,memoranda ,sacra ,,by ,j4 ,,rendel ,,harris ,,fourth ,,edition ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton ,,london ,,mcmvii ,,to ,,my ,,beloved ,,in ,,christ ,,jesus ,it pleased ,god1 in the days when we used to meet together in ,cambridge for ,his worship and for personal help1 to draw us unitedly very close to ,himself1 so that few of us are likely to forget the seasons of refreshing which we enjoyed from ,his presence2 and if1 by ,his good providence1 any of us meet in these later days1 one of the readiest sentences to rise to our lips is the word1 ,do you remember8 ,the papers which make up this little volume were originally designed to the same end1 the remembrance of one another1 and of the truths which ,god taught us4 ,how often were the pencilled notes of one and another put into my hand after some bright and happy meeting1 that a few copies might be made and circulated6 ,it is more than fourteen years since this was first done1 and the latest fragment of this book is more than ten years old4 ,you can see the creases of time in them1 and1 indeed1 they were never properly rounded4 ,take them1 however1 collected and reprinted1 as a token 7the only token ,i can give7 that the moth and rust of time have not eaten away the affection which ,i had for you all1 and that those two thieves1 ,change and ,death1 which were so early busy with us1 have not been able to undermine the house of our ,love1 nor abstract the treasure of our common ,faith4 ,j4 ,,rendel ,,harris4 ,,contents ,i4 ,,god ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,the ,,living ,,ii4 ,,believing ,,and ,,becoming ,,iii4 ,,gleaming ,,as ,,crystal ,,iv4 ,,heart ,,enlargement ,v4 ,,he ,,restoreth ,,my ,,soul ,,vi4 ,,addition ,,and ,,multiplication ,,vii4 ,a ,,conference ,,on ,,death ,,viii4 ,,christ ,,will ,,take ,,all ,,ix4 ,,strong ,,crying ,x4 ,,the ,,sentinel ,,of ,,the ,,heart ,,xi4 ,,thy ,,father ,,in ,,secret ,,xii4 ,,tests ,,of ,,faith1 ,,love1 ,,and ,,rightness ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,eternal ,,idea ,,xiv4 ,,more ,,light ,,xv4 ,,over-,,overcoming ,,god ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,the ,,living ,i am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up4 ,forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood1 ,he also ,himself likewise took part of the same2 that through death ,he might destroy him that had the power of death1 that is1 the devil2 and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage4 ,who is like unto ,thee1 ,o most mighty ,,lord1 for verily ,thy truth is on every side4 ,whither shall ,i go from ,thy ,spirit1 or whither shall ,i flee from ,thy ,presence8 ,if ,i climb up into heaven1 ,thou art there4 ,if ,i go down unto the dead1 ,thou art there also4 ,if ,i take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea1 even there also shall ,thy hand lead me1 and ,thy right hand shall hold me4 ,therefore when ,i sleep in the grave1 ,i am in ,thy cradle2 and when ,i shall arise up and awake1 behold around me are ,thy everlasting arms4 ,so not alone we land upon that shore3 ',twill be as though we had been there before2 ,we shall meet more we know ,than we can meet below1 ,and find our rest like some returning dove1 ,and be at home at once with our ,eternal ,love4 ,i ,,god ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,the ,,living#a ,now that the dead are raised1 even ,moses shewed at the bush1 when he calls the ,lord the ,god of ,abraham1 and the ,god of ,isaac1 and the ,god of ,jacob4 ,he is not a ,god of dead men1 but of living men1 for all live unto ,him4--,,luke xx4 #cg1 #ch4 ,it is very likely that some of us may have been perplexed in the study of this passage at the answer which the ,lord ,jesus gave to the ,sadducees1 and doubtful as to whether their difficulties and questions were fairly met by the text that ,he quoted4 ,certainly if we had been told to search the ,scriptures for passages bearing on the ,future ,life and the doctrine of the ,resurrection1 this is about the last text that we should have thought of adducing2 we should never have detected in these verses a key that would unlock the closed doors between two worlds and make sunlight be where previously all was dark4 ,and even if we had been pointed to this passage containing the revelation of ,god at the bush1 we should probably only have seen in it another of the magnificent affirmations of the ,divine self-existence1 another of the grand ,i ,am's which sound forth at times from the mount of cloud and vision4 ,we might even have gone so far as to see how much more wonderful it is to have a faith in which1 with wonderful simplicity1 ,god says ,i ,am1 than merely to have a religion which affirms ,he is1 and we should have been glad that at any time there were men to whom ,god spoke for ,himself4 ,but we should not have supposed that the statement had any bearing on our life and existence1 or that it solved1 or put us in the way of solving1 some of the questions that perplex us4 ,perhaps the principal reason for this lies in the words of ,jesus ,himself3 ,ye do not understand the scriptures nor the power of ,god4 ,and yet ought we not to be aware of this1 that every revelation of ,god involves a revelation about the creature1 just as the earth is affected by every potency and virtue in the sun8 ,revelation is not merely information