine love is ministered to by men, and the Persons of the Godhead, all of Them, three of Them, each one in a place taken, but each one is in this matter of love.

There is love for Christ and the keeping of His word. As I said, the Lord Jesus is always the test, He is in the front of the position, but divine Persons are all in this matter. Now why should we leave the Spirit out of this? Should we not have it definitely in our minds that each divine Person is in this economy of love, and that each is entitled to be served according to the divine arrangement; not making any reserve in our minds, as to them, for the economy of love affords the greatest possible liberty for men to worship in spirit and in truth. Genesis 24 would show that one Person may be before our eyes at any given time. We have understood that; as we worship the Lord Jesus we have Him in our thoughts; but carry the conscious sense of the Spirit's presence. As we worship the Father, we understand that the Lord Jesus and the Spirit are with us, helping us, for without their help there could be no access to, or worship of, the Father. So all the Persons are before us, but each in an arranged place. God is thus known and we worship Him.

It is growing in our minds that more room is to be made for this other divine Person, the blessed Spirit, and what is due to Him. In love's realm divine pleasure must be

the great thing, and today we are finding more pleasure in divine Persons than previously and I believe we shall go forward in this until our joy in it is full. We are going into eternity with the most precious thing that men could possibly have, and that is the knowledge of God, the knowledge of God made known in Christ, and it involves the economy of love in which the blessed Persons of the Godhead have endeared Themselves to our affections. It is thus that serving God from our side becomes a love matter, not merely an obligation or a duty, or even a commandment, but a love matter. We are to be moved by love, the love of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit. All are referred to in the Scriptures in relation to ourselves. The love of divine Persons has moved Them to draw near to such as love Christ and keep His word, and surely love in our hearts would stimulate us to draw near and serve them as is fitting.

In such great matters we would all seek to help each other, and the Spirit is here to guide us into all the truth. Only He knows all the truth. We have had great servants who have served the assembly, and we regard them highly for their service, but the only Servant who has been with the assembly from the beginning and will be with her to the end is this Servant of whom I have spoken, the blessed Spirit. He has carried every sorrow and has gone through every individual exercise and every assembly exercise, and finally, at the end, the assembly will be in full communion with Him, able to speak with Him and say to the Lord Jesus, "Come".

London, December 1948

UNITY, UNION AND UNISON

S McCALLUM

1 Corinthians 12:11 - 14; Ephesians 5:25 - 32; Revelation 22:16, 17

It is on my heart and mind to refer to the assembly in the passages read, having certain specific thoughts in mind in relation to it. I wish to speak of unity in relation to the first, in which the assembly is viewed as the body; then of union in the passage in Ephesians where the assembly is viewed as the wife; and then of unison in the last scripture in relation to the Spirit and the bride. I have chosen these passages because of these great thoughts that are linked with them and are paramount at the present time. In a certain sense these thoughts flow out of one another and as we proceed we may see the distinctive place that the blessed Spirit has in relation to them. Although the Spirit is not mentioned in Ephesians 5 we all know that union with Christ could not be apart from the Spirit. We have been helped and are constantly being helped as to the place that the Spirit should have and is now receiving in the minds and hearts of the saints. No doubt we shall be helped more as to this blessed Person, involving that, as knowing Him better, we may move in greater liberty with Him in all that He would do in filling out His great and glorious mission. It must be a wonderful thing to the blessed Spirit to have the assembly, a vessel in which He has particular right of way to do that for which He has come from heaven. He has been

sent from heaven that the assembly should be secured, so that we, and especially the younger men and women, want to allow room in our minds for the great thoughts that belong to our day that the Spirit may lead us into them. They are the greatest of divine thoughts and they call for special attention else we may miss the distinctive glory of the present time.

Now I want to refer to the thought of unity in the body which is drawn to our attention in 1 Corinthians 12, having in mind that the Lord may help us to see its importance in our local settings. The Lord is not taking us on in any kind of way, nor is the Spirit taking on any kind of persons. Divine Persons are very selective in what they take on. From another viewpoint, of course, we do well to think of what they do take on in sovereign mercy. There is the side of the assembly in the wilderness with much that comes up to test us and to bring out expressions of the flesh in us, but what I wish to speak of now is the selectivity of divine operations. This side of things is particularly before us in Genesis 24 in relation to the one who was to be united to Isaac. It is essential, dear brethren, in regard to the higher levels of the truth and our part and our place with Christ as united to Him in the heavenly domain, that we should give due and proper attention to the matter of unity here below in the presence of organised evil. There should be in our localities, as we walk in the light of the assembly in a place, a testimony to that to which God has committed Himself.

This letter to the Corinthians has in mind that in our cities there should be a vessel answering in holiness and sanctification to all the glorious light that enters into the

position that marks God's assembly. We are tested by this and our unity as to it, but it is important that we make way for it because it has to do especially with the realm in which the blessed presidency of the Spirit is seen, reminding us that if unity is lacking there will be a hindrance to His operations. It is incumbent upon all of us that we make way for this matter of unity so that the enemy may find no means of thrusting in a wedge of divergence as the Lord brings forward the truth as to divine thoughts in their richness and fulness. The writer of this letter is a choice vessel himself, and he brings before us in the skill of his approach to the Corinthian saints the way in which he holds to what is committed to him and will not give up the ground for a moment. God is looking for that, not only in the apostle, but in persons who even in this day of brokenness have in their souls the light of all that has come out, in the apostle's ministry; persons who will hold the ground in spiritual and faithful tenacity, never yielding for a moment lest the dignity of the assembly should be in any way infringed upon.

It is no ordinary matter that the saints should be set together in cities, and it is a great thing, dear brethren, that this basic thought of unity should be marking the position. It is not unity in the sense of compromising evil or forgetting differences where the truth is involved, or failing in the exposure of evil. Not for a moment! Let us remember the choice expression of a servant gone before that 'separation from evil is God's principle of unity'. We must always bear that in mind. The idea of unity is not the compromise of evil but is based upon separation from all

that is evil whether in our own hearts or on the outside. It is a great matter to have a right judgment of what is wrong, for we can see in the death of Christ the operation of that great principle that there can be no compromise with evil. Unity is reached on the principle of the disentanglement of good and evil; separation from evil. That is a word for all of us, young or old, and God will help us all in relation to it.

We can see from this letter the diverging thoughts that had come in amongst the brethren in Corinth and the skill of the apostle as he proceeded to take up matters and deal with them, especially having upon his spirit the fact that the enemy had sought to divide the saints in that city. Partisan schools existed - divided thoughts among the brethren - so that he began with that matter, even in the first chapter, for he was concerned about the state that had caused the divided thoughts and utterances, though he never forgets what they were abstractly according to the mind of God. He never gave up that ground for a moment; never yielded to the results of the enemy's work, however strongly he may have entrenched himself in the position, but holds to divine thoughts, as we should, always.

In referring to the emblems in connection with the Lord's supper, he draws attention to the great thought of unity. He speaks, in chapter 10, of the one loaf: "We, being many, are one loaf" (verse 17). Thus the testimony to unity is before us, we may say, week by week. But what I want to come to is that it is not just a matter of light; it involves a living organism which the body suggests and in which the blessed Spirit has a peculiar place and liberty. It involves a

sphere where His authority and presidency are known; a sphere in which the saints are to be happy and restful. So that we do not just work out unity from the standpoint of light, although that is important, but we work it out from the standpoint of drinking of one Spirit. What a thing that is, dear brethren! So that this great thought of the unity of the body should be worked out in our cities from this standpoint - of drinking of one Spirit. Think of how divergence is caused by inward inconsistency!

It may be that we do not care to say much, but inwardly we may diverge in our thoughts or in our hearts. But the drinking of the one Spirit has in mind that we are to be affected inwardly, in every part of our being, so that there is no obstruction anywhere in us to the one Spirit or to the unity which He would bring about in our localities. The baptism of the Spirit involves that native and national characteristics disappear. But how important it is that the Spirit should find no obstruction in us in this wonderful sphere into which He has come. The Lord Jesus became incarnate, which is not true of the Spirit, but in His coming, in the Spirit has constituted and formed this great vessel in which the sovereignty of His blessed ministration is to be known. Although there is refusal of divine rights on every hand His will is to be first in the assembly, and therefore it is important that we should be conscious of being of the one body, as it says, "For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit".

The apostle is speaking of the thought of a body, involving nearness to one another, having living links together in this wonderful organism and being sensitive as to the place each other has. How important, therefore, that we should be lifted out of isolated individual thoughts into the greatness of these thoughts which involve a living spiritual organism held together by the one Spirit and forming one glorious entity. In the passages that we have read the assembly is taken account of as an entity, whether as the body, or as the wife or as the bride. What an entity the assembly is! And how fitted she is, through divine furnishing, to fill out any position in which she may be viewed! Well, it is for us to see whether the unity and the oneness that are referred to in this chapter are enjoyed by us and are in testimony in our localities. Are we near to one another or is there distance between us? Are we isolated in our thoughts from one another? The blessed Spirit has come into this vessel to operate in it, a vessel that is replete with spiritual feeling and spiritual sensibility. What a thing that is, dear brethren!

And so as we come together in our meetings week by week we think of the conditions of this chapter as underlying the whole position. If it be our readings, think of the blessedness of taking account of one another as belonging to this glorious entity, the body of Christ as alluded to here, the vessel of the Spirit's activities and sovereign operations. And so in our meetings for administration, we should be aware of the sensitivity underlying the position. It is a great matter because we cannot proceed to the greater thoughts connected with union

with Christ in His own realm and sphere in the heavenly land without having reached practical unity as in the body. What a thing it is to enjoy one another thus, appreciating what each other is and being sensitive as to it and having right thoughts of one another as we sit together. We are not to feel that we are afar off from one another but near to each other in this wonderful living organism in which the Spirit has particular and peculiar right of way. What a matter it is. I leave it, dear brethren. The enemy has always sought to cause us to diverge; it may be in relation to the ministry and thoughts that come out in it; it may be in relation to judicial matters amongst us; it may be in regard to other things, but let us see the importance of this wonderful unity which is linked with, and flows out of, our drinking into the one Spirit. Thus whatever matter may come up, whether the associations of men who have banded themselves together, or otherwise, we should not diverge in our thoughts in regard to these things but should be united in our attitude toward such matters. Thus the unity of the one body will be maintained.

Now I want to speak for a moment about union as seen in Ephesians 5. What a wonderful thing it is that union with Christ can be entered upon now in the power of the Spirit! I would say to all our hearts, and especially to the younger brothers and sisters, how attractive is the position in which we are as having a divine Person here operating in our hearts to lead us into the trend and current of God's great thoughts. To enjoy it may involve giving up much on the part of many of us but it leads to what can never be excelled, now or in all eternity. If, as in the body, our

localities afford us a sphere where we can be restful in the presence of the sovereign dispositions of a divine Person amongst us, how wonderful is the position that same Person has in mind to lead us into, as the servant of Genesis 24 led Rebecca to Isaac to be united to him. It involves that we should be tested, because union with Christ requires that we leave things here. How much there is that would hold us!

This epistle to the Ephesians was written by the same apostle who wrote the Corinthian epistles, and he had particular liberty and freedom as he opened up the wealth of divine thoughts which are in the divine mind for us. It is in mind to bring us into this wonderful association with Christ, but our salvation from all that is connected with the scene down here is essential. There is to be salvation from the enemy's power, and how great his power is, and how important it is that we should know and enjoy salvation from it in the power of the Spirit. Then there is to be salvation from associations - oh, how ensnaring fleshly associations may become! That condition of things was dealt with unsparingly in the cross of Christ. How well it is for the young people to see the way that God has opened up to us, the blessedness of salvation from associations linked with the flesh. The only thing that God could do with the flesh was to put it out of His sight forever, and He has done that in the death of Christ. We linger a long time around it and attach much to it, but God would help us to see the importance of salvation from it. But then this letter opens up to us the blessedness of salvation from place - Rebecca left her father and mother, her country and all her kindred. She came to the place where Isaac was, and that is a great

point in the service of the Spirit in relation to union with Christ. We are to come into His circumstances. A new range of things opens up as we come to His side of things, for union with Christ is with Him where He is - the centre of the heavenly domain.

One important thing in Genesis 24 is that Isaac was not to be brought to Padan-Aram, but Rebecca was to be brought to Isaac. We may have a comfortable living or certain national ways of thinking, or there may be much that is not easy to give up down here. If we are to come into the great thought of the assembly as united to Christ we must be prepared to leave things, leave them in our spirits. It may not be proper to leave them physically, now, but we need to be free in spirit from these things that would anchor us more and more to earth and which we are soon to leave forever. Oh, how attractive the heavenly domain is as we see in it all the blessed working out of divine counsels, the thoughts of divine love! Our home is there, with Christ, in that blessed and glorious sphere. Are we in the enjoyment of it? How much wasted time there is! What hours are spent in over-occupation with our own interests! How wonderful to enter into the blessedness of what this epistle opens up to us in the assembly's position as united to Christ! All the interests of the heavenly Man become our interests! The prayer meeting, the reading meeting, the ministry meeting, the preaching of the word of God and the saints themselves become all that matters. These become our interests - our chief and paramount interests. We no longer are moved by the ambitions of the world to shine in some place of prestige and power in office, school, or workshop, labouring night

and day to attain it, or to amass or gather round us what would set us at ease down here. That is not to be our absorbing interest but the interests of Christ are to dominate us.

What a range of things there is, and the Lord would help us into it. This chapter too would encourage us in what we come into in the enjoyment of union with Christ. We become the known and conscious objects of the abiding love of Christ and its constant activity. Leaving things here may involve heart searching and the exposure of natural ambitions and desires; it may involve the uprooting of much, and the desert journey may test us, but in company with the blessed Spirit who is with us and in us, and in our communion with Him we shall be delighting in the glories of the Man to whom we are journeying in spirit. What a time it is! What a scene is before us! And the Lord would help us as to it tonight, and to admit, if need be, that our own interests have a greater place than they should have with us. Well, I leave this passage with the thought that as we are prepared, like Rebecca, to leave what would hold us in relation to things here, we shall come into a blessedness in communion with the Spirit that nothing in this scene ever could afford, and we will come into the blessedness of a realm where we will be the direct and conscious objects of the precious, abiding love of Christ. Isaac took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her.

Oh beloved brethren, what a thing it is for our souls to be consciously in a realm where we are the direct objects of the known and active love of Christ - the heavenly Man! The Lord would help us to reach it - He would help us to

come into it - leaving things here in our minds and spirits and taking the journey with the blessed One who will draw us in love divine, speaking to our hearts in His gracious service and ministry of Him that is before us, to whom we are to be united - the true Isaac - the heavenly Man. May the Lord help each of us as to this matter of union with Christ!

Now just a word as to the Spirit and the bride, saying, "Come". What unison, dear brethren! The Lord is moving towards it; the Father is moving towards it; the Spirit is moving towards it! Everything in our minds and souls is to be in perfect concert with the Spirit so that we use the same language - "Come". May the Lord help us as to these thoughts, and their importance at the present time.

Rochester, USA, May 1949

THE BROTHER

P H HARDWICK

Romans 16:22 - 24; 1 Chronicles 12:1 - 3, 8, 16, 17; Judges 1:1 - 4; Exodus 31:1 - 4, 6

I have in mind, dear brethren, to say a word about the value of the brother. I do not, thereby, exclude the sisters, trusting that they will definitely include themselves in this matter because of the working out of the truth, but the scriptures that I have read actually refer to the thought of the brother. Hence my remarks may be largely connected with such a person, involving the family thoughts, for a brother clearly has a family connection, meaning that love is there. If we think of the spiritual family of God we begin at once to understand that God has not in mind so many units, working alone, and living alone, but He has a family in mind. And this is confirmed by the Scriptures, both literally, in the New Testament (Scripture speaking about the children of God and the sons of God, and the sons and daughters of the Father, the Lord Almighty), and also typically, as found in the family of Israel, and so on, in the Old Testament.

Now it is a great thing to be able to seize a main thought in the Scripture, like that of the family of God, enabling us to connect the brother with the family, and especially with the family in love. This first verse that we read is the end of a good long passage where Paul is mentioning many celebrated persons, distinctive in God's

world, the nobility of God's world. That is why, for the most part, they have names, and we may say, titles according to God. In short they have spiritual personality. It would be good if all of us here could be thus known in heaven as "approved in Christ" (verse 10), "minister of the assembly", "a helper of many" (verses 1, 2); these are qualifications which may pass for little in the religious world, but they are very valuable in heaven. Hence this chapter is full of personality, and we are not to be misled because in outward circumstances a brother is humbly set. We read elsewhere of Secundus; and Tertius and Quartus are mentioned in the verses I have read. It is quite likely they were just slaves, bondmen in the household or quarters where Paul was. They had not even a name, they were the third and the fourth in the household setting. But we are not to be misled by that, but to understand that they are known as heavenly personalities. Of Quartus, all that is said is that he is a brother, but we are to understand how this title resounds in God's family. Indeed, it says, "the brother". He is the last one mentioned in the list; not the least, however, for he actually comes nearest to what follows, namely, what Paul speaks of as "my glad tidings and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery" (verse 25); as if Paul would say, 'Now we have got a brother, we need delay no longer, we can go straight away into the mystery'. Has that fully struck us, how valuable a brother is, enabling such a one as Paul to think immediately of the mystery; that is, Christ and the assembly? Thus the mystery works out by the brother next to me, or the sister next to me; there is a suggestion in that person of the make-up of

the assembly. The nearer Paul comes to the mystery the more he becomes jubilant. In Romans, having arrived at this great matter of the brother, he breaks off in real exhilaration, spiritual buoyancy, in his doxology in relation to the mystery. Prison, in the Colossian and Ephesian epistles, makes no difference. Directly he thinks of the mystery, Christ and the assembly, and all the treasures that are there, he becomes joyful. Does any thought of the assembly, of the mystery, come into our mind as we see a brother or a sister, or the brethren? Have we had any thoughts of the assembly before us as we have been together? Not merely one hundred or so brethren together, but have we some thought of the mystery, the assembly, the whole thing? Paul had, for he has only to look at a brother, and he is joyful. I commend that to you, dear brethren, the thought of the brother. It is a thought belonging to the family, it entails affection and it leads in the direction of the assembly.

Moreover the Lord Jesus was pleased to signalise such a person. On one occasion they said that his mother and his brethren were seeking Him, meaning his literal brethren in the family, and Mary. But He pointed to His disciples, a hint that in this matter of the brother it is expected that there will be teaching taken on, that the brother will be teachable material, subject to the Lord. "Stretching out his hand to his disciples, he said, Behold my mother and my brethren; for whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother" (Matthew 12:49, 50). He did not mean His literal brother. There is no permission for us to call Christ our brother; that is quite wrong, and very

irreverent, but Christ says, "My brother", meaning that He owns him; he is His property. These things are to be pondered.

Another thing to have in mind is that if a person is a brother (and I include the sister) he is worth finding, and if he is not in his place, he is worth recovering. Some of our brethren who have been lost to us we cannot do much for, as they will not let us get very near. For some of them we are reduced largely to the matter of praying for them because of this. But the principle of faith means that the brother is always held as recoverable. It is an abnormality for a brother not to be recovered. Lot was lost; Abraham recovered him, using all his resources to do so. When he heard that his brother (not only his nephew but his brother) Lot had been taken captive, then he prepared his resources, his trained servants, and so on. He is the man of faith, the heavenly man, suggesting that faith never regards such a recovery as utterly beyond us. We are always on the line of recovery; it says, he "brought again his brother Lot" (Genesis 14:16). Now there is something in that for us to think about. I am not thereby negating the truth which says that there are those that perish, and that there are those that may not be recovered, but from the point of view of what marks us, we would have it in our minds that every lost one should be recovered. He is worth it, he is a brother.