about ,god1 without relation to our own life and being4 ,for instance3 both the ,spirit and the ,scripture combine to assure us that ,god is ,love4 ,is that merely a piece of theological information about ,god of which the universe is independent1 or does ,he not in the revelation spread ,his wide pinions over all creatures that ,he has made and gather them together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings8 ,out of such a revelation the willing soul discerns the ,new ,jerusalem descend as a bride adorned for her husband2 the eager soul receives1 the wayward soul returns1 the sorrowful soul is comforted4 ,no revelation of ,god is possible that is simply information without a bearing on my history1 my existence1 my future4 ,and so with our text we may say the ,i ,am of ,god involves the ,i shall be of the creature4 ,if one comes to me and says1 ,i was your father's friend1 it may be either 7i47 that my father is dead1 or 7ii47 that there has been a change in the affection of the person speaking2 but if he comes to me and says1 ,i am your father's friend1 he implies two things3 the existence of my father and the permanence of his own love for him2 and the one just as much as the other4 ,so when ,god says1 not ,i was the ,god of ,abraham1 but ,i am1 etc41 ,he is not merely asserting ,his own existence and providence1 but the continued life of the faithful of ancient days4 ,and so the ,i ,am of ,god proclaims the ,i am of the creature2 the soul looks down the sloping years and says of its prospect1 ,god is1 and ,i am4 ,and ,christ's answer to the ,sadducee comes to this3 ,you are inconsistent in denying the future life2 you ought first to have denied the being of ,god2 but as long as ,he is1 beat ,his saints small as the dust1 scatter them to the four corners of the earth1 yet ,he will send forth ,his angels and gather ,his elect again from the four winds1 and lo6 they are sitting down with ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob in the kingdom of ,god3 for ,he is not the ,god of dead men1 but of living men2 and all live unto ,him6 ,those who believe in ,god can easily take heart to look through the mysteries of life and death and to discern glory through the gloom2 but the ,sadducee did not stand in the line of the sunbeams that come from the other world2 no wonder it was dark to him4 ,not but what our life is full of mysteries3 birth and death alike perplex us2 the ,whence and the ,whither4 ,he who has studied well his coming and his going1 has written out two books of his ,bible3 the ,genesis and ,exodus of his book of life4 ,birth and death are alike mysterious2 they are something like the vails of the ancient tabernacle1 each curiously wrought of purple and scarlet and fine twined linen1 but the vail of the most holy place had in addition cunning work and tracery of cherubim4 ,so with our birth and dying--we may learn much from either2 but death has the greater wonders traced upon its vail1 if we could but get into the right light to read them4 ,there is this difference1 too1 that1 while the first vail is moved aside that we may enter1 and closes behind us so that we may not tell from whence we came1 the second vail is not drawn back but rent from top to bottom1 so that we do not lose our sight of the world that is when we are made a part of the world that is to come4 ,it is through this rent vail that we are looking to-day4 ,it has pleased ,god that the first-fruits of our meeting should be laid upon the altar2 ,he has called our dear ,arthur ,neale to ,himself4 ,already it has been said over him1 ,ashes to ashes and dust to dust2 it remains for us to take up our testimony and say1 and soul to soul4 ,dear ,arthur ,neale6 it has been said that one cross can sanctify a soul1 and he had many crosses2 chiefest of all the fear of death4 ,he was something like ,bunyan's ,mr4 ,fearing1 only his fear was physical1 and not produced by doubts as to his final acceptance4 ,but it was grand to see how1 at the last1 this fear of death1 which is1 in its very nature1 a solicitude for self1 was transformed to care for others2 just before he passed away1 he turned to the dear one watching beside him and asked if she was afraid to see any one die4 ,now let me read you a little about ,mr4 ,fearing4 ,when he was come to the entrance of the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i thought ,i should have lost my man2 not for that he had any inclination to go back3 that he always abhorred2 but he was ready to die for fear4444 ,but this ,i took notice of1 that this valley was as quiet when he went through it as ever ,i knew it before or since4 ,i suppose these enemies had a special check from our ,lord1 and a commandment not to meddle until ,mr4 ,fearing was passed over it4444 ,when he was come to the river1 where was no bridge1 he was again in a heavy case4 ,and here1 also1 ,i took notice of what was very remarkable3 the water of that river was lower at this time than ever ,i saw it in all my life4 ,so he went over1 at last1 not much above wet shod4444 ,i never had any doubt about him2 he was a man of very choice spirit1 only he was always kept very low1 and that made his life burdensome to himself and troublesome to others4 ,he has sent us his last message3 being asked if he had any word for friends1 he said1 ,tell them all1 it's all right4 ,it comforts me sometimes to believe that1 as we advance in the ,life1 the way becomes easier4 ,i believe this to be the case not only with one who has death at his back1 but with every one who walks faithfully with ,god4 ,jesus says1 ,my yoke is easy and ,my burden is light2 and ,i think to those who follow ,him faithfully ,he says1 ,my yoke is easier and ,my burden lighter every day4 ,we learn to live with ,god until it becomes impossible to live without ,him2 we learn to lean on ,him1 until we acquire an instinctive abhorrence of all broken reeds4 ,we begin with cherubim and a flaming sword that turns every way to keep the way of the tree of life2 but we end with the same flashing armoury turning us from every path except that which leads to glory and honour and immortality and the city of ,god4 ,we begin with ,he shall give ,his angels charge against thee1 but we end with this1 ,he giveth ,his angels charge concerning thee1 and in their hands they shall bear thee up1 lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone4 ,such guidance and keeping is heaven2 such1 too1 is heaven on earth4 ,i have kept a few of his letters from which ,i should like to read you a few sentences3-- #bcrd ,december #ahgh4 444 ,thoughts seem to go almost instinctively from the cold weather to the apparent state of spiritual life in the congregations of which ,i have been a very unwilling member 7i4e4 pro tem41 ,d4 ,v47--the latest invention is a system of feeding souls on historical facts dressed up in flowery ,english--perhaps this sounds harsh and resentful2 perhaps others have not found it such bad food after all4 #ith ,january #ahgi4 444 ,i do not know that ,i can tell you anything more than is contained in two sentences from the ,chronicles of the ,schnberg-,cotta ,family3 ,i feel an atom--but an atom in a solid1 ,god-governed world1 where truth is mightiest2 insignificant in myself as the little mosses which flutter on these ancient stones2 but yet a little moss on a great rock which cannot be shaken--the rock of ,god's providence and love4 ,god's common gifts are ,his most precious2 and ,his most precious gifts--even life itself--have no root in themselves2 not that they are without root3 they are better rooted in the depths of ,his unchangeable love4 ,henceforth let me be content with the only security ,dr4 ,luther says ,god will ever give us--the security of ,his presence and care4 ,i will never leave thee4 ,and yet one longs to be less than moss1 to be a part of the rock itself2 that it may not be ,i that live1 but ,christ that liveth in me--that death might be swallowed up of life4 #gth ,march #ahgi4 444 ,it seems that ,i'm beginning to learn that it is little use expecting to get messages for others1 or be able to help them or speak a word in season unless we make mention of them continually in our prayers1 and give up trying to monopolise the ,holy ,ghost for particular times2 i4e4 the ,holy ,ghost objects to being a respecter of persons at any time4 ,it remains therefore to pray for you strongly that you may be filled with a knowledge of ,his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding quite up to the mark of rejoicing alway1 for this is the will of ,god concerning us4444 ,the verse that brings me soonest to the self-despair point is this3 ,herein is love with us made perfect1 that we may have boldness in the day of judgment1 because as ,he is1 so are we in this world2 the standpoint of workers together with ,god is a strong one--it lifts1 it bears my drooping soul4 ,to do the will of ,god1 surely this is to abide for ever4444 #hth ,february #ahhj4 ,he begins with two ,scripture quotations3 one from the ,septuagint--the ,lord preserveth the infants1 in the ,english the ,lord preserveth the simple2 the other--,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven4 ,it has been an experience of the past week1 which ,i am now beginning dimly to recognise1 that the child and the child-spirit are necessary elements of the presence of the kingdom--as necessary as they are for entrance into the kingdom4 ,and the kingdom consists in the keeping2 in conscious1 clearer1 simpler on-leading in the life of ,christ4 ,i am kept because ,i am a child--when ,i cease to be kept it is because ,i become a rebellious child2 and of this kingdom and peace there has been no end to-day--there is therefore no hindrance 7save a divided will7 to its continuance1 and thus one is led into the faith of the ,son of ,god--that our brothers are not orphans1 and that prayer and work must in this faith overcome the world4 ,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus be present continually to energise in us this faith1 and to work in us all the good pleasure of ,his will4 ---------- ,and so1 beloved friends1 with these words of his own we conclude our testimony to him2 we keep this ,memorial of the ,blessed ,dead1 not sorrowing1 as those do who have no hope2 if we grieve at all1 it is that our love was so sparing of the spikenard wherewith we should have anointed him to his burial4 ---------- ,requiescit in pace4 ,thou has made him most blessed for ever1 ,thou has made him exceeding glad with ,thy countenace4 #a ,in ,memoriam1 ,arthur ,george ,william ,neale1 ,b4,a4 7,st4 ,john's ,college71 who passed through the veil #ast ,july #ahhj4 ,aged #bb years4 ,,ii ,,believing ,,and ,,becoming ,to