Now one of the early things which comes into a brother's mind is to help in the work of the Lord, in the testimony. Sometimes a brother has great thoughts about the testimony, and links himself on with it and suffers for it, like John. He never ceases to give expression to the

brotherly thought. "I John, your brother ... was in the island called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). Your brother. The word 'was' means 'became'. I became in the island called Patmos. He was not always there, but there were circumstances which brought him there, and he began to be there. Once he was fishing; another time he was in the Lord's bosom; another time he was with Peter, before the Beautiful gate of the temple, but now he is in Patmos. But he never ceases to be a brother. "I John, your brother". That is, dear brethren, that we are always true, even in suffering, for "your brother" refers to the brotherhood. Peter speaks of it: "The selfsame sufferings are accomplished in your brotherhood which is in the world" (1 Peter 5:9), and it is exemplified in John.

There is a time when you begin to have an inkling that you should move in relation to the testimony. So these few verses I have read from Chronicles indicate how people began to move towards David, and they began when David's circumstances were very poor. That is, you will notice that the chapter begins, "Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag". It is not king David on the throne; there is no outward glory, and yet he is the anointed of God, but in rejection and in suffering, not in a palace, but in the open, in caves, strongholds, palisades, with a few men, but they came to him at that time.

It is very interesting the way the Chronicles are recorded. Chapter 11 opens with king David being hailed by all Israel, and going to Jerusalem; it is fairly far on in David's history. But then the Spirit of God goes back and

starts telling us about the persons who surrounded David; who made up his kingdom; supplied him with men. The Spirit of God says, "Now these are they that came to David", those who helped him in the conflict, and so on, armed with bows and using both the right hand and the left, with stones and with arrows on the bows. They were of Benjamin, Saul's tribe. They must have judged themselves, for Saul was not at all friendly to David. We see what is open to us as we judge ourselves, and judge connections which are inimical to David. We can be fully in the testimony. One of the troubles with many of us is that we let the dangers get too close to us, and we are not able to cope with them; there is no room to move. But if we can shoot an arrow, if we can sling a stone, we can keep enemies at a distance. There is much in that, in keeping the enemies at a distance, especially when it is in our mind, under the influence of the Spirit of God, to move towards David. Let his circumstances be what they may, our part is to come to David. If David is in a cave, let us go to the cave. If he is in Ziklag, let us go to Ziklag. If he is in the palace, let us go to the palace. It is the Beloved, David, the person who solves it all.

The first of these in this company is Ahiezer, which I understand means 'a helping brother'. And please God, that is to be each one of us, a helping brother, helping David in the testimony. Other things follow, as, for instance, the Gadites, who separated themselves, and the first one mentioned is Ezer, whose name means 'help'. It is a very interesting word; the first time it is referred to is in relation to the woman - the "helpmate" (Genesis 2:18). Think of

being, as I might say, on any line that leads to such an exalted level, for this quotation from Genesis refers typically to the assembly as a helpmate for Christ. These men separated themselves; the feature reminds us of 2 Timothy in our day. What is more, they did not wait until the business was bad. They left a good business on the east side of the Jordan. They depended on the good land for their cattle, and their crops, and their most prosperous time was when the Jordan rose and flooded the land. Everything became prosperous and grew; and it was at that time, when the business was showing best, they left it all and came to David. This is the way we are to go on. The early verse is the way we start; this is the way we go on.

Then there will come a time when David will test us, for in the third incident there were men of Judah and men of Benjamin coming together. The men of Judah would be dependable, for they were of David's tribe, but there was a time when the men of Benjamin had to be challenged. David said to them, "If ye come peaceably to me to help me". One man, Amasai, answered; indeed it says, the Spirit came upon him, a remarkable expression. The Spirit came upon the man so that he says, "Thine are we, David, and with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace be to thy helpers!" If we are really right with David we will have no difficulties with the brethren. We shall not be a source of irritation to the brethren, nor they to us. This carries its own conviction. We are helping the Lord (if you will allow the expression) in the testimony; then also we are to help one another.

I have read from Judges to illustrate this last point. Historically, this goes into earlier days, though morally, it is always true. Joshua the leader had died; the great man who had helped and led was not available. Who knows what may be ahead of us, when some of the great men who have helped us are not available? It is for us to see what there is in the brethren for our help, what there is in the assembly. So here in this passage at a certain juncture in the conflict, the children of Israel cried to God. It is not Joshua telling them what to do, and as far as the record goes there was no judge yet risen up. They cried to God, and God gave the answer, "Judah shall go up: behold I have delivered the land into his hand". And then Judah took a hand, without any command, and said to Simeon, his brother, "Come up with me into my lot, and let us fight against the Canaanites, and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot; and Simeon went with him". Of course it is a very simple narrative, but a great many things come to light as brethren begin to help one another. For instance, Judah was a great brother with a mighty territory. God gave him a tremendous territory, and perhaps He had in mind that He would see what he would do with it. The fact is that Judah said, 'My territory is big; let Simeon come and live with me. I'll share my territory'. A very magnanimous action! Love would do that! And love was greater there, perhaps, than we think, because Judah was not only a great man, but a spiritual man, for when the children of Israel got over into the land, Judah came up amongst the first and claimed his inheritance. But as for Simeon, he came up a long time later, may I say, like most of us, a long while later, at the

time when seven tribes (among them Simeon) had not taken up their inheritance. When Joshua said, "How long will ye shew yourselves slack to go to take possession of the land?" (Joshua 18:3). Under that stigma they began to move, and amongst them was Simeon. Now Judah and Simeon are living side by side; that is, the great spiritual brother and the late-comer, slack, under a stigma as having lost much time, little in stature and yet associated with this other. Now here are these two together, getting on well. It is only love that will do that, you know. It keeps impressing itself on us; it is the spring of everything in God's inheritance in His saints. By it we will get on well with the brother that is more spiritual than we are. We can ask such a one anything in relation to the truth. Even if the brother cannot answer your question it is quite likely that he will be able to answer it later on, because it is God's way of helping us. He puts things into our minds through our brethren and causes us to think about them and pray and seek light and inquire; and the answer comes. Sometimes the Lord does not give many things because we are not inquiring. He is waiting for our inquiries. Sometimes He does not answer our difficulties because we do not express them. He does not liberate us from hard circumstances because we do not go to Him about them. But as we inquire and pray, the Lord brings the answer and very often it is through the brethren. "Enter into the city" (Acts 9:6) the Lord said to Saul of Tarsus, "and it shall be told thee what thou must do". You find the answer with your brother. You will be astonished, for there may be some things on which you can help him, helping him to face dark principles - Canaanites - dark men, dark principles,

the subjects of the kingdom of darkness. That is what they are. There is no mistake about that. The Canaanites are types of spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Paul speaks about universal lords of this darkness. Think of being able to help a brother to battle with principles of darkness! Marvellous thing! This is a question of territory of a heavenly kind. There is much more that could be said: helping the Lord in the testimony, and helping one another; it is this word, "Come up with me".

Now a word on Exodus, because this brings us to the great service of God. I have read from this particular part because it is without fault. We might say that the first part of Exodus is extrication, the people coming out of Egypt, getting free and getting settled with God, the idea of a covenant. And then the next part, from chapters 25 to 31, is light - divine light; showing us where God is, what He is doing, and how God and man can be together. The time that Moses went up the mountain, God enlightened him and told him what He wanted in this glorious system centring in the ark. This is not Moses telling the people yet, this is what God is saying to Moses, what God could show Moses: "According to all that I shall show thee, the pattern" (Exodus 25:9). Moses was not eating and drinking; he was just there with God, and God was sustaining him. We shall be literally sustained in the presence of God one day in glory. We shall not need material food. What wonderful things these are, as you think of what lies behind the types. Now God is saying to Moses, to a man in the glory with Him, "See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah", and also later, "Behold, I have given with him

Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Daniel" They are introduced as if they were great persons. Bezaleel is introduced by the word, "See", and Aholiab by the word, "Behold". This is not an ordinary matter, whether these two are a kind of witness amongst the saints to the spirit of being able to make things in the holy system, the Holy Spirit's power amongst the saints, or whether we regard them as two individuals, distinctive, outstandingly so. I just remark on this man, Aholiab, whose father's name was Ahisamach - a supporting brother. I would like to be a supporting brother. It is good to be the son of a supporting brother. I mean the spiritual son, formed in the truth. I am not talking now about natural families. Timothy would be Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, and others would too. They had their part in this holy system. While it was all of God, yet the system itself depended upon what the brethren brought. They brought the acacia wood, the gold, the silver, the copper, the blue, everything. In this sense all depends on the saints and their contributions. The service will not go on unless they are present. The tabernacle does not exist in a practical way unless we are a part of it. May we be, in that sense, the continuation of the supporting brother, in skill, wisdom, teaching, whatever is needed in the tabernacle and in the service in it. The Lord Jesus said, on rising from the dead, "Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God" (John 20:17). Is He just talking about His literal ascension to heaven? I do not think so. I think He has in mind the great sphere of service which is to go upwards, spiritually, going to the great heights of the Father, being able to serve

the Father along with Christ. And in whose hands is it? Those of "my brethren". That is on a far greater level than a single brother. It applies to what we are the other side of death, the fruit of Christ's death, for that is what we are, His brethren. Faith would take that ground, and the Spirit would support us in it. The Lord says, 'I will help you;' He came in amongst them. The doors were shut to keep the Jews out; not to keep Jesus out. The Lord came in and stood in the midst and said, "Peace be to you" (John 20:19). We have the great thoughts of the service in mind, and we are now thinking of the great system in the assembly, amongst the brethren, "my brethren". The Lord Jesus gave His own such an intimate touch in showing them His hands and His side. What thoughts would have come into their hearts, and so into ours, as He unveils His side, to remind us of the origin of the saints. Genesis 2 is the great type, showing the origin of the woman, the assembly. The Lord Jesus has no ordinary thoughts in His mind. Let us think of these things. They will help us greatly in the truth and in our links with the brethren, and in this great matter of the glorious service of God. I just commit the word to you, dear brethren, and to the Lord, and desire that as we ponder it we may get some practical help in our souls, and as working things out with one another, in love, and especially in the service of God, as we take our place with the Lord. As we are helped by the Spirit, too, we shall know how to have our part in all these things. May the Lord give us grace for it, for His name's sake.

Westfield, New Jersey, August 1949

WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE IN OUR HEARTS

A J GARDINER

Ephesians 3:14 - 19; Philippians 1:3 - 7; 2 Corinthians 7:1 - 3

I wish to speak, dear brethren, of what God would have to be in our hearts. Firstly His desire is that the Christ should dwell in our hearts, through faith; and secondly there is the thought of Paul being in our hearts, as the one in whom, as a man of like passions to ourselves, the features of what is heavenly are set forth, so that he is presented in the Scriptures as one whom we are to imitate. And then finally the saints are to be in our hearts, as Paul says, "Ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together".

Well now, it is a great thing that the Christ should dwell in our hearts. We read in 2 Corinthians that God has given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts; that is a wonderful thing, because the earnest is more than mere light, it involves some substantial entering into the enjoyment of the things of Christianity, things which in their fulness and actuality are still future, but which may be known in a very considerable measure of present power and enjoyment in the Holy Spirit. It is a most touching thing that the Holy Spirit should take up His abode in us, in order to bring in our heavenly portion in a substantial way to be known while we are still in conditions of humiliation. In Ephesians the apostle prays that we might be "strengthened

with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts". "The Christ" is an arresting expression, it is not only Christ as He might be known in relation to our own needs, but it is Christ personally as the One who is the anointed Man of God's pleasure and purpose. We have been hearing this afternoon that God's choicest thoughts centre in man. He has other creatures, in angels, but it is not angels that are primarily in His mind, but it is man that is primarily in the mind of God. And in having these thoughts in regard to man, what was before God, of course, was the incarnation, a divine Person entering into manhood, and thus inaugurating in Himself an order of manhood great enough to satisfy the heart of God, and to bring in a character of response to God worthy of Himself. But then God's thoughts in regard of man do not finish with Christ, but they involve that which is feminine, as we know from the first chapter of Genesis. God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, ... male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:26, 27). From the very start God had in mind the great thought of the assembly.

This is of the greatest importance to us, dear brethren, not simply as a matter of having intelligence in the thoughts of God, though that is important, but because it has been given to us to live in the day in which the assembly is being formed. In that sense we are greater than Abraham, or Moses, or Daniel, or any of these great persons of whom we read in the Old Testament. Not that we would make anything of ourselves, it is just a question of what God in His sovereignty is pleased to make us, and what He has in

mind to effect in this dispensation in which we are living. From that standpoint it is of the greatest importance that we should have an increasing understanding of what the assembly is according to the mind of God, because it is that which He is chiefly occupied with at the present time. It is a vessel immense in extent, in that it is taking God nearly two thousand years to form it, and it is embracing those of every nation under the sun. It is the masterpiece of God's wisdom, and the expression of His love.

Let us think of such a vessel, formed of so vast a number of persons, each naturally having different features, but all wrought upon by the Holy Spirit, and in the power of the Spirit baptised into one body, and formed after Christ. Not merely so many individuals formed after Christ, but formed in such wonderful wisdom, that the assembly, when finished, will be absolutely complete as the body of Christ, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. There will be nothing lacking, and nothing superfluous. Such is the wisdom of God. And hence, dear brethren, we can see how urgent it is that we should have a real sense of the greatness of the mind of God, and the importance of the assembly, because it is that which He is forming at this present time.

But first we must have a right apprehension of the Christ Himself. You remember Simeon had it revealed to him, by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ; the Christ of God. And in Luke's gospel Peter is recorded as having confessed the Lord as the Christ of God. It is an immense thing to get an apprehension of Christ as the Christ of God; He is the One in whom God will head up all things. God has been pleased

to let us into the secret of the mystery of His will for the administration of the fulness of times - that is, the world to come - and that is to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth. But then it goes on to say, "In whom we have also obtained an inheritance" (Ephesians 1:11), which brings in the place which the assembly has in the mind of God as united to Christ; so that what He enters into as Man we enter into with Him.

Now all this was indicated early in a hidden way in Genesis, for as we know, God not only created the heavens and the earth, and not only operated to bring the earth out of the condition of chaos in which it was, but then He operated to bring about an ordered world. Hannah says in her song, "The pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, and he hath set the world upon them" (1 Samuel 2:8). So that not only did God bring the earth into view as a platform of His operations, but He created a world of life in infinite variety; the birds of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the cattle and beasts of the earth; and great variety in each class. God loves variety of life, and He brought into being a world with variety of life in it. And then having done that He created man, and He set him over the whole realm. And having done that, He said, "It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like" (Genesis 2:18). Now that is the position typically, dear brethren, in relation to the Christ. Of course, when you come to the Christ as the antitype of Adam, He was not created, He is the Word become flesh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things received being through him,

and without him not one thing received being which has received being" (John 1:1 - 3). And then in verse 14, we read, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us". A stupendous thing, the most momentous thing in all history, that God Himself should become Man, in the Person of Christ, in order that all God's thoughts regarding man should now come into view, in One competent to set them forth and maintain them. But then what is perhaps equally marvellous is that God should propose that Christ should have a helpmate, His like; that He should have a complement, formed of those who are only creatures; that by means of God's operation in those who are creatures, there should be brought into view this vessel which in its completeness is to be the fulness of the Christ.

Well, dear brethren, this is no longer a matter only of light, but the assembly is here, the time for it has come. Many years went by in the ways of God since He gave this hidden indication of what was in His mind, before Christ came. But now He has come, and the Spirit, too, has come. We might ask, Why did God allow so many centuries to go by before He introduced Christ, when the thought was in His mind all along? That, of course, is deserving of enquiry but among other things, I have no doubt God intended to demonstrate that none of His thoughts could be made good in any other man but in the second Man out of heaven. It needed a divine Person in manhood as the only one in whom God could effect His thoughts in regard to man. But I say again, dear brethren, that the time for this has come, and therefore let every brother and sister ask himself why has God wrought in me in new birth? Why has He opened my

eyes to Christ, when perhaps my neighbour living next door has no appreciation of Him? Why is it that God has wrought in me? Let everyone ask himself about it; the wondrous sovereign operation of the blessed God, that has taken you up for no less than this. And then you might say, what has God in mind in all His ways with me? God has His own perfect ways with every one of His children, and they all have in mind the formation of this vessel, the assembly; and so great is it in the sight of Christ that He has loved the assembly and has given Himself for it.

That is another thing we have to bear in mind, not only what God is working, but how Christ loves the assembly. As the woman was brought to the man, as formed from the man, the man said, "This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:23). Now the Lord can look upon the assembly in that light, although it is not yet complete. He can see something tangible there amongst the saints, and He is entitled to clothe it with complete thoughts, and the Christ has loved the assembly, and has delivered Himself up for it. I would that every brother and sister might get a real sense that there is that on earth at the present moment which is the peculiar object of the love of Christ. There are other families, and all will stand in the value of the redemption accomplished in the death of Christ, but no other family, in heaven or earth, has the place in the affections of Christ that the assembly has. And therefore the Supper is so precious; it belongs exclusively to the assembly. In it we get a definite sense that there is that which is unique in the love of Christ for the assembly, which is our own portion and belongs to no other family.

All that, dear brethren, would quicken our desires that the Christ should dwell in our hearts by faith; because, speaking reverently, He belongs to us, as we belong to Him. The feminine speaker in the Song of Songs says first of all, "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song of Songs 2:16), but then later on she says, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (chapter 6: 3). She first thinks of what Christ is to her, but as she moves on, she says, "I am my beloved's", putting that first, as though her heart rises to the sense of what the assembly is to the heart of Christ, and she glories in that. And that is what we should glory in.

The assembly is a wonderful conception, we can easily understand what a wonderful place it will have with Christ in the day to come, when He administers the whole scene, heaven and earth, for the pleasure of God and for His glory; He will have available to Him a vessel which is entirely of Him, His own fulness. In it, all that He is morally as a Man can find expression, and He will use it as the heavenly city coming down out of heaven from God, in order to express the glory of God. Not only has God been perfectly expressed in Christ, the Word become flesh, but now the Lord has available under His hand, and will have in completeness in a day soon to come, a vessel in which the glory of God can be perfectly expressed. And what that must mean to the heart of Christ, for there was nothing that He cherished more than that God should be glorified.

But it is not only what the assembly will be to Him in that day, as a vessel in which the glory of God can be expressed, but it will also be what it is already, thank God, in large measure, a vessel under His hand, in which the

service of the blessed God can be maintained eternally, in intelligence and affections which are derived from Christ, by the Spirit. So that there will be an answer to God worthy of God, Christ Himself giving character and impulse to it, and the Holy Spirit sustaining and energising it. For the assembly is united to Christ by the Holy Spirit which dwells in it. I doubt if there is any more exalted conception in Scripture than the thought of the assembly in Christ Jesus. It says, unto Him, that is to God, "be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages". With that in mind the apostle bowed his knees, as though he had the feeling that whatever is said cannot of itself bring the saints into the good of it. Even the apostle Paul, with his wonderful knowledge of the mystery, and the outstanding gift that the Lord had given him, realised that that by itself would not suffice to bring the saints into these things. And so he says, "I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man". The Father is the source of these great thoughts, and the Father's Spirit is able to bring the Father's thoughts into our hearts, the Father's appreciation of Christ; the Father's delight in Christ, and the Father's thoughts in regard of the assembly. The Father's Spirit is able to bring all that into our hearts. It is very interesting how the Holy Spirit will assume different characters according to the need of the moment; He will operate as the Father's Spirit; and He will operate

in our hearts as the Spirit of God's Son. He will operate in many different ways according to the need of the moment.

It is a most touching thing that the Spirit of the One who has conceived these things, the One who is the Head of the whole system of glory, that is the Father, should be operating in our hearts with a view to this, that the Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith. He is not to be dislodged from the place that is due to Him. He is entitled to this place in the affections of the assembly, and He is not to be dislodged from it. If He has His place in our hearts, one result will be that we shall be devoted to His interests in His absence. That is a sure proof of Christ having His place in our hearts, and if we are not devoted to His interests in His absence then it may well be questioned whether He has His place in our hearts. And so it says, "Being rooted and founded in love, in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled even to all the fulness of God". I do not enlarge on that, dear brethren, because what I particularly wanted to stress at this time was the great thought of "the Christ" dwelling in our hearts by faith.