as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he power to become the sons of ,god1 even to them that believe on ,his name4--,,john i4 #ab4 ,john soon gets away from abstract theology and takes the soul up into the mount of contemplation1 from which it may discern the length and breadth of the land of promise and privilege4 ,he knew that our faith was not only ,emmanuel1 ,god with us2 but that if we had the skill and could read the word backwards1 we might say1--and we also with ,god4 ,he begins his ,gospel1 the ,word was with ,god 2 he goes on1 the ,word was with man2 and then he completes the triangle by saying1 and man also with ,god2 for to as many as received ,him1 ,he gave power to become the children of ,god4 ,and again1 later on1 in the seventeenth chapter1 we have the thoughts1 ,i in them1 and ,thou in ,me1 and they also in ,us1 until one is left in a delightful perplexity as to the nearness of ,god to ,his creatures1 and obliged to say that-- ,god is never so far off ,as even to be near2 ,he dwells within1 the spirit is ,the home ,he holds most dear4 ,his faith was not merely that the ,word became flesh that ,he might bring ,god to us1 but the ,word living and suffering that ,he might bring us to ,god2 ,his religion not merely the humiliation of the ,creator1 but1 in a very real sense1 the exaltation of the creature and practical union with the ,lord of the spirits of all flesh2 not only that ,he for our sakes became poor1 but also1 that we through ,his poverty might be made rich4 ,it is into this riches of our inheritance that we want to look this evening4 ,do we know what it is to have not only a heaven in prospect but also one in possession1 and to see in ,christ a ,high ,priest of good things present as well as of good things to come8 ,it seems to me that in this passage the ,religion of ,jesus is presented to us in two lights3 7i47 as believing and receiving2 7ii47 as believing and becoming4 ,some people stop short with believing and do not receive4 ,but our faith is certainly an appropriative faculty2 a sort of hand of the soul that can be stretched out to take hold of ,god's offered gifts2 or to link itself on to ,god's hand outstretched to guide us4 ,of what use would a hand be that never grasped anything8 ,perhaps some promise stands out before us1 telling us ,his ,mind1 or it may have been impressed upon us by ,his ,spirit4 ,even from a weak faith we can obtain promises2 because faith apprehends the nature of ,god2 and as soon as we begin to apprehend that1 we see that certain things ought to happen1 and ere long these things shape themselves into definite promises which faith applies4 ,so the life is one of believing and receiving2 and as our faith pleads the promises1 and the appropriative power of the soul is exercised1 we find the kingdom of ,god come to us not in word but in power4 ,but our religion is also believing and becoming2 that as many as received ,him might become the children of ,god1 even those who believe in ,his name4 ,much of our faith1 so-called1 is only a beating of the air1 and not really an advancement of the soul2 we profess a great deal which has no practical bearing on our own lives4 ,yet all true believing is becoming1 and a man cannot be a follower of the ,lamb1 in the real sense of the term1 without his becoming moment by moment a different man2 he alters his stature1 not indeed by taking thought thereunto1 but even as the lilies grow2 and adding together the receiving and the becoming1 we find that we are the children of ,god4 ,hence it appears that our faith is not a single definite act1 done1 and done with2 but one done and gone on with4 ,and our faith is to be not only definite1 but progressive and increasing1 leading us from grace to grace1 from strength to strength1 and from glory to glory4 ,if we take a stranger to view the ,fitzwilliam ,museum at ,cambridge1 it is possible that he will say that the outside is the finest part of it1 and that it looks best from a distance2 or he may say that the entrance-hall1 with its display of coloured marbles and polished granite1 is the best part of the museum4 ,certainly there are many that look at ,christianity in this manner2 thinking it perhaps a magnificent ideal of life1 especially as seen in history2 or perhaps as seen at some distance1 as we view ,sunday from the other days of the week4 ,and others there are who think that the entrance of the ,christian life is the best part of it1 who say honestly from experience that the beginning of the life was the best for them4 ,the reason being that they stopped there2 otherwise people never could think that the happiest part of the life was that immediately consequent on conversion2 for in reality the path of the just is a shining light1 that shines more and more unto the perfect day4 ,it is not like one of those ancient ,egyptian temples of which one reads1 in which we pass from daylight to shade as we enter1 and into deeper gloom as we approach the secret shrine4 ,the life of faith--progressive1 increasing faith--is a motion in a straight line1 and not in a closed curve2 it is not like an ,irish penance around a sacred well where one makes progress with the final result of being where you started1 and1 perhaps1 ready for another revolution1 as1 indeed1 it must appear to some ,christians whose circle is a week and whose starting-point a ,sunday4 ,neither is it like the pilgrimage up ,pilate's staircase at ,rome1 in which the pain of going up on one's knees is only varied by the discomfort of coming down again and finding ourselves just about where we were before1 as it must appear to some good people who live the up-and-down life4 ,it is an upward and onward life2 on our knees1 if you will1 but upward and upward and1 like the stairs in ,ezekiel's vision1 still upward4 ,and the ,scriptures encourage us forward1 bidding us leave the word of the beginning of ,christ and go 7not crawl7 on unto perfection4 ,he gave the power to become the children of ,god2 the margin suggests right or privilege4 ,theologically this seems a high calling2 but we are not to deny things because they are high4 ,the devil's darling sin is the pride that apes humility1 and this affectation of humility is one of the ways in which souls are constantly kept out of blessing2 it has been so throughout the history of the ,church4 ,in the matter of the forgiveness of sins1 it is not so long since people said that if a man knew his sins were forgiven1 it would make him conceited2 and some people still hold it to be a presumption2 at other times that eternal life1 which consists in the knowledge of ,god and of ,jesus ,christ whom ,he has sent1 is denied2 because it is presumptuous for a man to say that he knows ,god in the same simple matter-of-fact way that he is acquainted with a friend4 ,and nowadays this spiritual affectation takes the form of the denial of holiness1 because1 if you were kept from sin1 you would be sure to be proud of it2 as if ,god were likely to humble a man and make his heart a temple of ,his own1 and then suffer him to be lifted up over the fact4 ,they do not seem to see the contradiction4 ,the ,lord is pretty sure to humble us a good deal before ,he gives us anything to be proud of4 ,people say it is presumptuous to be blameless and harmless1 the sons of ,god without rebuke1 and more humble--to be something else4 ,humility is one of those things that lie right in the line of our obedience2 or1 as a dear friend once said to me1--the righteousness ,i am striving after1 includes humility4 ,it is a false humility that refuses those good things which ,god has laid up for those who love ,him4 ,the true humility says1 when the ,lord has made a feast and bidden ,his guests1 ,i shall go and take the lowest place2 but the affected humility says1 ,oh6 it's too good for me2 ,i shall sit down outside2 and so1 practically1 it becomes numbered amongst those of whom it is said1 ,they shall not taste of ,my supper4 ,we need to be like ,paul1 ready to take our place amongst the saints1 though less than the least of them2 or it may be among the apostles1 though not worthy to be called an apostle4 ,god gives us power for what ,he wants us to be2 i4e4 power for the next step2 and all our future life is conditioned upon that4 ,we say1 ,increase our faith1 and ,he says1 ,exercise the faith you have4 ,we must exercise the lower power before we attain to the higher4 ,suppose there is a powerful steam-engine which is able to do for you a year's work in a day3 it is a reservoir of power1 but the power is conditioned upon the exercise of a lower power2 you must bring coals and fetch water and make up fire1 and by and by the power becomes accessible to you4 ,he that is faithful in least is faithful also in much2 we must be faithful to the light already given us1 faithful to our powers of love1 thought1 and obedience1 if we are to be brought to the reception of the power in which saints have walked4 ,using the marginal suggestion1 we have the right given us to be children of ,god4 ,we hear much nowadays of people standing on their rights1--on rights real and rights imagined2 we have our rights against the enemy of souls2 oh6 that we would insist on them1 and that we would realise how the powers of darkness fly when we look to ,god bravely and confidently for the promised help4 ,what is involved in thus becoming a child of ,god8 ,well1 for one thing1 ,god is pledged to love us just as much as ,he loves ,christ4 ,we sometimes get the idea into our minds that ,god loves us in a sort of afterthought manner1 as a superfluous or unnecessary part of creation4 ,i have found out that ,he loves us just as much as ,he loves ,christ2 ,jesus ,himself said--,father1 ,thou hast loved them as ,thou hast loved ,me4 ,was ,christ's consciousness of the love of ,god a mere wavering thing1 perhaps known only at critical times2 or was it not rather ,his vital breath and native air8 ,i will that they also whom ,thou hast given ,me may be with ,me where ,i am2 and the only-begotten ,son is in the bosom of the ,father4 ,another side of this privilege is that we may be kept from sin4 ,three passages ,i call to mind in which the children of the ,highest are spoken of3 one is in ,matt4 v4 #de3 ,that ye may be the children of your ,father which is in heaven4 ,it goes on--,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father in heaven is perfect4 ,another is in #b ,cor4 vi4 #ah2 ,i will be a ,father unto you1 and ye shall be ,my sons and ,my daughters1 saith the ,lord ,god ,almighty4 ,it goes on--,having these promises1 dearly beloved1 let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of the ,lord4 ,the third is in #a ,john iii4 #a3 ,behold what manner of love the ,father hath