Now I pass on to Philippians, because the apostle there in writing to those saints says, very significantly, "Ye have me in your hearts" and the 'me' is emphatic. As you read the epistle you cannot but be impressed with the bond of affectionate sympathy which existed between the Philippian saints and the apostle Paul. And another thing that runs right through the epistle, and especially the first chapter, is

the thought of the glad tidings. So Paul says, "Both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the glad tidings ye are all participators in my grace". We are not to have any low thoughts as to the glad tidings, or to become careless in regard of them, because the glad tidings are God's public testimony in the world, the name of God is bound up with them. Let us not forget that they are God's public testimony in the world, He is to become known as a Saviour God. And not only is there to be the verbal testimony to the glad tidings, as it says, how shall they hear without a preacher, so the preaching must go on. It is essential in the ways of God that men should hear through a preacher, but what is possibly even more important than the verbal testimony is that the saints themselves should commend the gospel by being the exponents of the power of the gospel to save them practically, so that they are not overcome by any principle of evil of this world, or by the pressure of things in this life. They are able to stand forth in the world, whatever comes upon them, as saved persons, persons who through the power of the glad tidings are superior to the influences to which they are subjected.

Now Paul represents that in this epistle to the Philippians. He represents one who in an outstanding way was formed by the gospel; not a popular gospel, but the heavenly gospel. That had been the means of transforming a man who had been a vessel of Satan, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, so that he took on the Spirit of Christ, and moved in this world completely superior to the circumstances of pressure through which he was called to pass. That is the power of

the glad tidings. Paul was the exemplification of that; and being such he was in the hearts of the Philippians. I put it to myself, dear brethren, and to you, that Paul is to be in our hearts, because he was specially taken up by God as one in whom the truth of Christianity was to be exemplified. Of course we should all be minded to exemplify the truth, but Paul is taken up by the Spirit of God as one who can say in the Spirit, "Be my imitators, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1); and indeed in this very epistle he says, "Be imitators all together of me, brethren" (chapter 3: 17), hence Paul is to be in our hearts. Christ, of course, is the great standard, but at the same time Paul is given to us as one in whom, a man of like passions to ourselves, the truth in its heavenly features was worked out in a remarkable degree. And so Paul, knowing the place he had in the affections of the Philippians, says in this first chapter, "But I would have you know, brethren, that the circumstances in which I am have turned out rather to the furtherance of the glad tidings". He was in prison in Rome, but his bonds were being made manifest as being in Christ; he was not there through any misdeeds on his part, he was there on account of the testimony of the Christ. His bonds were being made manifest as such, and this shows the superiority of Christianity to all that went before.

You remember how the Lord speaks of John the baptist, "There is not arisen among the born of women a greater than John the baptist. But he who is a little one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11). Now when John the baptist was cast into prison for the testimony's sake, he came under the power of the

depression connected with his circumstances, and began to lose faith, sending to Jesus and saying, "Art thou the coming one? or are we to wait for another?" (Matthew 11:3). But not so Paul; see the contrast in a man who is the living exemplification of the power of the glad tidings. He recognises that it is not in any power of his own that he can become superior, he counts on the supplications of the saints, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. What a victory it would have been for Satan if Paul had been overcome, if he had given way to complaining and discouragement! But Paul is sustained, through their supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, right through to the end. Paul was in their hearts, and I believe we can well afford to have him in our hearts.

Take chapter 3 of this epistle and see what marked him as he drew near to the end of his life; a man whose life had been so full of devoted service to Christ, and I have no doubt he was still carrying the burden of all the assemblies in his heart, and concerned too about the ministry, because in the prison he wrote some of his choicest epistles. But then instead of being over-burdened by these things he shows us in chapter 3 what was before him. He says his great desire was to gain Christ - you marvel that Paul should say that, and to be found in Him. He is looking forward to that which he is going on to, to be found entirely in Christ, with not a trace at all of Saul of Tarsus, not a trace left of the natural, and yet it would be Paul; but Paul in Christ. But he was looking forward to it, and we may well look forward to it. And if we have it before us as the great goal to which we are being led, the concern will be

with us to accept everything as God's ordering for us, and as that in which Christ may be magnified in our body whether by life or by death. That is what he had in mind, and that is what the Lord would help us to have in mind too, because if Paul is in our hearts we shall see that what governed Paul has a place with us.

Well now, in closing I refer to Corinthians because Paul says, "Ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together". He has been opening up much to the Corinthians and he arrives at a point where he urges on the Corinthians to come out from every link with evil and be separate, he says, and touch not the unclean thing. Notice how emphatic the Spirit of God is, "Touch not what is unclean" (2 Corinthians 6:17). And there is the promise of the Lord Almighty to the one who will answer to these injunctions and come out from among them and be separate and not touch what is unclean. God says, "I will receive you; and I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty". That is, there is that promise on God's part. And now the apostle says, "Having therefore these promises". I understand the thought of a promise is that God gives us something that faith can rely upon. If God makes a promise, He has committed Himself to it and He will not fail. And therefore in all the testing exercises that compliance with these injunctions may result in, there is this promise to support faith, and God will stand true to His promise. "I will receive you; and I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty". Not only is He faithful but He has the

power to make good all that He has promised, because He is the Lord Almighty.

And so Paul says, "Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear". The fear of God is a most important thing, it is one of the greatest preservatives there is. It is something that should mark us all through our course, the oldest or most spiritual of us has to recognise that he has to be in the fear of God all the day long. "Be thou", Solomon says to his son, "in the fear of Jehovah all the day" (Proverbs 23:17). There is nothing so preservative as the fear of God. I believe the fear of God is what answers to the salt that we often read of in Scripture; in all our offerings there is to be salt, and we are to have salt in ourselves. Then he says, "Receive us: we have injured no one, we have ruined no one, we have made gain of no one. I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together". How the apostle stresses the thought of 'together', to die together first, and then live together. That is the principle of Christianity, life out of death; but he says "to die together, and live together". We know well that in Corinth there had been a setting up of particular leaders in a spirit of rivalry so that Paul had to say that they were saying, "I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos" (1 Corinthians 3:4). But he tells us later on that he had transferred those things to himself and Apollos so as to bring the matter out more clearly and appeal to them more tenderly without exposing the particular local leaders that were really involved. Then he says, "Who then is Apollos, and who Paul?" (1 Corinthians 3:5),

putting Apollos before himself. They are but ministering servants, that is all they are, ministering servants; to be honoured indeed by the saints for their work's sake, but they are ministering servants according as the Lord has given to each. And what hast thou, he says further, which thou hast not received? There is no point in our accrediting ourselves with what we have of spiritual things, for we have nothing that we have not received. If we have received it why do we boast as if we had not received it? It is a question of having received it, as the Lord has given to each.

So this is intended to regulate us in our relations with one another, that there should be no rivalry, either on my own part or on the part of others on my behalf, or anything of that sort. But the apostle says, "Ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together". And that is the great thing, dear brethren, to be together, to be together in love, and anything that will promote it is to be followed up by us; and anything that will hinder it or be prejudicial to it is to be avoided. We shall be together at the coming of the Lord, it says, "Then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall be always with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). And so it is a great matter to have the saints in our hearts. "Ye are in our hearts", the apostle says, "to die together, and live together". Satan is always busy in some way or another to seek to bring in disrupting influences; but Paul had the saints in his heart, to die together, and live together. May the Lord help us in these things for His name's sake.

New York, February 1950

THE KINGDOM

A E MYLES

Matthew 2:9; Matthew 3:1, 2; Acts 19:8, 9; 1 Samuel 11:12 - 15

It has come to me, dear brethren, to speak tonight about the kingdom, sometimes spoken of as the kingdom of the heavens, sometimes as the kingdom of God, and I have this additional thought to take notice of the context in which the idea of the kingdom is introduced, hoping to show that it is in view of something else; in view of making way for something else; preparing the people, I might say, for still greater things. In referring to the passage in Matthew 2, I just wish to show how indications were given to men of a great event: the greatest event in man's history was shortly to take place. It was not published in the literature of the day, either political or religious, but there were indications in the heavens that some took account of, and they were interested enough to follow a movement, an unusual movement that took place in the heavens. I want to try and impress on all here, especially the young people, how God would make provision for us to attract our attention, and to arouse our interest and to give us to understand that what He has in mind to bring us into is greater than anything that is in the world.

When John the baptist, the forerunner of Christ, began to preach, the first word of his preaching is, "Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh". It had drawn nigh, it was there in the Person of Jesus, but as yet it is only spoken of as having drawn nigh. But it was near enough, so

to speak, to begin to affect people; not everybody, but certain people; that is, people who were found in repentance. I want to emphasise this point, feeling how basic it is, especially for the young people, but for all of us, too. Do we understand that there is a great power here moving amongst us, the Spirit of God is here, the kingdom is now in full function and power, and that that power is equal not only to relieving us of all need and making us whole, but of giving us joy in God? I would raise the question with all the dear young people as to whether you are affected as you sit in meetings like this. Is there anything moving within your heart, within your mind; are any resolves being formed in your mind, or are you just sitting here unaffected, just looking round, perhaps taking notice of who is here and who is not. No matter how near the kingdom is to you and how powerful it is, if there is no repentance you will never be conscious of it. Two people might sit together in a meeting like this; one profoundly moved, and the other totally unaffected, and if you looked into the situation you would find that one has taken on this command, for it is a command, as Paul speaks of it and as the Lord speaks of it later; the command to repent, without which, no matter how great the power is, you will be totally unconscious of it and you will derive no benefit.

Now the passage in Acts 19 is mainly in my mind, so I will turn to that. I want to ask your attention to the place and to what is in mind in following the labours of Paul to this notable city of Ephesus. I am not thinking of its notability according to the works of man, but of its notability in a spiritual sense, for it represents Paul's

greatest work; it was there that he unfolded the truth of the assembly in its highest setting. Reference was made this afternoon to taking on the refined things; the things that spiritually are great and magnificent and beautiful, and it is a well-known thing to this company of saints that the truth of the assembly as developed at Ephesus presents the highest and the best. Now, without saying more on those lines I would draw your attention to this skilled workman, this man who is so skilful in his ministry that he went into the synagogue and he spoke boldly for the space of three months, "reasoning and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God". Why did Paul begin there? The answer is that the power of the kingdom is necessary. It is necessary that it should be known and that it should be enjoyed if we are to take up assembly relations and enjoy the best and the highest of our privileges. The kingdom of God is designed to bring man under control. At the very outset of the history in the garden we see the woman out of control. She was deceived into stepping out of divine control, and the result was disastrous because she affected her husband and he got out of control. Now, of what use can any of us be in the assembly if we are not under divine control; the control of God? Some of us have known little meetings that have broken up through violence, through violent persons; persons who have not recognised the authority of the truth. Perhaps these same persons would profess to own the authority of Christ, but if we do not accept the authority of the truth are we not really denying the authority of Christ? I only mention that to show that if unbroken persons, persons out of control, not subject to the

authority of the truth, come into assembly relations, there is disaster. The assembly is a sphere of love's operations, and if we come this way of the kingdom, especially as Paul presents it here, we shall come to our assembly relations subdued and disciplined and under control.

Now I want to draw attention to how Paul handled this matter of the kingdom. It says that he reasoned: "Reasoning and persuading". It seems to me that these thoughts are such as we need to make use of today in our meeting rooms. You could not reverse those two words, you could not begin by persuading, the reasoning must come first, and if we seek for an illustration of what the reasoning is, it is the epistle to the Romans, the great reasoned epistle. The skill of the Spirit in a remarkable way coming through this chosen vessel has shown us how to reason, according to God; not according to man, but according to God. If we were to take time to look at that epistle we should find out that one great feature in it is the thought of analysis, of self-analysis, but we have not only to analyse what we see at work around us, but we have to analyse what is in ourselves, and we are not ready to take charge of ourselves until we learn what we have to take charge of, and that the control is by the Holy Spirit. The matter is so great that it needs the Holy Spirit. Again and again in the Roman epistle Paul uses words like these - "What shall we then say", as though he would appeal to the minds of those who are reading his letter, as though he would say, now what have you got to say. It is a time to speak, as feature after feature is opened up, it is a time to speak; a time to say something, and a time to do something. But what a reasoning it was,

and yet it was in the synagogues for this space of three months, but what power there must have been in his reasoning. Then he persuaded too. When things are spread out before us, the authority of the truth is drawn to our attention, we may still need to be persuaded. Many of the young people need a helping hand to make a start, and it requires to be a skilful hand, too. It is not a question of numbers, or of gaining some distinction in the way of being known as helping young people; it is not that, it is a question of discerning the work of God, and whether the time has come to persuade.

Paul gives us his own magnificent persuasion in Romans 8. I think I will read it, it is worth drawing our attention to. In verses 38, 39 he says: "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord". What a persuasion! Many of us here, I trust most, if not all, could join in with that persuasion, and begin with the words, "For I am persuaded". That "I" is very individual, and each of us should ask ourselves as we sit here in this very place where I am assured the power of God is operating and is ready to operate for any one of us to make good any deficiency, or to heal any disease and to fill us with joy in God. We each must ask ourselves if we are being affected by it. Is it causing us to say something within; perhaps only the Spirit knows what you say, but He may be listening for a word from some of us here, the young people especially, a word that would indicate that the

ministry is moving your heart and moving you to commit yourself to Christ and to go forward to the full enjoyment of all our assembly privileges. A little later on, Paul says something in this letter to the Romans, it comes to mind as I speak of the Spirit, he says "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). It is a moral kingdom; it would set us up in righteousness; it would establish us in peace, for there can only be peace when God has His way, and when He is in full control. When there is only one will then all is peaceful, and when that will, so almighty in its power, is set to bless us, oh how happy to resign ourselves to it, and to let God have His way, and to carry us into the joy that is found in the Holy Spirit. I want to say this about the last clause of that verse, that I used to confine it in my own mind to the thought that joy was in the power of the Spirit, and no doubt that is right. There could be no joy without the Spirit's power. But I think I see something more now in that verse, and that is, that a feature of the kingdom of God is that we find joy in that blessed Person, the Holy Spirit. What a joy He is to our hearts! How we love to commune with Him, He is so near to us that we can commune with Him, and He is so interested in us and so set to serve us that He never loses an opportunity day or night. How much this truth as to the Holy Spirit has affected the brethren. I believe it has affected them profoundly.

Looking back in history so far as one can look back, one recalls the time when the sonship of our Lord Jesus Christ was rightly presented and understood, and how it affected the brethren; how it opened up vistas of glory that

we had not seen before, and now that we have this liberty with the Holy Spirit, whose sphere of operations is the kingdom of God from one viewpoint, we are finding joy, not only in His power, for it is in His power that we have joy in God and joy in Christ, but we are finding joy in that blessed Person Himself. How delightful He is! I say it reverently, remembering that He is a divine Person, but oh, the grace of His constant service, oh, the grace of His patience with all of us, oh, the grace of the way He has set Himself to bring us through and to bring us into God's thoughts. I am coming to think that the assembly's history might close with this great fact impressed on every heart, that we must lean on the Spirit. We cannot even lean on gift. I do not say that in any way as disregarding gift, thank God for it, but the Spirit is going through the whole history of the assembly to the end, and I am inclined to think that in the days to come we shall have to lean harder on the Spirit, and count on Him more and bring Him into every matter that we might be ready for that precious moment when the Spirit and the bride will speak with one voice and one word, but a word that will intimate that the time has come, the moment for which Christ has waited throughout all these ages, the moment for which the Spirit has laboured so constantly and so patiently, the moment when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven. We are waiting for that; we are looking for it. Many of us here are growing old and if we looked at things according to nature we might say that it would be our lot to fall asleep through Jesus, but we do not know how near this moment is. Sometimes when we are together and the sense of power is on our spirits, I feel we

could just go up from here, right at this moment; we are just waiting for that word.

Now I make a brief reference to the passage in 1 Samuel. You will remember the context. Saul was the kind of man that Israel desired to be king over them, to lead them out to battle so that they would be like the nations, and God gave them that kind of man that they might learn by it. At this juncture where I read, Saul had done very well in defeating certain enemies. The people were very pleased with their king; but he was not God's man; not God's kind of man, but the people were pleased with him, and this kind of man is all around us. He is made much of in the schools; he is made much of in the world; a man that is head and shoulders above the people, and after this victory there were some who came to Samuel and called for the death of the men who had said, "Shall Saul reign over us", and then Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day; for today Jehovah has wrought deliverance in Israel". It is all very nice, apparently. He is very magnanimous, very forgiving. That kind of man is magnanimous, except when it comes fully to light that he must make way for another. Then he is cruel and murderous, stopping at nothing. Now all this history is known to us. I just speak of these features to recall them to mind, because after these two speakings then Samuel says something. Samuel was a man of God, although he had some lessons to learn, too, in relation to Saul; still he is a man of God. The link with God is through Samuel, and when all this nice speaking is going on, Samuel said to the people, "Come and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there". Now if we go to Gilgal, as is

spoken of in the book of Joshua, you will remember that after the people had crossed the Jordan the Lord told Joshua to make sharp knives and circumcise the people, for all the children that had been born in the wilderness were uncircumcised. It is as though God says, now you have passed through the Jordan I am going to apply all the benefits of the death of Christ to you, I am going to give you the results of that victory, but there is something that you must do, you must understand that I am not going on with man after the flesh or with man according to nature. You must understand that in the death of Christ there was a judicial end of that man, and I have finished with him.

Now, I bring this in because there are many dear young people here, and perhaps the basic teaching of Romans is not as much insisted on as it used to be, perhaps not as much as it should be. Many of our dear young people may be moved and encouraged to come into fellowship and to take up assembly privileges, and then they find that the position is not what they thought it was; they have not learnt this great lesson. God has one Man before Him, and that is Christ; all others must go. Not only must they go doctrinally, but practically. You say, how is it possible; how can we as we are in present conditions, how can we maintain this, how can we go forward on this basis? Well, the answer is, by the Spirit. The work that was to be done down here was so great and so intensive, involving every single individual in the assembly, that a divine Person had to come here. He was sent, sent for this work which He carries on day and night; He has had to do it in every one that is to have part in the assembly. We need a divine

Person for this - to maintain the truth of circumcision. And so the dear young people, attracted and encouraged to put out their hand to every Christian privilege, should understand that there is no room for the flesh in the assembly; no place for that kind of man. God has finished with him forever; He judged him, condemned him in the cross of Christ, and if He is going on with us it is on that basis. What a great lesson, but we have the power of the kingdom; the wonderful power of the kingdom, which, as Paul said, "is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit". Oh! what joy God can give us in divine Persons; in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit. We are proving it; I am sure the dear brethren are proving it in a practical way, that we have real holy pleasure in thinking of and speaking of these glorious Persons. They are before us as objects of worship; that must be so - a divine Person must be an object of worship, but in all the excellent grace that marks them they can stoop to serve. The Lord Jesus stooped to serve us. I think I can say He loves to serve; He loves to serve His own; it is a pleasure to Him to serve His own. The Spirit is here to serve, and yet they are divine Persons and their greatness in their own realm we can never know, but we know it is altogether beyond the creature, and in that knowledge we worship.

Well, that is all, dear brethren; we are to be strengthened in our souls in view of going higher and further in the assembly, and may we all prove it and enter more fully into the joy of the Holy Spirit.

Edinburgh, July 1950

"I COME QUICKLY"

A J GARDINER

Revelation 22:6 - 21

These verses we have read, dear brethren, come in after the revelation proper has been completed. That is to say, the unveiling, which the word revelation means, was really completed at verse 5, but then the Lord addresses to us these verses we have read as a kind of appeal to us all as to what our attitude is going to be as having been given this wonderful book of Revelation. It is a great message from God that we should be made intelligent as to all that is to come to pass, because the world around us knows nothing. It may have its fears but it knows nothing as to what is about to happen, but to us it is given, in the grace of God, to be intelligent in all that is to arise, and that I believe is a feature, dear brethren, of sonship, that God loves to have His sons intelligently with Him in all that He has in mind to do.

Now in connection with these verses I wanted to draw attention to the fact that three times over the Lord says, "I come quickly". In the first place in verse 7: "I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book", and then again in verse 12: "Behold I come quickly, and my reward with me, to render to every one as his work shall be", and then finally in verse 20 "Yea, I come quickly" with nothing added. It is Himself there; the final word is Himself - "I come quickly", but one desired to draw attention to this thrice-repeated word, "I come

quickly" and what stands connected with it, and also to draw attention to one or two other features that appear in the passage, and especially the thought of bondmanship which was alluded to last night, and which is a prominent feature, as we know, of this book of Revelation. It says in verse 6, "the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his angel to show to his bondmen the things which must soon come to pass". There can be no doubt, dear brethren, that the present time calls for bondmanship, indeed, the testimony of God has always called for bondmanship, and so the angel who has to rebuke John because John was prepared to fall down and do homage at his feet, says to him, "See thou do it not. I am thy fellow-bondman, and the fellow-bondman of thy brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book". That is to say the angels are bondmen, and the prophets have been bondmen, and we are to be bondmen, bondmen of God; that is, wholly committed to God's things; in no other way can the testimony go forward to completion, save in the spirit of bondmanship, and so one would remark, in passing, that of the five writers of epistles only two of them (that is, Paul and Peter) call themselves apostles. Peter, in his second epistle, adds bondman. He says, "Bondman and apostle of Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1), but James addresses us as "James, bondman of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 1). John, in his second and third epistles calls himself "the elder", and in Revelation 1:1 calls himself "his bondman John", that is, the bondman of Jesus Christ. Jude says he is "bondman of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (verse 1). That is to say these three writers of epistles,

although they had authority by reason of the place the Lord had given them, do not explicitly assert it, but rely rather on their moral authority by reason of their love for the saints as evident in their epistles. James constantly says "my beloved brethren" and Jude speaks of the saints in similar terms, and John, as we know, is the great one who loved, and they certainly had moral authority by reason of their love for the saints, and I question whether we have any moral authority if we do not love the saints, and I doubt if our moral authority is any greater than the measure of our love, but I say these three writers do not assert authority in their epistles, but rather present themselves as bondmen, of God and of the Lord Jesus. And so they would incite us all to take up that attitude of mind. Indeed, beloved brethren, bondmanship of God and of the Lord Jesus is not merely something to be taken up, as it were, voluntarily, it is our normal relation to God and to the Lord Jesus. As was stated yesterday, the epistle to the Romans develops how we are in fact to become bondmen of God. Having been bondmen of sin the grace of God has come in in order to make us practically bondmen of God, and the way it comes about is worked out in the early chapters of the epistle to the Romans; the sixth chapter especially, our mind coming into the matter - a right reckoning in the light of the truth as it is presented, and then the eighth chapter bringing in, in the Holy Spirit, the power to make it good. But I say, dear brethren, that bondmanship on our part to God and to the Lord Jesus arises properly from the fact that we are their absolute property; that They have an absolute right to us, both creatorially and through redemption. So that

bondmanship to God is simply the recognition on our part that they have an absolute, incontestable right to us, and our happiness and our power in the testimony depend upon the measure in which we are prepared to yield ourselves to that position which is right for each one of us.

There is the thought of bondmanship also in relation to the saints. As Paul says, "We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5). That is bondmanship in relation to the saints, taken up in love, under the influence of love - for Jesus' sake - and that is an important matter too, and a matter that will greatly contribute to the well-being of the saints, if in every locality there are those who are prepared to be bondmen of the saints for Jesus' sake. But as regards this thought of bondmanship in this chapter in Revelation, and indeed in the whole book, for it is a characteristic expression of the book of Revelation, the idea of bondman really flows from the fact that both God and the Lord Jesus have an absolute right to us. And the Spirit of God has come in in order that it might be real and effective. The Spirit of God is able to control our minds and hold us for the service and pleasure of the blessed God. The way the Spirit is being emphasised at the present time is intended to encourage us to seek to know Him personally, and intimately, and to accord Him without any reserves the place that He is entitled to. He has come in in order to secure us, spirit, soul and body for God and for the Lord Jesus, and to enable us in liberty and intelligence to fill out our part in assembly service, and also to enable us to stand here as committed to the testimony, with no private interests

that would conflict in any way with divine interests. The Spirit is here in order to bring about in us this attitude of mind of bondmanship to God and to support us in it.

I said earlier that in that position we are in the company of angels and of prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. And so it says, "The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets". What an important matter that is - the spirits of the prophets, for we are living in days when evil is increasing, when things that are done may strike us as unreasonable and arbitrary, and how necessary it is, if we are to be here representative of God, that our spirits should be kept. "The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets". God places great value on the spirits of the saints, and hence the importance of the fact that the Holy Spirit has taken His abode in us, as James says. God attaches great importance to the spirits of those who represent Him, and we do represent Him, beloved brethren, as having the Holy Spirit, we are here as representative of God in His testimony in this world, and in that position we come under divine notice and protection; as it says, "Touch not mine anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm" (Psalm 105:15). On the other hand the opposition may be allowed to do harm to the bodies of the saints, but it is not contemplated that they can overcome their spirits, and so we have in Stephen one of the first and one of the greatest prophets of the New Testament. We see how his spirit was so blessedly preserved, as he says as he falls asleep, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). How God attaches value to the spirits of His prophets; those who represent Him in this world, and are capacitated in the Spirit to

convey His mind; He is the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets. You remember what a beautiful spirit Ezekiel showed when one of his opponents as he prophesied fell down dead, and Ezekiel cried, "Ah, Lord Jehovah! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?" (Ezekiel 11:13). What a spirit to show; no rejoicing over the cutting off of a bitter opponent, but the spirit of intercession, and how much more so with us in this dispensation of divine grace.

And now the first time the Lord says, "I come quickly", He says, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book". That is, keeps them in mind, and is affected by them, and that raises the question with us all, dear brethren, as to how much we know of the book of Revelation, and how much we are carrying it in mind, and how much it is regulating our outlook, and affecting us. What a book it is! We have chapters 2 and 3 which give, as we well know, an epitome of assembly history as the Lord has seen it, and how we are to be affected by it; we ought to be affected by it as tracing the history of the declension of the assembly, from all that it enjoyed as set up under Paul's ministry at Ephesus, and then what it became in Thyatira, and that is all around us today, and then the Lord's word to Sardis, "I have not found thy works complete before my God" (Revelation 3:2). The Lord is looking for completeness, that there should not be a single element wanting in God's thoughts regarding the assembly. He is looking for a perfect answer to it, and if the Lord addresses Sardis and says, "I have not found thy works complete before my God", He presents Himself as the One who has the seven Spirits of God, as though to say, 'I have at My disposal all that is

necessary to bring about completeness' - completeness can come about in the Holy Spirit. There is fulness of power, fulness of resource in the Holy Spirit to bring about a perfect answer to every thought of God regarding the assembly, and hence one can rejoice, dear brethren, unfeignedly for the place the Holy Spirit is now getting amongst us. Is there anyone who has difficulty about it still? If so I beg of you to take account of the fact that the brethren are coming into it and are rejoicing in it, and it will be your greatest loss if you do not come into it yourself.

The Holy Spirit has been recognised and known by us in a sense all along, as the One who alone gives power in divine things, and we have proved His help in the past, but now He is being brought before us in His own Person in a personal way; as the Lord says, "Another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever" (John 14:16), and again, "He shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). What could be more blessed than that, and that He is there to be referred to, and there to be communed with, and there to be availed of, and He has taken up His abode in us; in each of us individually. Each one of our bodies is "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19), and He has come in to take up His abode in the assembly, and to be with us right through to the end, and again I say to guide into all the truth. Hence, dear brethren, how important it is, if any of us have reserves or difficulties in regard of this matter of the Spirit, that we should really get to the Lord about it, and get to the Spirit Himself about it, so that we may be relieved of our difficulties and reserves, that we may come fully and happily into the joy and happiness of that which is known

and proved among the saints. And so dear brethren, without the Spirit we shall never reach completeness, but in the full recognition of the Holy Spirit, and as increasingly affected individually by the presence of the Spirit, for the presence of the Spirit requires increasing subjection on our part, increasing dependence, increasing concern as to holiness, increasing sensitivity, the presence of the Holy Spirit with us requires all that, but as we are prepared to face up to the exercises that the presence of the Spirit involves, I say we shall find in increasing measure what He is to us as in the assembly, and we shall find that He will really guide us into all the truth; not only opening up the mind of God, but giving us the capacity to understand it and to move in it in liberty, dignity and power. The Lord had to say to Sardis, "I have not found thy works complete before my God", but then how we rejoice in the light of Philadelphia and all that it means; assembly revival, recovery of all the truth, as the Lord says to Philadelphia, "Hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown" (Revelation 3:11). What a crown it will be, dear brethren, if we are enabled to arrive at a complete answer in life and intelligence and dignity, to all the thoughts of God regarding the assembly. What a joy it will be for the heart of Christ; what joy for the heart of God; what a crown to the assembly if, after all its history in the past, that is what is arrived at; and that is what we are to have in mind.

You can understand the Lord saying, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book". And then you pass on to Revelation 4, and you find that there is a throne in heaven and one sitting upon it, as though we are

not to be unduly disturbed by all the occurrences in the world. There is One sitting on the throne; the throne is there and One sitting on it; there is no need to be disturbed; "Jehovah sitteth upon the flood; yea, Jehovah sitteth as king for ever" (Psalm 29:10). That is the light that is brought to us in Revelation 4, and in the meantime while the Lord is not intervening publicly in an outward way He is seeing that the rights of the throne are maintained in the assembly. That is to say the assembly is here as a sphere on earth where every feature of the rights of God is intended to be maintained. It becomes thus a testimony to what will be brought in publicly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and what we find in chapter 4 is that elders are identified with the throne, and living creatures are identified with the throne, as though God would say to us that He wants us to be identified with Him in the maintenance of all that is due to His throne. He does not want to assert His power apart from the saints. He wants to assert His rights through the saints, and to have us with Him in the maintenance of all that is due to Him in the assembly. We cannot put the world right, but we can see that things are right in the assembly, and it is our responsibility and our privilege to do so. Not only will it afford a clean place for God and afford pleasure to God, but it becomes a testimony to that which will be brought in publicly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the Lamb is presented in chapter 5. As we were saying this afternoon, this is a diminutive idea, a defenceless idea, and so He is seen as a Lamb standing, as slain. That is to say faithfulness to God had carried Him along that path of outward defencelessness and littleness,

but He would not surrender. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7), and on those lines He has achieved victory. He has not been overcome; He has overcome. So the Lamb in chapter 5 is seen as the "lion which is of the tribe of Juda" (verse 5), the one morally entitled and alone fitted to take the book and open the seals thereof. So the Lord would raise the question with us, dear brethren, as to how much we are keeping the words of the prophecy of the book. How much are they in our minds; how much are we affected by them, because it will greatly alter our outlook and greatly conduce to restfulness and peace of mind if we keep the words of the prophecy of this book in our hearts. It will also stimulate us to see that there is nothing allowed in the assembly that is inconsistent with the rights of the throne. So you could pass on right through the book. We know that in chapter 18 there is the judgment of the great harlot, and then in chapter 19 there is the rejoicing over her, a great voice heard in heaven, and then in the middle of chapter 19 we read, "And I saw" (verse 11). I just mention in passing, that from that point onwards (with one exception), you will find that in eight successive paragraphs it starts, "And I saw", going right on to the eternal state. John is telling us what he saw, and we are supposed to see, too, dear brethren. The book of Revelation is given us for that very purpose; that we may see things carried right through to an issue, as God is able and going to do. He will bring everything to an issue.

In the middle of chapter 19 you have, "And I saw the heaven opened" (verse 11), and then we have the coming forth in glory of our Lord Jesus Christ who is called "Faithful

and True". That is, His moral features of faithfulness and truth are brought forward first, giving His moral right to take up things for God, and then it says He has "a name written which no one knows but himself" (verse 12) - a beautiful allusion to the inscrutability of His Person. Blessed the way the Lord brings in from time to time that which reminds us of the glory of His Person. We have it later on in this very chapter 22 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (verse 13). The Lord is saying all these things to the assembly. As it says: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies". It is the whole assembly that is in mind, but it is the local assemblies that are being addressed, because the Lord is speaking in view of practical results, and practical results are seen in local assemblies. It is in the local assemblies, dear brethren, that things are right or not right; that the rights of God are maintained or not maintained; that things are in readiness for the coming of the Lord or are not in readiness. It is in localities that these conditions come to light, and therefore the Lord says "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies". The Lord is looking round, you might say, on all the assemblies, to take account of the conditions that are found there in view of His coming. He says, "I come quickly". Three times over He says it, and in connection with the first He says, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book".

So as I was saying, in chapter 19 John sees Him coming forth, called "Faithful and True" and then having "a name written which no one knows but himself", and then

"his name is called The Word of God". That is, as the Lord Jesus comes forth in power to establish the rights of God upon the earth and to deal in judgment with all that is opposed, He is just as much the Word of God, the perfect expression of the mind of God, as when in grace the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Then finally it says, He has a name written, "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (verse 16). That is His public glory, His public vindication, "King of kings and Lord of lords".

Well now John sees that - He says, "And I saw", and then as I said, seven further paragraphs, each one beginning with, "And I saw", covering the whole closing up of things in this world, leading up to the overthrow of the beast and the false prophet, and the chaining of Satan for a thousand years, and then, when the thousand years are completed, the great white throne, and evil finally dealt with and the lake of fire finally brought in, showing God's ability to carry matters right through. As Solomon said to his son, "Let thine eyes look right on" (Proverbs 4:25), and the book of Revelation is given us for that very purpose, to enable us to have our eyes looking right on, and I say again, dear brethren, that the more we keep the words of the prophecy of this book the more we shall be in peace and steady in regard of all that is happening in the world, because we see that God has the ability, and is going to do it, to carry everything to an issue that is according to Himself. But what He is occupied with at the moment is the assembly, and the completion of His thoughts regarding it, and the securing in the assembly of a sphere in which all that will be brought in publicly at the coming of the Lord Jesus

Christ is already secured among the saints. So the last "and I saw" that John gives us is in chapter 21: 2. In verse 1 he says, "And I saw a new heaven and new earth", and then he says, "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". That is the last thing that John specifically says he saw. He is shown something after this, and, of course, he saw it, but he is specifically shown what follows. But what I have alluded to is what he sees as carefully observing what the Lord is bringing before him, going right on to completion, and hence the importance with us of keeping the "words of the prophecy of this book". We have been much impressed of late, dear brethren, and again in these meetings, with the sense that the assembly comes down out of heaven; she is heavenly; heavenly in origin, as has often been said; heavenly in constitution too, for in the Holy Spirit those who compose it partake of the life and spirit of the heavenly One, as it says: "Such as the heavenly one, such also the heavenly ones" (1 Corinthians 15:48), and the idea of being heavenly is to take possession of our minds.

So here in the eternal state John sees the "holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". As has often been said, that is after the thousand years, showing that during the millennium there is no deterioration, but she is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. A bride likes to look her best; it is a figure used; it is not exactly the bride, although of course it is the bride, but I mean it is not exactly presented in that way as the bride, but rather the figure is used - "prepared as a bride adorned for her

husband". What bride does not want to look her best, and are we concerned, dear brethren, to look our best, if I may use that expression? Is the assembly concerned to look its best; is it considering what the Lord would love to see in us, for that is the idea? What kind of features would the Lord delight to see us marked by, for what is seen when the assembly, the holy city, new Jerusalem, in the eternal day comes down out of heaven from God, is that she is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband? That is to say the features of beauty that mark her have been the subject of a good deal of preparation on her part, and the governing consideration in the preparation is, what kind of features will the Lord love to see? I need not say, dear brethren, that they will be features that correspond with Himself. Where can we learn what is really attractive to God, save in Christ? The more we consider Christ, dear brethren, the more we find that He was always considering for the pleasure and glory of God, never considering for Himself. He never sought His own glory, He never did His own will. The more you follow Christ through the gospels and other scriptures that speak of Him, the more you will find that He is always considering for the glory of God. As it says in Peter, "That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:11). That is brought down to us; it is to govern us in our service; it is to govern us in all that we do among the saints, "that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ".

So the more we consider Christ, and the more we consider what He would delight to see, the more we shall find that we are considering for the glory of God; that no

other motive is governing us, as it says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all things to God's glory" (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are very shortly to come out as the vessel having the glory of God, to come out in the millennium as the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, having the glory of God, able in that way to express it, and hence, dear brethren, if we are to be fitted for that, we have to learn from Christ, and consider the features, the kind of adornment, the kind of spiritual refinement which He would see marking the saints. The more we consider Him and consider what He will take pleasure in, the more it will work out in our being formed in ability rightly to express and glorify God. So it says in verses 2 and 3 that the holy city comes down out of the heaven from God. "And I heard a loud voice out of the heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and he shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God". That is something that is included in the words of the prophecy of this book, and it involves, dear brethren, that we are to be formed in love. The tabernacle of God is with men, not a temple, not a grand official idea, but rather the simple, the homely kind of dwelling, if one may use the expression, which the tabernacle suggests. "The tabernacle of God is with men", God dwelling with men; how wonderful it is, and the assembly is being formed as the tabernacle of God, by means of which He will be placed in touch with men in the eternal day.

So after all these things that John says he saw, we find in chapter 21: 9 that an angel, one of the angels that had

been given the seven bowls, comes to him and says, "Come here, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife". And so he is now shown something, as though the Spirit of God would enlarge on the assembly, for the bride the Lamb's wife is the assembly, and she is God's great masterpiece, and the result of the Spirit's unremitting labours for two thousand years, and so John is shown the bride, the Lamb's wife, and he sees a city. It can be measured, and its wall can be measured and its gates can be measured; a great vessel of administration in love, for love is the great matter. As Paul says in that great administrative epistle, the epistle to the Corinthians, "Let all things ye do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14), and again he says, "If I ... have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2), a most sweeping statement. I might have prophecy, and understand mysteries, and have faith to remove mountains, and so on, but if I have not love I am nothing. And the present time is the time of formation in love, and hence the Supper, week after week, dear brethren, gives us a fresh start in a fresh week under the influence of love. It is the first thing that we touch as a fresh week begins, that we come afresh under the influence of love. This do, the Lord says, for a calling of me to mind. It is love in expression in Christ towards the assembly, and while, of course, the immediate end in view is that He should be called to mind, and that conditions of love towards Himself should come into evidence, so that He may come in and take His place, and then the service of God proceed, at the same time what is required is love amongst ourselves, and every week we come afresh under its influence so that we may be formed by it. This city as the

great administrative vessel is really a vessel formed in love, for God is love, and all its influence and all its administration must be in love. Therefore its gates can be measured, and its wall can be measured.

What an important matter the wall is, dear brethren. The wall is that which is built up; it is a question of what is built up in our souls in the appreciation of the Man Jesus Christ, so that all that is out of keeping is refused, and all that is according to God is preserved. The city has a wall great and high, and what a wall there was in the early days in the Acts! There was no code of regulations as to what they were to do, and what they were not to do, but the Spirit of God was unhindered and ungrieved, and there was holiness there among the brethren, holy love, and when evil came in with Ananias and Sapphira, it was immediately dealt with in power, and then it says, "Of the rest durst no man join them" (Acts 5:13). No one dared join himself to them. There was a wall great and high in the essential holiness that was there among the saints, and it preserved all that was of God and it excluded all that was evil, and that is what the Spirit of God is labouring to bring about more and more. Thank God we can say it is coming to pass. It has to go on more and more, the abounding in love and the developing in holiness, and it becomes a wall great and high, and it says first of all of the city that "her shining was like a most precious stone, as a crystal-like jasper stone" (verse 11). Then it says, "The building of its wall was jasper; ... the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation, jasper" (verses 18, 19). So that there is a three-fold allusion to the jasper in connection

with the city, and the jasper means transparency, and the Spirit of God insists on it three times - transparency. And so you remember that John, before he had got very far in his first epistle, says, "This is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Hence the Spirit of God, dear brethren, would exercise us continually to walk in the light as God is in the light. Let the smallest things as well as the greatest things be exposed to the light, and let all that is inconsistent with the light be refused, because jasper has got to mark the city, and it has got to mark the foundation of the city, and so, dear brethren, "this is the message", John says. It is not simply an item of ministry, so to speak; it is a definite message which he received from the Lord to convey to us, that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all".