bestowed upon us1 that we should be called the sons of ,god2 and the best reading continues--and we are so2 it continues with purifieth himself as ,he is pure1 and he that abideth in ,him sinneth not4 ,finally1 does it seem a contradiction in terms to talk of becoming a child8 it is indeed hard to turn the streams of life backward and make them return to their source3 a long way back1 too1 for some of us2 again we take comfort from the ,scripture1 and remember that when he was yet a great way off1 his father ran and fell on his neck and kissed him4 ,,iii ,,gleaming ,,as ,,crystal ,and he shewed me a pure river of water of life1 gleaming as crystal1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb4--,,rev4 xxii4 #a4 ,if we are to understand the ,new ,jerusalem properly1 we almost need to have been citizens of the ,old4 ,on this subject1 even more than in the general interpretation of the ,scriptures1 we are entitled to answer the question--,what advantage then hath the ,jew8 with an unhesitating expression of much every way2 for unto them pertained the city of ,god4 ,for example1 when we read1 in ,galatians1 the passage in which ,st4 ,paul speaks of the old ,covenant1 under the terms ,agar and ,mount ,sinai in ,arabia1 who but those who had felt the galling of a foreign yoke1 and the insolence and exaction of ,roman tyranny1 could have realised the pathos of the words and correspondeth to ,jerusalem1 which now is1 and is in bondage with her children2 and what citizen of the ,new and ,spiritual ,city1 who had not also dwelt within the ancient and outward walls1 could have felt the full contrast expressed in the triumphant thanksgiving that ,jerusalem1 which is above1 is free8 ,in the same way1 if one would understand the magnificent passage in which the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews describes the ,new ,jerusalem1 one would need to have worshipped within the courts of the ,old4 ,how else can one see the lines traced in the picture1 and mark the analogy between the multitude of white-robed priests and the innumerable company of angels2 or see the general assembly of folk gathered for festival from all parts of the land8 here1 too1 are the consecrated eldest-born1 and here the rolls in which their names are entered2 and1 passing within the veil1 even in ancient days1 one might say1 in some sense1 ,we are come to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to ,jesus the ,mediator of the covenant1 and to the ,blood of sprinkling4 ,so you will understand that the best place to view the ,new ,jerusalem from is the ruins of the ,old4 ,it is in this spirit that we want to study the gleaming waters that make glad the city of ,god4 ,observe1 then1 that the ancient ,jerusalem was not situated1 as most cities1 on the banks of some river1 or the shore of some sea4 ,it stood in a peculiar position1 at some distance from either3 it was badly watered2 we read of a pool or two1 of a little brook1 of an aqueduct and some other artificial water-structures4 ,bearing this fact in mind1 you will understand how forcible an appeal to the imagination would be contained in the verse of the #dfth ,psalm1 which tells of a river that should make glad the city of ,god4 ,in evidence of the foregoing you may notice the following remark of ,philo on the verse quoted 7de somniis1 ii4 #ch72 ,the holy city1 which exists at present1 in which also the holy temple is established1 is at a great distance from any sea or river1 so that it is clear that the writer here means figuratively to speak of some other city than the visible city of ,god4 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that the mention of a pure1 fresh stream flowing through the midst of ,jerusalem was a figure of a very striking nature2 and we say1 that the basis of this magnificent description in the ,apocalypse lies in the insufficiency of the water-supply of the ancient city4 ,god takes our outward necessities and uses them as figures by which to make us alive to the facts of our inward neediness1 and of the abundant power that there is in ,him to satisfy us4 ,the ,bible is full of promises as outwardly impossible as that a river should flow through the midst of ,jerusalem4 ,the streams of life1 the floods of holy influence1 the manifestations of ,divine grace1 shall be for you like that imagined river2 and however difficult it may be to believe such a heaven on earth as that indicated to be possible-- ,faith1 mighty faith1 the promise sees1 ,and looks to that alone2 ,laughs at impossibilities1 ,and cries--,it shall be done4 ,the life of the future1 and by that we mean heaven on earth as well as heaven1 shall be as different from that which you are now realising as the water-supply of ,jerusalem would be if a river flowed in the midst1 from what it is now with merely ,kidron and ,bethesda and ,siloam and ,solomon's ,pools4 ,so we say 7i47 that the ,life is not a half-stagnant pool1 like ,siloam2 nor 7ii47 an intermittent fountain1 like ,bethesda2 nor 7iii47 an artificial construction1 like ,solomon's aqueducts2 nor 7iv47 a poor weak puny stream1 defiled by the city through which it passes1 like the brook ,kidron4 7#a7 ,it is not a standstill life3 no one can stand still who lives with ,god4 ,if ,god is the fountain of your life1 there will be no green mantle on the surface telling how long you have been in