And now the Lord says, "I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book". And then we come down to a solemn word in verse 11: "Let him that does unrighteously do unrighteously still, and let the filthy make himself filthy still". We were speaking yesterday in our first reading of what is judicial; what is judicial in Christendom, and I believe this is in keeping with it. The time has come now for things to be fixed judicially, and God is doing it - a most solemn consideration - that He is fixing things judicially. Those who have done unrighteously are doing it still, and those who are filthy are making themselves filthy still. Then in contrast with that it says, "Let him that is righteous practise righteousness still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still", as though the

Lord would say, the time is very near, do not let yourself be overcome at the last moment. Satan may bring unions and other things to bear upon the saints, and it is all an effort to overcome them at the last moment; to rob the Lord of His portion in the assembly; to rob God of His portion in the assembly just at the last moment. The pressure is increasing, and in view of that the word is, "Let him that is righteous practise righteousness still, and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward with me, to render to every one as his work shall be". Thank God there is the reward. The reward is not the greatest thing to the hearts of those who love Christ; the Person of Christ Himself is the greatest thing, but the Lord graciously says, "I come quickly, and my reward with me", as though to assure every one that if faithfulness to the truth involves surrender, involves loss, involves anything of that nature for the moment, you may rest assured that it will not be without its reward. And so He says, "Blessed are they that wash their robes". There is an opening left there for anyone who wants to be free of uncleanness and iniquity; there is an opening. There may be what is judicial all around us in Christendom, and yet there is this wonderful opening in grace. "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city". And then it says what is without. A terrible catalogue of what is without. Ah! dear brethren, we belong to the within. The Holy Spirit makes a complete severance between the saints and the world. The Lord says, "Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him" (John 14:17), but the

indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the saints sets us completely apart from the whole course and spirit of the world without. We are the within, through grace, and it says, "Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers ...".

And now we have this personal word of the Lord, which we so often delight in, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David". He is David's Lord as well as David's Son. It is most affecting, that speaking in this affectionate, familiar way, you might say, to the assembly, the Lord should bring in the truth of His Person. So that there should always be the adoring, worshipful appreciation in our hearts of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as in His prayer to the Father, which He allows us to hear, He says, "And now glorify me, thou Father, along with thyself, with the glory which I had along with thee before the world was" (John 17:5). We are to carry that glory in our hearts in relation to the Lord Jesus, and yet He speaks to us as to the assembly which He loves, and He says, "I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come". Could we have anything more precious, dear brethren, as to the personality and personal service of the Holy Spirit than this word, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come". That is what is in view in the way the Spirit is now being given prominence amongst us, that we should understand that He is personally serving us; One of the Godhead, wonderful grace! One of the Godhead come in to be with us to the end, and to conduct us in bridal affection and suitability to Christ. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come.

And let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely". And now we have this final word from the Lord, "He that testifies these things says, Yea, I come quickly". No question now of reward. This is better than reward. "Yea, I come quickly". It is the Lord Himself, and the answer is immediate: "Amen; come, Lord Jesus". We say, "Come" - that means come now. 'Come quickly', means 'come in a very short time', but 'Come' means 'come now:' and that is the true assembly response "Amen; come, Lord Jesus".

Well, may the Lord grant, dear brethren, that we may really keep "the words of the prophecy of this book" - keep them in a living way in our hearts, so that they affect our outlook and have their proper place in our affections, so that we really desire, so far as in us lies, that all that is proper to the assembly should be found marking it, in view of being ready for the coming of our Lord.

London, July 1950

THE VALUE OF THE ASSEMBLY

A E MYLES

Matthew 13:45, 46; Revelation 21:10, 21; Genesis 24:12 - 21; Acts 20:28

These scriptures have been read to bring certain thoughts to our notice, which will show the value of the assembly to divine Persons. Although some of the scriptures have already been under our notice, I felt impressed to put these passages together, that we might get a fresh sense of the value of the assembly to God, and to Christ and to the Spirit.

Now I take it that all of us here, a goodly number, are of the assembly, consciously having a part in this great entity, so valued and so loved by divine Persons. Indeed, if the assembling shout were heard as we sit in this hall, I should hope that the hall would be completely empty as the saints go up to meet the Lord - not one person left behind. And if it should be that amongst this large company, and especially amongst the young ones, there are those who have not yet committed themselves to the Lord, there is no reason why you should delay. The opportunity is favourable, most favourable, and you can, by committing yourself to the Lord, without any reserve, be one of us, so to speak, one of the assembly. All the persons in the assembly have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and they have the Holy Spirit. These are the marks. And if this is the portion of all of us, and the least of us here tonight, then

there is no reason why we should not all move together in mind, and in heart and in soul, as the Holy Spirit may be pleased to give us thoughts of the assembly.

Now I read this parable in Matthew 13, because it is an example of the skill of the Spirit in giving us thoughts which are profoundly great and yet which can be put in a few words in view of the smallness of our minds, that we might understand what the Lord is conveying to us. And the parable speaks about a merchant who was "seeking beautiful pearls; and having found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all whatever he had and bought it". Now I am counting on the Spirit of God to give us, from these few words, a richer and deeper impression of the value of the assembly in the eyes of the Lord Jesus. He is presented as a merchant who knows values, who discriminates, but who, having found one pearl of great value, went and sold all whatever he had and bought it. That is, the assembly, from this aspect, belongs to Christ by purchase, a purchase that involved the selling of all, whatever He had. Oh! What a thought! For the Lord had much. He had much; not of money, or of things that the world would value, but in His manhood He had much. But He laid down His life, surrendered all that He had as a Man, that the assembly might be His.

Now, pearls are not much spoken of in Scripture; just a few times - and you may have noticed that they are never classed along with other precious stones. The expressions used are "precious stones" and "pearls". Of course, it is formed differently; it comes out of suffering. But I do not want to pursue that. It is not without significance that

women, godly women, are exhorted not to wear pearls, as though the Spirit of God would assert proprietary rights over this figure, that it should not become common, that it should remain in the region of what is choice and rare. And you may remember that Babylon, the great harlot, in Revelation 17 and 18, is said to have pearls - many other things too, but pearls; not bought as this merchant bought this beautiful pearl, by selling all, whatever he had. Babylon buys its pearls out of profits, not out of capital; not on the principle of surrender, or of love. But the pearls in the setting of Babylon, I would say, are imitation. It is a jewel that is much imitated, very much. But this pearl, bought by the merchantman, is not hidden. Notice that; the treasure is hidden, but the pearl is not hidden, just the fact established that it is His.

I read those verses in Revelation 21, which came under our notice last night, but it is not amiss to again call attention to them, that the pearl is now seen as twelve pearls, and its setting is in the city, the holy city, Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from God, having the glory of God; and the pearls are seen as the gates. Now, if we measure the size of this city - the dimensions are given - we shall see that it is too large to be viewed, so to speak, by the eye in its immensity, as you enter it. You would have to stand a long way off to see such a structure, such a city, but the divine idea is to go into it. In the next chapter it says in verse 14, "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city". And, as they go in by the gates, what do they see? Each gate is one pearl. So that

everyone would go into the city with an impression in their souls of what the assembly was to Christ, in its beauty and in the value of its beauty - this city in which so many precious thoughts of the assembly are gathered up, for it is a city, and a bride, and a wife, and it is a light-bearer, it has the glory of God. But this precious thought of the pearl is there, is there for administration. It is not there simply as an ornament; it is there administratively, for even in the world to come the thought of God and the thought of Christ is that the whole world is to benefit by the assembly, through the assembly, for "the nations shall walk by its light; and the kings of the earth bring their glory to it" (verse 24). "And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations to it" (verse 26). This is the great moral luminary, the heavenly luminary, which will regulate men on earth in their relations with God and with one another, so that righteousness shall reign.

Now I must turn to Genesis 24. I do not apologise, dear brethren, for reading a very familiar scripture, but I have no thought that I can add anything to what has been said about it, for it has been ministered from much of recent months, and oh! how it has contributed to the affections of the brethren. But I confess that I cannot read this chapter without being profoundly moved. And what I wish to lead to is what I read in the end of the section, in verse 21, where it says, "And the man was astonished at her". The man is the servant, Abraham's servant, precious figure of the blessed Spirit of God in the activities of His service in relation to the assembly. One marvels that divine Persons should speak and act in such a way that men can

understand what They are doing. This is divine condescension. These blessed Persons of the Godhead are themselves so great in their own glorious place, yet the Spirit in a peculiar way has condescended, He has come down to us, and He has made Himself available to us; and then this passage would show that it is His thought to speak, and that He expects a reply; in other words, that precious expression in 2 Corinthians 13:14 is seen here in happy function, I allude to the words, "the communion of the Holy Spirit". He stationed himself by the well. That word is often called attention to, as indicating that the Spirit is there in His place in the economy. He is there to serve. He has taken up His station, and it is by the well, "a well of water". It is a known position, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water, and one of them has been appointed, as he says in his prayer, by Jehovah, for his master's son. One of them has been appointed. And how is she to be discerned? How is she to come to light? Well, she comes to light at this well, the well of water, and she comes to light beautiful of countenance, and she stands out amongst the maidens of the city, by her familiarity with the well, and her spiritual capability to draw water from that well.

I am trying to commend to the dear young brethren especially the thought of spirituality, for there is a beauty in spirituality, and it will make your face beautiful to divine Persons, for the face is the index of the soul. The Lord says in the figure in the Song of Songs, "Let me see thy countenance" (chapter 2:14). He loves to see our faces. He loves to hear our voices. And so with the blessed Spirit, He is here, not to

serve in silence, He is here to speak. But look at this young woman, look at her. He says, "Let me, I pray thee, sip a little water out of thy pitcher". The pitcher was herself. But he asks for a sip, and she gives him a drink, until he had drunk enough, and then she goes beyond what he asks for, although he mentions it in his prayer earlier. She goes beyond what he asks, and she says, "I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have drunk enough". You see what is coming to light, dear brethren, is this thought of the woman, a vessel of the Spirit, beautiful, but oh! so useful. Beauty that is not useful could never satisfy the divine eye. The thought of a wife is a working partner. The book of Proverbs would show that, a working partner, and not just simply the work connected with daily life, with the house and its duties, but spiritual labours. This is what is of value, and this is what marks the assembly, a great spiritual vessel. And, dear brethren, we are soon going to leave natural conditions, and we are going into spiritual conditions, and we need to get ready for it, and the way we shall get ready for it is to be accustomed to the well, and to the service of the Spirit in this personal way, for the well is a figure of the Spirit too, but we have the personal figure as well, and how that adds to the whole position.

Well, I must not delay in the detail of this, although it is so precious, but she filled the trough with her pitcher, not with a tap but with her pitcher. It is all spiritual labour, but she is full of energy in it. She is equal to it. And then the clause that brought this passage to my mind, "And the man was astonished at her". We might say, could such words be applied to a divine Person here in service? Could anything

astonish a divine Person? Well, that is how divine Persons are presented to us, in ways and words that we can understand, and one marvels that the beauty and usefulness, spiritual usefulness, of the woman was such as to astonish that servant. You see, words like this would give us to understand how God is dealing with us, and how He wants us to be on terms of holy, reverential familiarity, ever remembering what is due to such a Person and yet understanding that the assembly is the joy of divine Persons, the joy of Christ, and the joy of the Spirit. Oh! What an impression this would put on our souls! We may well ask ourselves, what value do we put on the assembly? I would ask the young people, What is your valuation of the assembly? It will come out in the way you attend the meetings. It will come out in the way you love the brethren, and serve them. It will come out in your daily life, as to what is your first interest. Of course, the Lord has the first place. I would like to keep that clear. But then down here, I am speaking of what is down here, the assembly is here. And you are in a local meeting. Are you entering into the assembly life? Are you entering into all its joys and sorrows? Are you contributing spiritually in coming to the Lord's supper and in entering into the service of God? Are you contributing to it? Do your heart, and the affections of your heart, add something? It should be so with each one of us, and as we see how much divine Persons value the assembly, then our own valuation should be uplifted and it would become a great centre of interest to each one of us.

Now, I just want to say a very little about Acts 20, having in mind to call attention to the words in verse 28,

"the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own". We might see from this remarkable statement what a valuation God has put on the assembly, that - if I might reverently say - He was prepared to purchase it with the blood of His own. If you look at footnote c, you will see that the translator had some concern as to how to render this in English, to convey the thought, but there it stands, something to wonder at: "the blood of his own" was the price of the purchase. This is not the side of the will of God, acting sovereignly in His own almighty power. This is another side. We need every aspect, so that we might preserve in our minds what is due to God in all His greatness and glory, and that He is the only One that has a right to have will, and that He exercises that will beneficently, but this speaks of a transaction, a transaction of purchase, the price paid, "the blood of his own", a reference to Jesus, the blood of Jesus. Oh! what a price! And that God should be brought into this matter is most wonderful, that we might have a sense of the feelings of God, of what He went through in this transaction. We often, and rightly, dwell on the Lord's part. He was the Sufferer. He who Himself was a divine Person took a condition in which He could die; and He died. But God had a part in that! Oh! what a part He had, a feeling part! And the assembly of God is spoken of here in that distinguished manner, and is being commended to the care of the overseers of Ephesus, and this is referred to to give them a sense of what they are having to do with. Oh! what holy hands they would lay upon the saints, in anything they had to say to them, to do with them; a sense in their hearts of

how precious, how valuable, the assembly is to God, and what a price was paid for it. It is spoken of here as requiring oversight, and the saints need oversight. We shall derive great benefit from it, as room - more room, I might say - is made for fatherhood and elderhood, and for the help of those that are matured in the work of God, but we must always carry in our souls the sense of what the assembly is to God, and of the price by which it was purchased, "the blood of his own". To understand that expression involves the economy, as we speak about it; the understanding of how the Lord Jesus became Man and came here to die, and how it was His blood that was the price; evidence of a life taken and given.

So now we have before us these thoughts. I have sought to put them together, dear brethren, that it might leave by the Spirit an impression on our souls of the value of the assembly to Christ and to the Spirit, and to God, and that we might go away from these meetings with a sense of the dignity of the assembly, and that we are assembly persons. We belong to that great entity, and that we might fill out whatever days may remain to us in serving Christ and the assembly. There is much room for service, room for all of us, brothers and sisters, and old and young, and may the Lord help us to go from these meetings not only with light and with impressions but with a sense of real substance as to the assembly of God.

London, July 1950

READY FOR TRANSLATION

A J GARDINER

Genesis 5:21 - 24; Genesis 6:9, 13, 14, 18 - 22; Hebrews 11:5 - 7

One was impressed, dear brethren, with what came before us this afternoon, the thought of being ready for translation, and that has led me to read these scriptures with the desire to say a word about Enoch who, as we know, was translated, and also Noah, as to both of whom it is said that they walked with God. That is what is called for now, for we are at the end of the dispensation, as we often say, and if we have never done so before, what is called for now is that we should be walking with God. There can be no doubt that that is what God intends should precede the translation of the saints, and the prominence that is being given to the presence with us of the Holy Spirit is intended, I am sure, among other things, to promote with us the readiness and the ability to walk with God. The Holy Spirit is God, and He is with us all the time, and either we are grieving Him or else we are pleasing Him and going along with Him, and therefore we may well raise with ourselves the exercise as to how far each of us individually is characterised by walking with God.

Well now, as we read in Jude's epistle, Enoch is spoken of as the seventh from Adam, and he is presented in that light in this fifth chapter of Genesis, for the chapter begins with Adam and traces the generations down to Enoch, who is the seventh, and, of course, while the chapter

proceeds beyond Enoch, it is easy to see that a certain climax is reached in Enoch, in that he was characterised by life. The whole chapter is the line of life, but Enoch pre-eminently is marked by life, in that he walked with God for three hundred years, and then finally is translated so that he does not see death. So that it is clear that Enoch represents, as has indeed often been said, a certain climax reached as a result of all that preceded him being passed on, so that there was accumulation in the knowledge of God.

Now we read in regard of Adam that "in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam" (Genesis 5:1, 2). I think we can say, without hesitation, that there must have been much feeling in the heart of God when He called their name Adam, for that means 'man', and as we are having brought so much before us now, all God's choicest thoughts centred in man. It was man that He had in mind, and He called their name Adam. That is to say, the thoughts which God had formed from before the foundation of the world were now beginning to take form. He created man in His own image - "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam" (or man). Of course, we well know that it was Christ and the assembly that were in God's mind, for nothing of God's thoughts regarding man could be made good in the first man. Adam was but a figure of Him who was to come, although in man of Adam's order God would work out His ways, but in bringing Adam on the scene God had in view the One of whom Adam was but a figure, and that is Christ, and when we begin to think of

man in the light of Christ, a divine Person become Man, how glorious it becomes. The glory of the incarnation increases the more we think of it, a divine Person become Man, and bringing in in Himself an order of manhood heavenly in character and of such excellence as would satisfy the desires of the blessed God Himself, but involving also the assembly, the body of Christ, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. So that it is man in Christ Jesus that was really before the mind of God, Christ personally and then man in Christ Jesus, and a divine Person become Man, and accomplished redemption in all that was involved in that, and all that was expressed in that too, of God, and accomplished redemption so that we might receive the Holy Spirit, and that thus there might be man brought in in Christ Jesus.

How glorious all this is, the whole Godhead involved in it, the Father presented as the source of these things; although doubtless before Christ came, before the economy came into view, you could say the whole Godhead was there in counsel. But then the economy having come in, the Father is presented as the Father of glory, and then the Son, the One in whom in manhood all God's thoughts were being brought in, and then the Holy Spirit, as conveying to those whom the Father had given to Christ, life in Christ, and becoming the power for formation according to Christ, and for the calling forth of intelligent response in the affections and feelings of Christ. How great all these things are, beloved brethren, and I believe we may say, without any hesitation, that all these things were in the mind of God when He created Adam, and when He called their name

"Man" - "Adam". Not that Adam himself would have had any intelligence of all this, but at least when Seth was born he could carry in his soul the light in which God had made Himself known to him; that is, he would have in his soul the appreciation of God's righteousness. He would know how he himself had become involved in sin and guilt before God, and then how God Himself had covered him and his wife in coats of skin, showing that God would come out with His own righteousness. As we were singing, 'God's righteousness with glory bright, Which with its radiance fills that sphere' (Hymn 88), and the beginning of it was there. How much Adam was intelligent as to it, we do not know, but we can see what was involved in it, that God was bringing out His righteousness, and Adam would undoubtedly pass on the light of it, in the measure in which he understood it, to those who followed him.

And so we can see that by the time Enoch is reached there is a great accumulation in the knowledge of God, and that is what I believe, dear brethren, we should be concerned about, for we are not only living near the end of the dispensation itself, but we are living at the close of an era, a period of over one hundred and twenty years, in which God has been steadily working for the recovery of all the truth that had been lost. The Spirit has now been given His place in order that we might understand that He has in mind to guide us into all the truth, that not a single feature of the truth should be left unknown by us, and the truth involves, above all things, the knowledge of God Himself. So that we can understand that in this our day it is intended

that there should be great enrichment marking the saints in the knowledge of God.

But then we are told that "Adam ... begot a son ... and called his name Seth" (Genesis 5:3). At the end of the previous chapter we are told that Eve named him Seth, and said, "God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, because Cain has slain him". Well, now that is another feature, dear brethren, of great significance. God in His wisdom allows Satan to exercise his power against the saints, and allows some of them to suffer martyrdom for the truth's sake, but then God is not defeated. If Abel is slain God brings in Seth. That is to say one man may die for the truth's sake, but another one is to continue in life, and that is an important matter. It reminds me of the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, two leading apostles, and one of them was allowed to be martyred and the other one continued in life; that is to say, that is what he represents. The Lord said of him, "If I will that he abide until I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:22). So that John represents what continues until the end, and his ministry is characterised by the thought of life, life in the saints. And so, if Abel is slain, Seth takes his place, and James and John were surnamed, by the Lord, "Boanerges", that is, "Sons of thunder". That does not refer to their natural characteristics; the Lord does not surname natural characteristics; He surnames what the saints are spiritually, and I believe "Sons of thunder" represents what they are as bearing a testimony that men are forced to take account of, that they cannot ignore. These two features of being ready to die rather than surrender the truth on the one hand, and

then continuance in life on the other hand, are two features which men are forced to take account of. That is exactly what thunder is. Thunder is God making His voice heard, and forcing it upon the attention of men, whether they want to hear it or not, and so James and John are Sons of thunder, as presenting this twofold way in which God is pleased to force His testimony upon the attention of men, that on the one hand there has been a line of those who have been prepared to die rather than surrender the truth, and on the other hand there is a line of those who continue in life, never overcome, that go through in life and victory until the coming of the Lord.

Well now, these are things, dear brethren, which are of great importance to us. They are represented in the two assemblies of Smyrna and Philadelphia. Smyrna is the feature of assembly testimony which proves itself by being faithful unto death, and Philadelphia is the feature of assembly life which values the truth and has a little power, and thus continues to the end. That is to say, there is the recognition of the Holy Spirit, and in the power of life in the Spirit the whole truth is recovered and maintained to the end, as the Lord says, "Hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown" (Revelation 3:11). Now these are most encouraging features, dear brethren, that are all to be carried forward. It may be - one cannot say - that the Lord may allow the Smyrna feature to reappear in the history of the assembly in some parts of the earth, and on the other hand He will see that the Philadelphia feature is carried right through to the end, where there are those prepared to go forward with the Spirit. So may we appreciate this as a

feature of God's ways, and incidentally one might add, dear brethren, that Abel was the first man to die; death lay upon man governmentally on account of sin, but the grace of God allowed the first man that died to die for the truth's sake, a wonderful thing, and I believe that is something we can count upon, that often as we accept the government of God He will exercise His rights in mercy, and His ways in grace, and allow what comes upon us governmentally to work out in privilege and blessing. So it was with Saul of Tarsus, he persecuted the assembly, and caused the saints intense suffering, and therefore it was inevitable in the ways of God that he should suffer supremely. The ways of God in government required it, but then grace comes in and the Lord says of Saul of Tarsus, "This man is an elect vessel to me, ... for I will shew to him how much he must suffer for my name" (Acts 9:15, 16). What came upon him governmentally, and must come upon him governmentally, because he caused so much suffering to the saints, is allowed of the Lord to come upon him on account of his faithfulness to the truth. So that should be a comfort to us, dear brethren. There is what is governmental in all our lives and in the history of the assembly too, and yet as it is humbly accepted we may often find, as I have said, that God will exercise His rights in mercy and His ways in grace, and turn what is governmental into what is privilege and blessing.

And then we come on to Enosh, and his name, as we know, represents 'mortal', and we were having that this afternoon. If there is the understanding and appreciation by us that we are mortal, subject to death, it only turns our

thoughts and hearts all the more to the resurrection world, and to Him who is going to bring it in. This corruptible must needs put on incorruptibility, and this mortal put on immortality. So the understanding that we are mortal, subject to death, only makes more real to us, dear brethren, the resurrection world, and quickens in our hearts the desire for the coming of the Lord, and for that mystery, of which we were speaking this afternoon. "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51). Our attention has been drawn of late to the fact that our mortal bodies will be quickened on account of God's Spirit dwelling in us. The Spirit has taken up His abode in our mortal bodies, wonderful grace, that He who is God Himself should be content to take up His abode in mortal bodies of believers, and to remain with us in such humble conditions, in such suffering conditions, to remain with us in those conditions right through to the end. He Himself will exercise His power to quicken our mortal bodies when the moment comes. So that, as I say, the light of these things as it appears in successive generations only serves, as we take up the meaning of them, to increase in our souls the knowledge of God and the hope of that which is to come. Indeed, we are to be marked by hope. It has been truly said that perhaps one of the things most lacking with us is hope; the reality of hope, the enduring constancy of hope, as it says of the Thessalonians; hope is to be a feature marking us as saints. So it says in Romans that we are saved in hope; that is the character of our salvation - that we are saved in hope, and the more we appreciate that

we are mortal, the more the thought of hope will gain place in our minds and hearts.

And so we go down this line. There are certain intervening ones, the meanings of whose names are not given, and which I do not know, although doubtless they have their significance, and then we come to Jared, the father of Enoch. And it says of Jared that he lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch, and Enoch, as we know, means 'disciplined' or 'devoted'. Now I believe the significance of Jared naming his son 'disciplined' means that he himself was conscious of having been disciplined. No doubt Enoch, in due time, was disciplined, for no one of us can walk with God without being disciplined, and if we are disciplined it means that we are sons, and therefore we can take courage, but I believe the fact that Jared named his son 'disciplined' means that he himself had felt what it was to be disciplined for a long period of years. You will notice that Jared's father had a son when he was only sixty-five years old, and his grandfather had a son when he was only seventy years old, but Jared had to wait a hundred and sixty-two years before a son was born to him. Think of the discipline that would mean to him; he had passed sixty-five years and seventy years, and he would pass a second sixty-five years and a second seventy years, and still no son. He would say to himself, how is the light of God to be handed down if there is no son. Think of the discipline it would be to that man as he went on one hundred and sixty-two years before a son was born to him, and yet he was in the line of life, and how was that light that was shining and increasing to be handed

on if he did not have a son? And so he was disciplined, and I have no doubt that in his discipline, dear brethren, he was taught that he could rely only upon God; that he could bring nothing to pass of himself; that he must depend upon God and wait for God's time, and I believe that is another thing that we are learning at the present time, and one thing in which the presence with us of the Holy Spirit, who is God Himself, is becoming so real and so precious to us. How could we possibly carry things through to completion were it not that God was with us? How could we do it without God? How could we face the conditions that already exist in the world and are likely to arise before the assembly is translated, however soon the translation may take place, how can we face them if God is not with us? But in the presence, dear brethren, of the Holy Spirit, indwelling us individually and dwelling in the assembly, and, as the Lord says, "that he may be with you for ever" (John 14:16), it means, as we understand that God Himself is with us, that we renounce any idea of our own ability to go through. On the other hand we embrace in the spirit of hope and, indeed, of certainty, that we will go through, thank God, we will go through with the Spirit. As it says at the end, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come" (Revelation 22:17), as though the bride is with the Spirit. She has been moving along with the Spirit, so that at the end she is seen thoroughly with the Spirit.

Now, I believe Jared's discipline indicates all that to us, that we need God, and that prepares us in an increasing degree for the appreciation of the fact that God Himself is with us in the Holy Spirit and never to leave us. That, dear

brethren, leads up to this thought of walking with God. You can see, I think, how these things are cumulative and the ends of the ages have come upon us, and we are intended to have the accumulated value of all that has gone before, so that we should be rich in the knowledge of God, as it says in Ephesians 3:21, "To him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages". That is to say, the assembly in Christ Jesus is to be capable of that; it has such knowledge of God, and such nearness to God, that it is capable to all generations of the age of ages of ascribing glory to God. There is no staleness, no dying out, but unto all generations of the age of ages, the assembly is to be capable of ascribing glory to God. Hence, dear brethren, how much there should be the concern with us to be walking with God, so that we might become enriched in our knowledge of God. So we read of Enoch, that he lived sixty-five years and begot Methushelah. Evidently that was a turning-point in his life, for it is from that point onwards that he walked with God, and sixty-five years, dear brethren, at that time, represented less than one-tenth of a normal life, and therefore let the young ones take account of it. We might say, in our day, why should not we walk with God from the age of seven or eight; why should we not if we have the Holy Spirit? Let the young ones understand it as well as the older ones, that now is the time for walking with God. There is no time left for anything else; the position is so urgent; the coming of the Lord is so near, that what it calls for is that we should walk with God. Enoch, before he had reached this stage in his life which in

those days represented only one-tenth of the normal span of human life, commenced walking with God.

Enoch continued it day by day, for it says, "All the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years". Day by day he walked with God, and for us, I believe it refers to our going along with the Holy Spirit, for He is God, and the Lord said of the Comforter, that when He was come He should guide us into all the truth, guide us into it, which means, you might say, a day-today matter. It is not bringing us into it all of a sudden, in one moment, although the Lord can do that if He pleases, but guide us into all the truth means that we are led on from one point to another. Hence the need of going on with the Spirit, and of cultivating walking with God, avoiding the things that would grieve the Spirit, and cultivating the things that would please the Spirit; seeking grace that our minds might be opened to the Spirit, and to the instruction and the suggestions that He would bring in. As the Lord says, "He shall receive of mine", that is, My things, "and shall announce it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; on account of this I have said that he receives of mine and shall announce it to you" (John 16:14, 15). Can we measure the immensity of what is involved in all that the Father has, as it says in Genesis 24, that all the treasure of his master was under the hand of the servant? He could bring out any feature of the treasure of his master at the right moment; all the treasure of his master was under his hand, and what would not Rebecca be led into then, as she moved along with the servant, what would she not become intelligent in? Not only would she hear about Isaac and be

prepared to meet Isaac, but she would already become versed in Isaac's interests, so that when she actually found herself with Isaac she would be no stranger to his interests, and he would find in her one that was thoroughly with him in those interests. That is something, dear brethren, that the Holy Spirit is prepared to bring to pass in us, as we go along with Him. It says Enoch walked with God. What do you think God spoke to Enoch about? I do not suppose He spoke much to him about conditions in the world. I have no doubt Enoch formed his own judgment about conditions in the world. Indeed, the epistle of Jude indicates that. What a judgment he had of the ungodly condition of things in the world around him, but I say that I do not suppose that God occupied much of Enoch's time with talking to him about conditions in the world. Doubtless He might allude to it, and Enoch would have his own judgment about it, but I have very little doubt that what God would speak to Enoch about would be His world, as the Lord says: "That world, and the resurrection" (Luke 20:35), and as Peter says of the Lord Jesus when the Lord challenged them as to whether they would go away: "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal" (John 6:68). That was what the Lord was speaking to the disciples about - "words of life eternal", and Enoch really represents one who goes on steadily in the enjoyment of life eternal. He is not finding his life and interests in the things connected with this scene, but he is finding his life and interests in the things connected with God's world: "The things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1).

Before I leave speaking of Enoch, I would draw attention to what is said of him in Hebrews 11:5. It says that "by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he has the testimony that he had pleased God". We are warned not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God; why should we not please Him? That is the great thing; please the Holy Spirit of God, for He is God; not that we cannot please the Father and the Son, for we certainly can and may. The three Persons of the Godhead are so wonderfully together in all Their interests, and nothing pleases the Father so much as that we should speak to Him intelligently and in holy liberty and reverentially as we may do at all times. We may have communion, too, with the Lord, as we well know, but then the Holy Spirit is pleased to remain with us all the time, right through to the end - marvellous thing, and we may well exercise ourselves as to whether, instead of grieving Him, we are pleasing Him. Enoch walked with God, and he had the testimony that he pleased God, and then it adds further, "Without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who seek him out" (verse 6). Now let me say affectionately to one's brethren, and especially to the younger ones, How much do we seek God out in regard of His own things? It is one thing to seek God out in regard of our own matters as His children, but how far do we really seek the Father in relation to His things? That is the whole scope of divine purpose, which centres in Christ and in relation to which we have been called. Do we get to the Father about these

things, and ask Him to give us understanding and enlargement and the ability to compass them in some degree in our hearts? Paul tells us that he did; he tells us that he bowed his knees to the Father, of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, that He would grant to us to be strengthened with might by the Father's Spirit in the inner man, so that the Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith, and if the Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, dear brethren, it will not be very difficult to get some impression of the whole scope of the interests and glory that centre in Christ.

Now I say, how far do we get to the Father on those lines, and pray that He would strengthen us with might by His Spirit in the inner man, so that the Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith? Let us understand that if we do He is a rewarder; He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him out. That is to say, there is no reason, while we are most thankful for ministry, and the Lord has given ministry in order that we might be instructed in the truth, why we should be entirely dependent upon ministry. We have access to the Father, and we have the Spirit of the Father, and He is able to give us the Father's own thoughts, the Father's own appreciation of Christ, and the Father's own thoughts in relation to the whole system of glory that centres in Christ. Why should we not be concerned to become intelligent for ourselves in regard of these things? And so it says, "Without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who seek him out", and therefore one would encourage the brethren, as oneself, to be marked

increasingly by diligently seeking God out in regard of His own things, so that they may become much more real and living to us all.

Just a word, dear brethren, on Noah, for Noah in a sense is the counterpart to Enoch. Enoch walked with God, and I believe the suggestion is that he had communion with God in relation to God's own interests, and God would undoubtedly find great pleasure in that. But now we come to Noah, and Noah stands in relation to the evil conditions that surrounded him. It says that "Jehovah repented that he had made Man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart" (Genesis 6:6). Then it says, "But Noah found favour in the eyes of Jehovah", and then it adds that "Noah walked with God". That is to say, Noah is presented, I think, not so much as pleasing God by walking with Him in communion in relation to God's own world and His own interests, but rather as finding favour with God and walking with Him as entirely separate from the world of evil by which he was surrounded. And that, of course, dear brethren, is the other side of the matter for us, because while we have the power in the Holy Spirit to be constantly enjoying eternal life, yet on the other hand we have in fact to pass through a world of evil. Not only so, but we have to bring up families in a world of evil, which is another matter, and a most serious and difficult matter, and a most important matter, and a matter in which we can count on divine help and divine support. Noah, I believe, represents that side of the matter, that before he enters upon the practical exercises of building an ark for the salvation of his house, what is said of him is that he "walked with God". And the scripture we

have read in Hebrews 11 says that he was "oracularly warned concerning things not yet seen" (verse 7). He had warning from God, and that also, dear brethren, is a service which the Holy Spirit performs towards us. The Lord said of Him, "Having come, he will bring demonstration to the world, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe on me; of righteousness, because I go away to my Father, and ye behold me longer; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" (John 16:8 - 11). So that while the judgment is not yet seen, the Holy Spirit gives us unquestionable testimony as to the character of the world in which we are. It believes not on Christ; it has had no place for the righteous One. He has left the world and gone to the Father, and the ruler of the world is judged. That is, judgment is pending; it is already announced, and intelligent believers are in the light of that, and therefore as walking with God they are concerned to provide conditions for their own houses, and for all those whom they can influence for good, that will be effective in salvation from the world that is shortly coming under judgment.

There can be no doubt that the ark as built by Noah is a figure or type of the assembly, there is no sphere of salvation like the assembly. Indeed there is no other sphere of salvation in the world but the assembly. It is the only sphere of salvation in this world, and what characterises the ark, as you will notice, as you read down the details of it, is that it was marked by light (there was a window), it was marked by a great variety of life, and it was marked by abundance of food. These are three very important things

which are found in the assembly, and which tend to make it a place of salvation; that is, light, life and variety of food, and thank God for it, for outside all is darkness, and outside all is moral death, and outside there is nothing but starvation in a moral sense, but these things are to be found in the assembly. The one who fears God and who walks with God will be concerned to bring up his family in the light of the assembly, and in keeping with it. Baptism of the household is the beginning of it, the definite committal of the whole household to the Lord in the light of His death, and the acceptance of death in the understanding that we have another sphere of life, and that is in the assembly. So Noah, it says, "moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:7). That would be a long matter; it would be a day-today matter over a long period of years, it would be a matter that would expose him to ridicule on the part of those around. Indeed we read in 2 Peter that there were mockers in those days as there are mockers in these days, but Noah walked with God. That was his strength in going forward steadily, preparing an ark for the saving of his house, and how essential that is if the truth of God is to go forward to the end.

The Lord is looking that there should be completion, as we constantly say to one another now, and the Holy Spirit is the pledge of our being able to reach completion if we will only go on with Him, but in regard of our position here in the world, Noah's faith and exercises are those which should govern every exercised believer. So God said to Noah, "Make thyself an ark of gopher wood: with cells shalt thou make the ark; and pitch it inside and outside with

pitch". See the care that he had to take. "Pitch it inside and outside with pitch", and then his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives went through in the ark. That is, you might say, the choicest features of the truth are carried through in the assembly. That is the light of sonship on the one hand, and the light of the wife, the assembly in relation to Christ, on the other, sons and wives were what went through in the ark. All this is most instructive to us, as showing that as walking with God in the midst of a world of evil we shall be concerned that those for whom we are responsible are brought up in the light of the judgment that is about to fall on this world on the one hand, but in the light that God has a sphere here, a sphere of salvation; a sphere where the most precious thoughts are known and are carried through livingly until the day comes for them to be brought out in display.

That is what one had in mind; the thought of walking with God as presented to us in Enoch on the one hand, for that is the most important side of it perhaps; but on the other hand in Noah, the necessary counterpart to what had been in Enoch. If we are to be prepared for translation, and that is what we all would desire to be now, let us see to it that, whether it has, or has not, marked us in the past, from now onwards our exercise is to walk with God, and to go along with the Holy Spirit in all that He is opening up positively in relation to Christ and the assembly and the great thoughts of the blessed God. On the other hand, let us go along in faithfulness to God; in faithfulness to our baptism, in committal to it, whatever it involves, in the way of mocking, or ridicule, or suffering. If it involves suffering,

let us understand from the case of Abel that God may allow suffering, but on the other hand He is never defeated. He is never going to be overcome, He is going to see that things go through in life, so that if Abel was slain He saw to it that there was another one appointed to carry on the testimony. And so in the light of these things, dear brethren, may we be encouraged, in view of our translation, to seek grace to walk with God, for His name's sake.

Croydon, July 1950

ELEVATION

A J GARDINER

Ephesians 1:13, 14; Ephesians 2:17, 18; Ephesians 3:14 - 19; Ephesians 6:17, 18

We were speaking together this morning of the great elevation which this epistle to the Ephesians sets before us, and it is very noticeable what a place the Holy Spirit has in the epistle. He is mentioned in every chapter, and one is counting on the Lord's grace to enable me to say a little about the way in which He is presented in these four passages I have read. The great elevation which marks the truth presented in the epistle to the Ephesians is, I believe, because God Himself is not only the source of the thoughts unfolded in this epistle, but He is Himself the standard of them.