one place4 ,neither in earth nor in heaven do we stand still or stay where we are4 ,take up the anchor and the ship follows the tide1 and in ,god the tide always sets one way4 ,you cannot stand still without anchoring to the creature4 ,there must be fresh discoveries of truth and duty every day2 and fresh inquisition made into the heights and depths of ,redeeming ,love4 ,abandonment to ,god must mean advancement in ,god4 ,they who love ,god cannot love ,him by measure1 ,for their love is a hunger to love ,him still better4 7#b7 ,neither in earth nor in heaven is the ,life to be an intermittent one4 ,some have said that the pool of ,bethesda was connected with one of those intermittent springs that one sometimes comes across1 and have explained by that means the periodical disturbances in the waters4 ,there is one of these springs pointed out on the road from ,buxton to ,castleton in ,derbyshire1 but it showed no signs of anything extraordinary when ,i was there4 ,however1 whether ,bethesda is of this nature or not1 it is certain that the spiritual life of many believers is too much of the character of an intermittent spring4 ,i want to tell you that there should be no such word as revival in the dictionary of the ,christian ,church3 we want life1 not revival4 ,you hear people saying of certain religious movings--,they are having quite a revival2 alas6 and were they dead before8 ,indeed1 ,i am sure this intermittent fountain expresses only too accurately the lives of many of us4 ,the best that ,god can do with us is to make us an occasional blessing--a sorrowful thing to confess when there are suffering ones around waiting and watching the surface of our hearts to see whether there is any moving of the water4 ,i think1 therefore1 to tell you the secret of the intermittent spring4 ,every such spring is fed from an inner chamber in the rock in which the rains accumulate2 but it is only as long as the water is above a certain level that the outward flow is maintained4 ,if the inner chamber be kept full1 the outward supply will be constant4 ,and we know1 apart from our figure1 that when the inner life is renewed day by day1 the outward is no longer an intermittent spring1 but an overflowing cup4 ,neither in earth nor in heaven has a ,christian a right to go below par in his spiritual life4 ,i have been trying to imagine what it would be in heaven if angels were to neglect the influx of vital force that comes from the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb2 if at any time they were to feel not up to singing-mark or service-mark1 what a strange heaven it would presently be2 and what strange music with notes wanting1--sometimes in the air and sometimes in the bass4 ,we know1 however1 that the real character of their life and service is not intermittent1 but is expressed in the words1 ,they rest not day nor night1 saying1 ',holy1 holy1 holy1 is the ,lord of ,hosts4' 7#c7 ,it is not a life for which the world is too strong1 and which cannot therefore be kept pure4 ,it is not figured by a little brook1 as ,kidron1 defiled with all the impurities of a city1 and that an oriental city4 ,and yet how many lives there are of which we have to say1 ,the world is too strong for them2 well-intentioned people1 but feeble in grace1 and who have received but little of the ,life of ,god4 ,the cup was indeed put into their hands1 but they were afraid to drink deeply1 though the voice by their side was saying1 ,drink abundantly1 ,o beloved4 ,they drink down to the level of forgiveness1 and1 perhaps1 grace2 but not down to glory and the receiving of the ,spirit2 they do not realise that he that drinketh of the water that ,i shall give him shall never thirst2 they do not overcome the world2 one has almost to make a fresh text for them1--,this is the defeat wherewith they are worsted1 even their little faith4 7#d7 ,it is not a humanly-devised life1 as ,solomon's aqueducts4 ,our faith stands not in human structures2 not in the ,westminster ,confession2 not in the ,,xxxix4 ,articles4 ,it stands not in the wisdom of men1 but in the power of ,god4 ,the ,divine ,life is not sect1 and it is not system4 ,what is your sect8 ,a pipe whose power of supply is limited by its diameter2 whatever we can learn from the maxims and traditions of men1 is but a little compared with what we may learn from ,god directly4 ,the channel of a sect6 it is a pipe that bursts when the tide of life rises beyond a certain point4 ,the channel of a system6 it is an aqueduct through which1 if one stone be taken out1 the water ceases to reach you4 ,our little systems have their day2 ,they have their day and cease to be2 ,they are but broken lights of ,thee2 ,and ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 art more than they4 ,if one travels on the continent1 one can see 7,i think it is at ,avignon7 the ruins of the ancient ,roman aqueduct2 but the ,rhine and the rest of the rivers of ,god flow on still1 full of water4 ,let names and sects and parties fall1 ,that ,jesus may be all in all4 ,as we learn to live the life of dependence upon the ,lord1 we must not be surprised if a great deal of our early theology drops off3 it does not always sit down with us in heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus4 ,instead of ,solomon's pools and aqueducts there is given to us a pure river of water of life1 gleaming as