What I mean by that is that you will notice the constant recurrence of the words "according to" in this epistle, and especially in the first chapter. For instance we have in verse 5, "According to the good pleasure of his will", and then in verse 9, "According to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself", and then again, verse 11, "Being marked out beforehand according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his own will", and then further in verse 19, "What the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength". So that the thoughts of blessing and glory which this epistle presents are not based on any consideration of need on our side, but they proceed wholly

and solely from God Himself, and the measure or standard of them is according to the good pleasure of His will, and according to the power that He is able to exert in order to give effect to His will. Therefore, dear brethren, we can well understand that things which come to us on that level are bound to be great. It is a question of the riches of God's grace, that all is according to that, and we need to be prepared to yield ourselves to grace, and to be bowed in the presence of it, for there is nothing so calculated to promote a spirit of worship as to find ourselves consciously in the presence of the blessed God, and in the presence of what He Himself, from His own side, is pleased to bring to pass for His own pleasure. But then, that being so, we find that One of the Godhead, that is the Person of the Holy Spirit, is brought before us as coming in to give effect in us to all that God has been pleased to mark out for us, so that there should be no failure on our side to enter fully into all that love has prepared. That is an immense gain, an immense comfort, that things are thus not left to ourselves, but that One of the Godhead Himself has come in in order that every thought of God might be effectively made good and become fruitful in ourselves. Hence, dear brethren, the more we take account of these things the more we come to it that glory all belongs to God, as Mr. Darby's hymn (Hymn 88) so happily puts it - 'O Mind divine, so must it be That glory all belongs to God!' That is what it is all leading up to, that glory should all be attributed to God, and yet we, through grace, are to become the vessel in which that glory is attributed to God, and not in any mechanical way, but as having intelligence and affections and feelings that are

stirred by the way that God has come out to us, and stirred in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So we find, in this first allusion to the Holy Spirit, that He is called "the Holy Spirit of promise". Having believed in the Christ, it says, "ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise". There is something very affecting about the thought of being sealed, for it means that God has placed His mark upon us, a mark of ownership, a very blessed thought that we may go through this world in the sense of having been sealed, that God has put His own mark upon us, and, one may say with confidence, takes account of us with pleasure, as those whom He has sealed. But then the Holy Spirit of promise is a peculiarly affecting reference. Remember how in Luke 24:49 the Lord said to them, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but do ye remain in the city till ye be clothed with power from on high". That is what He said - "The promise of my Father". Then in Acts 1:4 they were commanded not to depart from Jerusalem, but "to await the promise of the Father, which [said he] ye have heard of me". So that the Lord had spoken to the disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. This word in Acts turns our thoughts back to the way the Lord speaks of the Comforter in John 14 - 16. His words are recorded there (in Acts), He says, "Which ye have heard of me". The Lord had prepared the ground in the hearts of the disciples, so that they should learn to appreciate the Spirit, the Comforter. Indeed, He said, "It is profitable for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go I will send him to you" (John 16:7), as though the Lord would say,

you cannot afford to be without the knowledge of the Comforter, as though that would be the final thing, the knowledge of the Father, the knowledge of the Son, but now also the knowledge of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

So the presence here of the Holy Spirit is a matter of promise; as the Lord says, "The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name" (John 14:26), the thought being that in the presence of the great things which divine love has called us to for God's own pleasure, we are not left at our own charges. So that the Holy Spirit has been promised, and has come according to promise, in order that we might be brought fully into all that God has in mind for us. That involves the greatest conceivable elevation. I think every one of us must feel how little we really know of it, and yet it is here; it is within our reach in the Holy Spirit. The power to bring us into the thoughts that God has formed regarding us is entirely equal to those thoughts themselves. It is God Himself who has undertaken to bring His saints into these things, and hence the question is, dear brethren, whether we have yet learned to avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit in the full way in which He has come within our range. All the apostles speak of it. Jude says, "Praying in the Holy Spirit" (verse 20). Peter tells us that the Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven, come on a definite mission, as the Lord says, "He shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). So that if, on the one hand, we have the most exalted thoughts unfolded to us in the epistle to the Ephesians, we are to understand that not one single element of those thoughts is to be left unappropriated by us. As the Lord said to Joshua, "Every place whereon the sole of your

foot shall tread have I given to you" (Joshua 1:3). It is a question of entering into possession of all the thoughts of God, and the Holy Spirit of promise has come in in order that that might be made good.

James also speaks of the Holy Spirit. He says, "Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?" (James 4:5). He is speaking, perhaps, more on the individual side than on the side of what the Spirit is to us as the Comforter collectively, but he uses that affecting expression, that He has taken His abode in us. There is nothing greater, in a sense, than that, that one of the Godhead should have been pleased to come in and take up His abode in us; in each believer on the one hand and then in the assembly. It is a most striking thing for each of us to take account of, and it necessitates, dear brethren, that we should all be concerned as to real subjection to the Spirit and real sensitivity as to all that His presence requires, and a readiness to hear His voice and to follow. All that is involved in the fact that the Holy Spirit has taken His abode in us. And so it says here that "having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance to the redemption of the acquired possession". He is the earnest of it; that means something substantial, not, indeed, the full measure of what we shall enter into at the coming of the Lord, but a real foretaste of it; not simply light, but something substantial entered upon in the power of the Holy Spirit. So the earnest, dear brethren, is what should be in evidence in our assembly service. That is, it is a question of entering into the truth, not merely as having light, but as proving the power of it,

and finding in the Spirit not only the intelligence but the liberty to move in these things.

So that John in Revelation says, "I became in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10). Then in chapter 4: 1, 2, when he hears a voice saying "Come up here", it says, "Immediately I became in the Spirit", as though John had learned how to avail himself of the Holy Spirit who was dwelling in him. So that the Spirit gave him the power to move in divine things. I say again, not merely light, but substantiality in intelligence and liberty, moving in it in a real way. John in his epistle says, "The Spirit is the truth" (1 John 5:6). Another important thing for us to bear in mind is that however valuable light may be, and the spiritual intelligence that the Spirit would give us, the Spirit Himself is the truth. That is, we are to move in the truth in the liberty and the intelligence and the dignity and the power that come alone from the Spirit, and as moving in the truth in the Spirit, the truth becomes a reality to us.

I trust all this, dear brethren, will help to impress us with the great importance to us of the Holy Spirit. We have in this chapter the Father first - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 3), presented as the source of these things of which we are speaking. Then we have Christ brought in, presented as "the Beloved" (verse 6), and the One in whom we have redemption through His blood, a most affecting thought, the blood of the Beloved, and then He is presented also as the Christ, the one who effects all God's will and in whom all things are to be headed up in heaven and on earth; and then we have the Holy Spirit, as though this chapter presents to us the whole

Godhead, moving together in wonderful unity in relation to divine counsels. We ourselves, dear brethren, are the subjects of those counsels, and we have been taken up for the praise of the glory of God's grace. That is, all is intended to go back in praise to God; intelligent, affectionate, feeling praise. Hence, the Holy Spirit Himself comes in in order that there should be no discrepancy between the light of God's thoughts on the one hand and the answer to them on our part on the other.

Now when we come to chapter 2, the Spirit is presented in relation to actual access to the Father. In one sense you might say that in chapter 1 we have the unfolding of divine thoughts and the Spirit's service in relation to them, but when we come to chapter 2 it is a question of actual access, and the Holy Spirit is presented as one Spirit, the stress is on the "one Spirit". That is to say, the Holy Spirit in His power and ability to unify the saints in the service of God. And that is a most important matter, that the saints should be really unified in the service of God, for it is not so many separate brethren each individually moving in the Spirit, but the saints unified through Him. It says that through Christ, "we have both access by one Spirit to the Father". The setting, of course, is that in the assembly, at the outset at any rate, there were Jews and Gentiles, and the question was, and a very practical question, how the Jew and the Gentile could merge together and move as one in the service of the blessed God in the assembly, a very practical question, as you may imagine. We have not now the question in that acute form; that is to say, we have practically no Jews in the assembly now. But

then in another way we have got the question in an acute form, and that is how can the different brethren, different in natural characteristics, different in their outlook, different in their measure of intelligence and so on, how can they merge as one in the service of the blessed God? The answer is the Holy Spirit, but there has to be a basis for it in our souls, dear brethren, if we are to move together without any hindrance, without anything working underneath that prevents the most complete unification in love so as to move together as one in the service of God. And hence we have the cross brought in; how important the cross is. It means judicially the ending of the man, whether the man is the Jew or whether he is the Gentile, whether he is learned or whether he is unlearned, whatever features mark him naturally, the cross is the end of it all, and if we are glad to appropriate the cross and the moral import of it in regard of ourselves, we should be equally glad to appropriate it in regard of our brethren. That is the secret of it, the learning to appropriate the moral import and power of the cross, the way Christ has taken in order that the man himself should be ended. If the man is ended then his natural features go, and we are entitled to disregard those natural features and to take account of one another according to what we are as born of God and as having received the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the ascended Man, and as the subjects of the work of God. Surely we are dignified enough if we view one another in that light; we can well afford to take account of one another in that light, and rejoice that the cross of Christ entitles us to close our eyes to all else.

So, dear brethren, with that in our minds the Holy Spirit comes in as positive power. It says, "Through him" (that is, through Christ) - recognising, as we always must, the mediatorial position in which our Lord Jesus Christ stands, and will stand eternally in view of the service of God. It says, "Through him we have both" (that is, Jew and Gentile, or whatever we may be in our natural differences) "access by one Spirit to the Father". Then, "In the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13) that is, submerged, and merged positively in the Spirit, "and have all been given to drink of one Spirit". And so this matter, dear brethren, of real unification in the Spirit is a most essential matter if there is to be the service of God in the assembly. The assembly is an entity to move as one under the impulse of Christ, the assembly is the body of Christ, and therefore the urgent need that we should be thoroughly together in love, because there must be no disunity, and if there is disunity the movements of the assembly in the service of God will be so much hampered. So we have, as I have said, the cross of Christ on the one hand and indeed the impelling influence of love as seen in the cross, and then the positive power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may move together as one in access to the Father.

Now when we come to chapter 3 it is perhaps one of the greatest presentations of the Holy Spirit that we have in Scripture, and the apostle prays. He says, "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom [that is, the Father] every family in the heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory" - note the "according to" and the

"riches of his glory". How the Spirit of God through Paul uses superlative expressions in this epistle, as though to impress us with the sense that everything is superlative, because it is according to God. It must be superlative, and we could never rise to what is superlative save in the power of the Spirit of God. So he says, "That he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man" - that is, the Father's Spirit. It is most touching how the Holy Spirit will take on different characters in order to give effect to the pleasure of God, and here He is presented as the Father's Spirit - "to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts".

Now when we remember, dear brethren, that the Father is presented as the Originator of these great thoughts of love, and the One of whom "every family in the heavens and on earth is named", I think we can understand that as it is the Father's Spirit who is operating in our inner man, He is able to bring the Father's thoughts into our hearts, the Father's thoughts as to Christ, and the Father's feelings as to Christ, and the Father's thoughts in regard of all the families. It is a question of the Spirit of the One who has Himself conceived these things, having His own place in our hearts, and His operations have in view, first of all, that the Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith.

We can easily see, dear brethren, that if the Christ Himself is dwelling in our hearts by faith we shall not have very great difficulty in understanding something of the "breadth and length and depth and height". It refers to the whole expanse of glory and blessing which the Father has

in His mind to bring in, and it is all centred in the Christ, and hence if the Christ dwells in our hearts we shall not have very much difficulty in getting some impression of the whole extent of glory that centres in Him. It is a question of the affections of a true wife, the Christ dwelling in our hearts means that we have in our souls the sense that the assembly is united to Christ, and that all that He has as Man we are to enter into with Him. Therefore if the One who loves the assembly, and whom the assembly loves, is really in our hearts, then the whole extent of His interests will likewise come into our hearts. It is an immense thing if we get into our souls the sense that divine grace has linked us up with Christ, that our "life is hid with the Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Just as Adam had the woman brought to him in the position of headship in which God had placed him, so the assembly has been given to the Christ, and as the woman was given to Adam and found her place alongside of Adam, she would understand that she was with him in the whole system over which he was appointed as head. She would share with him all his interests, she would be his help-mate in that position, and that is the idea, dear brethren. The first chapter presents the exalted position in which the Christ has been placed by the blessed God, and then it says, "Gave him to be head over all things to the assembly, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all" (verses 22, 23). So we are inseparably bound up with the Christ, and the thought is that the interests of the Christ and all that centres in Him are to be our interests. As we are strengthened by the Father's Spirit in the inner man it means that the Father's own thoughts and the Father's own

feelings can be brought into our hearts by the Spirit of the Father. In John 17:26, the Lord says, speaking to His Father, "That the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them" - the love with which the Father loves Christ may be in us, that is a wonderful thing.

You might say how can that be possible, but the answer is, the Father's Spirit makes it possible, "That the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them;" that is to say, the Father would bring us so thoroughly into accord with His own thoughts and His own joys that we are to be capable, in some degree, of having in us the very love with which He loved Christ. The secret of it is, I believe, that we are strengthened with might by the Father's Spirit in the inner man. If we ponder these things, dear brethren, we cannot but be impressed with the wonderful nearness to God into which the assembly is brought; not, indeed, as we have often said, having any part in Deity, but brought as near to Deity as the creature can be. But God is pleased that it should be so, and He is pleased that we should be brought into such nearness to Himself as to be able to enter feelingly with Him into His own chief joys, and that is possible by the Father's Spirit. We get a kind of inkling of it in Peter's account of the scene on the holy mount, when he says that they were with Him (that is, with Christ) on the holy mount, and they heard such a voice (the Father's voice), saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight" (2 Peter 1:17). It is the Father drawing Peter and James and John into His own feelings in regard of Christ. What could be more precious; what could be greater grace than that, that we should be found in that position in

relation to the Father, and it is possible for us as strengthened with might by the Father's Spirit in the inner man. But then the Lord also said, "And I in them". That is to say, we are to have, in some sense, an appreciation by the Father's Spirit of His love for Christ, and the joy He finds in man as before Him in Christ, and thus, you might say, in the assembly. But then also "I in them;" that is to say, the assembly is to be the vessel in which the response to that love finds expression, as the Lord said, "In the midst of the assembly will I sing thy praises" (Hebrews 2:12). So in relation to that the Holy Spirit (not that we get it in this passage, but I mention it in passing) is pleased to take another character, that of the Spirit of God's Son, so that the response to God in the assembly should be in every way worthy of Him as being the expression of Christ's own praises. I think there is nothing more interesting than to see the different characters, if one may use that expression, which the Holy Spirit, Himself God, is pleased to take in the economy into which God has entered, in order that the full thoughts of God should be entered upon by His saints, and that an answer worthy of God should be secured from them.

So the apostle prays here, to come back to this passage, that we might be strengthened with power by the Father's Spirit in the inner man, that the Christ may dwell through faith in our hearts, being rooted and founded in love, in order that we may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height. Now, how much do we know of it, dear brethren, and if we are conscious that our measure is small, do we do

what Paul did, bow our knees before the Father and ask on these lines, because the Lord in His word to His disciples in the closing chapters of John was emphatic about the importance of asking. He says, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall come to pass to you" (John 15:7). "If ye abide in me" will deliver us practically from all lawlessness so that we are pleasing to God, and Christ's words abiding in us will give us intelligence so that we know what to ask, and the Lord says, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall come to pass to you". So that though the range of things into which we are brought is immense, we need not fear the immensity of it, if only we will take up the attitude which Paul took up, and bow our knees before the Father and pray on these lines. And then he says, "To know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge". It does indeed surpass knowledge, and that is a comfort to us, that eternity will not suffice to give us the full knowledge of the love of the Christ, it surpasses knowledge. Yet it may be known, and it is as knowing the love of the Christ that we are sustained in these great things, because we enter upon them with Christ, and not without Him. It is God's pleasure to give us all things with Christ - "How shall he not also with him grant us all things?" (Romans 8:32). So it says in 1 Corinthians 3:22, 23, "All are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's". That is the secret of it, that all things are ours because we are Christ's, and so we are to know the love of the Christ, and it is, as I say, in the knowledge and enjoyment of the love of the Christ and as held by it that we find ourselves

able to fill our part in this wonderful realm of glory in which the assembly has such a distinguished place.

Well now, I would say a word or two in closing on chapter 6, because there we come to what is very important. I might say in passing that we have in chapter 4: 30, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for the day of redemption", and in chapter 5: 18, we have, "Be filled with the Spirit". We are reminded in that way of the seal, as though to give us an incentive not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. He has indeed taken up His abode in us, and He is not going to leave us; wonderful grace that the Spirit will never leave us. Even though He is grieved He does not leave us, although we lose the sense of His power and do not get it back until we have judged ourselves. It is a most affecting thing that He remains with us right through, as the Lord says, "That he may be with you for ever" (John 14:16), and hence we can understand the appeal, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for the day of redemption".

But now we come to chapter 6 where it is a question of the conflict, because I suppose if Satan sees the saints having desires in relation to what is heavenly, having desires in the direction of entering upon the elevation of which we have been speaking, we may rest assured that the enemy will attack. He will not cease to attack. It is not exactly that we ourselves are the object of his hatred so much, as that God is the object of his hatred, and his effort is to rob God of His present pleasure in the saints. He cannot rob God of having His pleasure in us eternally, but he is bent upon robbing God of His present pleasure in the

saints. If he sees the saints in any degree moving after heavenly things, then the enemy will be constantly attacking, and hence the apostle tells us that we are to put on the panoply of God, a complete thought. It is not simply one or two items of armour, but a complete set of armour, a panoply, and we are to put it on, and as you read down the different features of armour you understand that they refer to subjective conditions in ourselves, and that is a most important matter. The armour really deals with moral conditions, because if we fail in that which is moral we shall certainly be hindered in regard of that which is spiritual, and hence the enemy's constant effort is to get in through some weakness on our part in relation to what is moral. And so the armour consists of moral features maintained in our souls, and so it says, for instance, we are to have girt about our loins with truth. It is what we ourselves do, we are to gird about our loins with truth, and we are to put on the breast plate of righteousness, and we are to see that we have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the preparation of it.

Chapter 2: 17, that we have already alluded to, tells us that "coming, he has preached the glad tidings of peace". How important it is, dear brethren, that we should have the glad tidings of peace in our hearts; the way God has wrought through the cross to set aside every element of disturbance, and we are to maintain that in our souls, in our movements in relation to one another, and see that our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Then it says, "Having taken the shield of faith with which ye will be able to quench all the inflamed darts of the wicked one".

Then the "helmet of salvation" which I suppose is a preservative for the mind, and then it says "and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word". How important that is, beloved brethren, "the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word". We are told how the word of God operates in Hebrews 4:12. "The word of God", it says, "is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart". What fine distinctions the Holy Spirit can make, and we have got to be prepared for that. It is one of the elements of our safety that we are constantly marked by attention to the Spirit's voice and the Spirit's touch, so to speak, because He will make the finest distinctions. He divides between soul and spirit, and between joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and we are to avail ourselves, first of all, of the sword of the Spirit in relation to ourselves, before we can use the sword effectively in relation to others. You remember how we read of the judge Ehud in the book of Judges, the one who learned how to use the sword in delivering power for God's people, that it says that he made himself a sword having two edges, and it was of a cubit length. But the word 'cubit' there means no fixed length, no particular length. That is to say it indicates that he had learned how to use the Spirit of God, the word in the power of the Spirit, against himself first. "Ehud made him", it says, "a sword having two edges", and it was of no fixed length, that is to say, it was readily adaptable to anything and everything that he had to meet.

Well, if we accustom ourselves, beloved brethren to use the sword of the Spirit against ourselves, then we shall find that we may have a measure of power in using it offensively against the enemy, and that is what is needed, the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word. Of course, the presence of the Spirit and the using of the Spirit by us involves constant dependence, but as dependence is maintained we find, as occasion requires, that the Spirit of God gives the word that is needed, so that it becomes God's word, and that is what is needed. The longer we go on in assembly exercises and assembly history, the more we find out that no situation arises for which there is not the word of God. The Spirit of God brings forward just what is needed from the Scriptures with divine authority that effectively meets the attack of the enemy, and that is a most comforting thing. Only we have to learn how to use the sword, and cannot learn how to use the sword effectively if we do not first learn to use it upon ourselves. And so it says, having "the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word". The word of God is a veritable armoury, and it is also a veritable treasury. But here it is the aspect of the armoury; something that can be drawn upon as occasion requires to meet any attack of the enemy.

Then finally we read, "Praying at all seasons, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". That is to say, we have the Spirit brought in now as the power for prayer and supplications. "Praying at all seasons, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching unto this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints". You can see how full the apostle's heart is, and how he

embraces all the saints, and how he urges not only prayer but supplication. Supplication involves that there is intensity of exercise; prayer, I suppose, involves that we have intelligence to know what to ask for, and we ask for it. Supplication means that we are urgent in the matter, and marked by intensity of exercise. Intercession means that we have power with God ourselves, and use it on behalf of others. So there is to be prayer, and there is to be supplication, and we are to persevere in these things for all saints. And then as we have had brought before us lately, although it does not come into this chapter, along with our prayer let us see that we do not forget fasting, for it is a question of power.

I have sought, in one's measure, to bring these things before you, that we may get some impression of what is available now in the Holy Spirit. He has been sent from heaven; He has been sent in Christ's name, and the Lord has sent Him from with the Father. So that He has been pleased to take up a position in which He is available both to the Father and to the Son, in order that all the thoughts of God, of which we ourselves are the objects, should be entered into by us now in power and reality, and that we should serve God according to the elevation of those thoughts.

Well, may the Lord help us, dear brethren, to avail ourselves of the Spirit more. I am sure we are all having to learn it, and the Lord would have us learn it quickly, because it is a question, before the Lord comes, of the assembly answering fully to the thoughts of God, and of

being available to Christ to serve God according to the glory in which He is known.

Worthing, August 1950

WHAT BELIEVERS HAVE COME TO

A J GARDINER

Hebrews 12:22 - 24; Psalm 78:65 - 69; Leviticus 24:1 - 9

I think the meetings we have had together, dear brethren, have served to give us a fresh impression of the greatness of that which we have part in as sealed with the Holy Spirit and living in a day when all God's thoughts regarding the assembly are being recovered to the saints. It is therefore of great importance that we should all be helped to have a greater understanding, a more definite appreciation, of what it is that we have been called to. It is for that reason that I have read these three verses in Hebrews 12, for the writer of the epistle says, just before where we began reading, that we have not come to the mount that might be touched, but then he says, "Ye have come to mount Zion", and then to seven other things which are enumerated one after the other. And therefore he is giving, by the Spirit, an outline of what it is that we believers have come to, what we belong to in contrast to the system of law with which God's people of old were connected. And the first thing is mount Zion, and that is the great principle of God's sovereignty exercised in mercy.

It is a great thing to get the sense that all that we have part in is due to the sovereignty of God and to His intervention in mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ when all was lost on the line of man's responsibility. We are always to be kept in the sense of that, and that is why I read those verses

from Psalm 78, because they indicate in an unmistakable way that that is what mount Zion stands for. The psalmist is recalling one of the blackest points in the history of Israel, when, through unfaithfulness to God, everything committed to them was lost. Even the ark was lost, so that everything had broken down and gone on the line of responsibility, and then it says that the Lord awoke, as though He would rise up in His own sovereign rights. Nothing could be hoped for on the ground of responsibility, but if He was pleased to intervene sovereignly in mercy, then, of course, He had a free hand to do what He pleased. That is what the psalm opens up; that the Lord awoke and "rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved". It is a great thing to have the sense that all that we have part in through grace, and will have part in eternally, is the outcome of God having been pleased sovereignly to intervene in mercy when there was no hope for us at all on the line of responsibility. It gives God all the glory, and it leaves God a free hand to do whatever He pleases. He is in no sense limited now to what would be forthcoming if responsibility were fulfilled - not that I am suggesting, of course, that in Christianity responsibility is not fulfilled, because one result of the giving of the Holy Spirit is that there is power in believers, in the Holy Spirit, to fulfil every responsibility, and the righteous requirement of the law is being fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit - but the basis of all that is that God has intervened in sovereign mercy, accomplishing

redemption in the death of Christ, and then giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe.

None of us could claim these things as a right or as deserved; it is a question, purely, of the sovereignty of mercy, and it is well, as I have said already, that we should be confirmed in the sense of it, because if God is operating now on those lines, it means that He is left free to do whatever He pleases, and that means that He can bring in the greatest possible thoughts. Whatever His love desires; whatever His wisdom conceives; whatever His power establishes; God is free to do it all. Hence that is what we have come to, dear brethren, a system of blessing and glory which has its roots in the fact that God has of His own free will intervened in mercy, accomplishing redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ, and freely giving the Holy Spirit to those who believe. So it says, "Ye have come to mount Zion". It is an immense thing to get the sense of it, and Psalm 125:1 gives us another touch in regard to mount Zion, for it says, "They that confide in Jehovah are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved; it abideth for ever". That is, mount Zion not only stands for that which exists in the sovereignty of divine mercy, but it also stands for that which is absolutely stable. It will never be removed, and that implies that we have come to finality.

Then it says, following on that, "and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem". Now we have not only come to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, but we are the thing itself; that is, the assembly is the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem. It is the idea of what is dignified; that which we can rightly be proud of belonging

to. You remember on one occasion, Paul, speaking as a man, said that he was a citizen of no mean city. He was speaking as a man and referring to Tarsus, but in a much greater and in a spiritual sense every believer can say that he is a citizen of a very great city, the city of the living God. What city could be greater? That is what the assembly is, the city of the living God, and the Spirit of God is bringing these things before us in order that we might be lifted up in our thoughts of ourselves, though not to be occupied with ourselves, or in any sense to be boastful save as we may rightly boast in God. As it says, "He that boasts, let him boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31).

So we are, in fact, the city of the living God. The idea of a city, as we often say, is that it is a centre of rule and influence, and we are being fitted for it. We are to come down from heaven from God, having the glory of God, having it substantially, able to express God in all our actions, in all our movements, in all our influence. We are being formed in view of it, the city of the living God. How important it is that we should be formed in love. It is the time of formation, and when the heavenly city comes down out of heaven from God it will, above all things, radiate love. Its influence will be an influence of love, and this is the time of formation, and we are set in relation to one another in order that we might be developed in love. A person who lives in isolation has very little opportunity of developing in love, but the Lord has set us together in localities, set us in relation to one another, in order that we might develop in love, and love is of God. We are to come down out of heaven, not simply from heaven, but out of

heaven, as characteristically heavenly, out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And so it is said to be the "heavenly Jerusalem".

Those to whom the epistle was written would remember that Jerusalem had been God's centre on earth, His chief interest. Indeed one of the psalmists says, "If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy" (Psalm 137:6). Jerusalem was to be first with him, but now the assembly is the heavenly Jerusalem. It is to come down exercising an influence that is really heavenly, and where can we learn that but from Christ? He is the One out of heaven, and we are intended during this time to keep ourselves more and more under the influence of Christ, and the Spirit is faithful to that end. What is heavenly is now to come in so that you remember in the gospel of Matthew, in what we call the Sermon on the mount, the Lord several times says, "Ye have heard that it has been said ... But I say unto you" (Matthew 5). That is to say a new influence, a new heavenly influence, was now to come in and it was to be learned from Christ in view of the formation of this city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

Psalm 122, as you may remember, refers to Jerusalem, and we may well apply it to the assembly. It says, "Jerusalem, which art built as a city that is compact together" (verse 3). That is the first thing - compact together, involving what I have been saying, that we love one another, because you cannot get the divine idea regarding the assembly in practical expression save in the measure in which love amongst ourselves is operating, because the city is not the idea of so many individuals moving or acting. It is

a question of an entity, one influence expressed by the saints viewed as the assembly of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and hence the first essential in Psalm 122 is that it is "compact together". And then it says, "Whither the tribes go up ... to give thanks unto the name of Jehovah" (verse 4). That is to say, what characterises the assembly, as we have had so much before us during these meetings and of recent years, is that the service of God marks it. The first thing is love amongst ourselves, and then the service of God. What can be greater, dear brethren, than to be permitted, under the hand of the Lord Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to maintain the service of the blessed God day in and day out, and week in and week out, in the very world where Christ has been crucified, and where, as we have been hearing, apostasy is developing fast? And not in any formal way, but in a constantly fresh and living way. Hence we can understand why the Lord is emphasising the place that is to be given by us to the Holy Spirit, because the recognition of the Spirit, on our part, brings in increasing freshness and fulness, and increasing substance and joy, in the service of God, so that God should be served in a way that is worthy of Him.

Thank God we have such an One as our Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest. So that the service of God is in good hands, in the hands of Christ on high and the Holy Spirit here. What is required is that we should render ourselves fully available to the Lord and to the Spirit, as we may see when we come to our last scripture, but these verses that I have read in Hebrews 12 are intended to give us some idea of the greatness of what we belong to in order

to stimulate us to see that not one of us is negligent in regard of filling out his own part in it. And so, Paul, in writing to the Philippians, says, "We", in contrast to what was around him religiously, "are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh" (Philippians 3:3). But then not only is the service of God to characterise the assembly, but also rule and influence, and so Psalm 122 goes on to say that "there are set thrones for judgment" (verse 5). That is to say there is a perfect judgment according to God maintained in regard of everything in the assembly. That is an important matter, dear brethren, and maintained in a dignified way, in a royal way - "thrones for judgment". Is it so with us always in our assembly meetings? Matters arise in the assembly that are intended to test us as to whether they can be judged by us according to God. The Spirit of God is here to give us discernment, to give us intelligence, to enable us to be pure in our motives, to enable us to be faithful and courageous, so that judgment should be executed in a way that can be rightly connected with the idea of a throne - "thrones for judgment".

You can easily understand, dear brethren, that if we do not develop now in this period of education and formation in spiritual judgment there will be something lacking in our administration in the day to come. God intends that there should be nothing lacking, and we are to be concerned that there should be nothing lacking, and I might just add this, dear brethren, that the first element in spiritual judgment in the assembly is that each of us should know how to judge himself. Self-judgment should be a characteristic feature

with us, and the word of God applied in the power of the Spirit of God is that which is always available to us to enable us to maintain real self-judgment; not self-occupation or introspection, but that we should not be deceived by the heart which is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. We can thank God that the Spirit has taken His abode in us, in order that all the thoughts and motives that are operating in our minds and hearts should be disclosed to us in their true character, and to enable us to range ourselves on the side of what is of God, and to refuse by the Spirit's power all that is not of God. As this feature of spiritual judgment is developed in ourselves, in our own personal exercises and circumstances, so we shall become increasingly qualified to have part in the judgment that is one feature of the administration of the assembly. And so it is the "city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem".

Then it says that we have come "to myriads of angels". What a comfort that is! Of recent years the Lord has been stressing the thought of angelic ministry, and I believe the idea is to help us to be restful. There are two things, it seems to me, that are intended to make us restful in going on with the things of God, whatever may arise in the world. The first thing, and the supreme thing, is that the Spirit of God Himself is with us, never to leave us, so God is always with us in the Spirit, a most impressive thing. With the saints as moving together and with each saint individually the Holy Spirit is with us, and therefore there is no reason why we should be overcome at any point. Then in addition to that, in regard perhaps more particularly to what is circumstantial, we have the myriads of angels, an

innumerable company of angels, as it might be rendered, and they are all sent forth, as this very epistle tells us, to minister to those who are heirs of salvation. Not that that necessarily means that we shall be spared suffering, for it does not. It is not God's way that the saints of today should be spared suffering. It is part of His way that we should suffer, and so you remember when the Lord was about to be taken and Simon Peter drew his sword in defence of his Master, the Lord told him to put up the sword within its sheath. Then He said, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now call upon my Father, and he will furnish me more than twelve legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be fulfilled" (Matthew 26:53, 54). So that it is a question of going through with the will of God, whatever that will may entail, but understanding that there are myriads of angels serving the saints, constantly at hand in order that whatever man may do there should be no obstacle to the going forward of the truth to completion.

We well know that when the women on the first day of the week, after the Lord had died, came to the sepulchre, saying among themselves, "Who shall roll us away the stone out of the door of the sepulchre?" (Mark 16:3), they found that an angel had been before them, and had rolled away the stone, and not only rolled away the stone but was sitting on it, as though the angel would pour contempt on the whole power of the Roman empire; and in order that those who loved Jesus might be assured in their minds that if it was necessary that obstacles should be removed, they would be removed by angels. They would be removed in such a way as to indicate that all the power of man was

nothing as compared with the power of an angel. So it says we have come "to myriads of angels", and then it adds, "to the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven". That is another view of the saints in their personal dignity. It has been well said that our being the assembly of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, is a kind of civic idea, enabling us to understand that we belong to a city that we can be proud of. But then the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven is a kind of social idea, that we belong to the very highest of society; with which a peerage of the realm is not to be compared. There is dignity attaching to the saints of God, they are all firstborn ones.

So, dear brethren, these things are set before us, that we may turn them over in our minds, and not be ashamed of being Christians, and not treat Christianity as though it is a kind of appendage to our lives, but that we may understand that what we have been brought to and what we belong to, is the thing, the choicest thing that has been in the mind of God from before the foundation of the world. It has now come in, and we are to move in it in faith, finding power for it in the Holy Spirit. And how it will affect us, dear brethren, if we look first upon ourselves and then upon one another, as firstborn ones, registered in heaven. What could be greater in the way of honour conferred upon us? That is the idea, that we are to understand the dignified character of what we now belong to. Every one of us has been sealed with the Holy Spirit, every one of us is known in heaven, every one of us partakes in the Spirit of the life of the heavenly One. "Such as the heavenly one, such also the heavenly ones" (1 Corinthians 15:48), and we are intended, as

having these things before us, to learn to comport ourselves as heavenly ones.

Then it says, "To God, judge of all". That will help to save us from the fear of man, that we have been brought to God, and we know Him as the Judge of all. He is going to have the last word, and He has a perfect judgment about everything and everybody. We have come to God, Judge of all. An earlier chapter in this epistle says there is in Christianity the bringing in of a better hope by which we draw nigh to God. It is an immense thing to cultivate drawing near to God, dear brethren. We often refer to Psalm 73, where Asaph says that his steps had well-nigh slipped, because he was occupied with outside appearances in the world. "Until", he says, "I went into the sanctuaries of God; then understood I their end" (verse 17), the end of the wicked. He drew near to God, and as he drew near to God he saw things in God's light, and he understood that God is the Judge of all, and that He is going to have the final word, and to vindicate His saints, and judge the wicked. So, dear brethren, the knowledge of God, the Judge of all, will be a great element in our souls as delivering us from the fear of man. We get it exemplified outstandingly in Daniel, for his very name means 'God is judge', showing, I have no doubt, that that is what Daniel had in his soul, that God was Judge, and in the light of that we can understand how well Daniel was able to go through. It says of Daniel that he continued, and also that he prospered. In Daniel 6:28 it says, "This Daniel prospered", and that should be an incentive to us, dear brethren, to study the first six chapters of Daniel, to see what kind of man Daniel was, the kind of

man that prospers over a long period of years, for he lived, apparently, to be an old man, and passed through various changes of dynasty. Yet he prospered in it all - "this Daniel;" the kind of man, who, when he was a young man, refused to be defiled with the king's meat and was content with pulse and water. He started thus, and he continued and prospered, and the secret of it all was that he had it in his soul that God was Judge.

Then it says, "the spirits of just men made perfect". That is, we have now come to perfection; redemption has been accomplished, and the time for perfection has come in. Very soon we shall see all the Old Testament saints, raised in glory with ourselves. We have come to the time of perfection, "the spirits of just men made perfect". And then it adds, "to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant". Allusion was made in the course of the reading this afternoon to the constant repetition in this epistle of the personal name of Jesus. That is what is so blessed about Christianity, it is a great system, indeed, a glorious system, but it is a system that has as its centre the person of Jesus, so that it is a system of affection, centring in Jesus, and He is known by His personal name to the saints of the assembly. I do not believe He is known in the same way by any other family, but what is peculiarly the portion of the assembly is that the Lord Jesus is known to us by His personal name, and He addresses us by His personal name, saying, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16).

Christianity is a great and glorious system, but it is a system of affection centring in Jesus. And, of course, the name Jesus conveys the glory of His Person as being Himself God, and hence we are intended to be impressed with the glory of the system to which we belong, that the One who is the centre of it and who is the Head of it too, and gives character to it is no less than Jesus. And so he is Mediator, it says, "of a new [or fresh] covenant". That is, the idea of freshness is connected with it, and how often we taste that at the Supper. It seems to turn our thoughts to the idea of the cup. The Lord says, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:25). That is to say, He is calling attention to Himself, it is Jesus, and as things are held in relation to Jesus in that way, they become constantly fresh. It is a Person appealing to us, and showing us that in His own death He went the whole length that was required in order that we might be freed from all that attached to us, and might take up what belongs to us as heavenly. He went the whole way in all that death meant to Him, in order that we might be liberated to move in the dignity and liberty of Christianity. Every Lord's day He confirms it to us afresh, and there is a freshness attaching to the Supper, and peculiarly, may I say, to the cup, because it is not simply what Jesus has done, but it is Jesus Himself confirming His own personal love to us in the cup, and we all drink of it together. Then it says, "to the blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel". That is to say, it speaks, I believe, of the claims of divine love over us. Redemption has been effected in the blood of Christ, the blood of God's own, we might

say, and the sprinkling of the blood would convey to us, I believe, that God would claim us by the appeal of His love to yield ourselves wholly now to this system of service Godward, in which we are privileged to have part.

Now, I do not need to refer further to Psalm 78, save that we might look for a moment at the last verse which I read, which says, "He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever". That shows that God, in intervening in mercy, had in mind the sanctuary, and establishing eternal conditions, in which He would be served by the saints for His own pleasure. As I say, nothing is more stimulating than the thought that we are called to minister to the pleasure of God as serving Him in His sanctuary. The idea of the sanctuary, of course, implies holy conditions, and when it comes to eternal conditions, of course, they are essentially holy. There is no need to stress the idea of the sanctuary when we come to eternal conditions, for the conditions then will be essentially and eternally holy, but the idea of the sanctuary refers especially to the present time, that in a world of evil, holy conditions can be maintained among the saints in which God can be served according to His pleasure.

But now we come to the passage I read in Leviticus 24, and I read it because it has in mind that the system, so far as concerns affording pleasure to God, makes certain demands upon us; not demands in a legal way, but that we are essential to it. We sometimes speak of the wonderful economy into which God has come in view of revelation, and all that is involved in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, but I think you will agree that

if God has come out in revelation it is us, that is the saints, who are in mind. The saints are needed to fill out the economy with the response in love which God's heart looks for; the economy requires the saints for the filling out of it. The economy, of course, is the arrangements, if one may use such a commonplace word in such holy things, which the Persons of the Godhead have entered into between Themselves, with a view to God being revealed as Father, and the revelation being made effective, and response to it secured, in the saints. So, as I say, it requires the saints for the filling out it, and that should be a great stimulus to us, to see that not one of us is failing to fill his own part in this wondrous economy.

Leviticus 23, the chapter preceding where we have read, gives the feasts of Jehovah. That is, it gives a list and details of the various holy convocations of God's people. How God takes pleasure in the gatherings together of the saints! He would have them together in order that they might afford pleasure to Him, and chapter 23 goes into that at great length, leading right on to the thought of the feast of tabernacles. But now when we come to chapter 24, we find that the children of Israel are commanded that they are to bring - it is not what Moses is to bring, nor what Aaron is to bring, but what the children of Israel are to bring - to bring "pure beaten olive oil for the light, to light the lamp continually". You will notice in these verses that I have read, the constant repetition of the word 'pure' - pure beaten olive oil for the light, and then the pure candlestick (verse 4), and then the pure table (verse 6), and then pure frankincense (verse 7). That is, God is stressing what is pure,

and that is what the Spirit of God, I believe, would emphasise amongst us in these closing days, that whatever mixture there has been in Christendom hitherto, whatever there has been that has been impure, God is looking for a complete answer to His own holy thoughts at the end. He wants purity; He wants His own thoughts maintained in absolute correspondence to them. You might say that is expecting too much. No, it is not expecting too much, and that is why the Holy Spirit is being so stressed at the present time, and why the urgent need is for all of us to see that we not only recognise the truth of the Spirit, but that we ourselves are formed in subjection to the Spirit, so that our very thoughts are spiritual, and our movements are spiritual. That is what we are all intended to arrive at in the closing days, because God wants purity. He wants a perfect answer to His thoughts to find expression among the saints.

Now, I cannot go in any detail into these verses, but we get first of all the light, the light of the candlestick, and then the table, the table with the bread of remembrance. The first thing is that the people are called upon to bring the pure olive oil beaten for the light, to light the lamp continually. That is, the light is always to be shining. It is a question of the light the Holy Spirit will give amongst us, the light as to Christ, the light as to divine thoughts. It is to be always shining continually. The lamps were to be trimmed, it says, from evening to morning. That is to say, the whole period of the night is to be covered by this idea of light in the power of the Spirit, the light is always to be there. It is to be there in ministry, but not simply in the gifts, but it is to be there as the saints gather together. There is always to be