crystal1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb2 and ,i think we may say of those who receive the life of ,god in this immediate and wonderful manner1 that not even ,solomon1 in all his glory1 was so well supplied as one of these4 ,finally1 we may say1 that the ,life is one of absolute dependence1 and is conditioned on the sovereignty of ,god and of the ,lamb4 ,grace and the ,holy ,ghost are the portions of the dependent soul3 they only flow from the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb4 ,i am amazed to find how much of true religion may be resolved into that one word dependence4 ,i can remember the time when ,i could not enter into the ,psalm1 ,lord1 my heart is not haughty1 nor mine eyes lofty1 neither do ,i exercise myself in great matters1 nor in things too high for me2 nor sing the verse1 ,i would be treated as a child1 and guided where ,i go4 ,now it is1 ,i hope1 different4 ,moreover1 we are sure that this spirit of dependence is one of the main features of the angelic life2 we cannot imagine it otherwise2 for the source of the river is the throne4 ,we sang in our hymn the lines-- ,i know ,thou hast my heart1 ,and ,i have heaven2 but we can only sing the second line where we have said or sung the first4 ,,iv ,,heart ,,enlargement ,i will run the way of ,thy commandments1 when ,thou shall enlarge my heart4--,ps4 cxix4 #cb4 ,if we were to study the names of the different sects and parties that make up the ,ishmael of ,god1 we should find them to be singularly unsuggestive of such a thing as the existence of a spiritual life2 nor could we easily infer from the nomenclature of so-called ,christendom that there is a spirit in man1 and that the inspiration of the ,almighty giveth him understanding4 ,now1 this is a very curious fact2 for one would have expected that about the first thing suggested by the appellations of ,christian bodies would have been some phase or other of the inward life4 ,but we are not going to spend our time to-night in discussing sects1 or deploring their divisions1 although we cannot altogether refrain regret when we contemplate the seamless robe of ,christ rent into more than twain1 and dabbled in blood worse than ,joseph's coat was when his father said1 ,some evil beast hath devoured him2 and although it does seem to us sometimes1 as we contemplate the havoc of schisms and strife of sects1 as if some convulsion from beneath had shaken down the towers of the ,new ,jerusalem1 and streams from the nether fires had coursed down the channels of the river of life4 ,what we want to do is to think a little about the true ,broad ,church2 not that branch of ,christianity which commonly goes under the name1 and which makes one of the instances referred to of the unsuitableness of names applied to religious schools and parties1 but the spiritual ,broad ,church1 which is the church of enlarged hearts4 ,the school we want to belong to is the school of spiritual free-thinkers1 who are at liberty to learn all that ,god has to teach them4 ,the true ,broad ,church is that in which an enlarged obedience to ,god's commandments is brought about by an enlarged experience of ,his love2 and ,his commandments and ,his love are both of them exceeding broad4 ,all true spiritual life must widen the soul2 the more we live with ,jesus1 the more impossible will it be for any of us to be narrow4 ,our littleness takes refuge with ,god1 and ,his greatness makes its abode with us2 we bring ,him our unworthiness and ,he imparts to us ,his righteousness2 we offer to ,him our hearts barren of sympathy and deficient in affection1 and presently we find the love of ,god shed abroad in our hearts by the ,holy ,ghost that is given to us4 ,thus1 when acquainted with ,god we cannot be really narrow2 they might as well call the ,lord ,jesus ,christ narrow4 ,we want to be as broad in our sympathies and in our views as ,he was2 and neither broader nor narrower4 ,true spiritual life will widen the soul in its possessions1 its perceptions1 its will1 and its love2 it will extend our powers of having1 of knowing1 of willing1 and of loving2 and1 in one or other of these four1 most of our life is included4 7#a7 ,how very little we possess1 both in outward and inward things4 ,this is one of the points in which we are disposed to agree with the saying that the circumference of our circle is very near to the centre4 ,we can grasp very little4 ,our hands are small and the world is large4 ,tell me how ,i can make my broad acres more broad1 is the request of the rich man4 ,tell me how ,i can make my narrow holding less narrow1 is the cry of the poor4 ,but a life in ,god makes us rich1 for all things are yours2 whether ,paul1 or ,apollos1 or ,cephas1 or the world1 or life1 or death1 or things present or things to come2--all are yours2 and ye are ,christ's2 and ,christ is ,god's4 ,blessed are the meek2 for they shall inherit the earth4 ,there is no man that hath left house1 or brethren1 or sisters1 or father1 or mother1 or wife1 or children1 or lands1 for ,my sake and the ,gospel's1 but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time1 houses1 and brethren1 and sisters1 and mothers1 and children1 and lands1 with persecutions2 and in the world to come eternal life4 ,and ,madame ,guyon says1 ,have ,i not infinitely more than a hundredfold1 in so entire a possession as ,thou my ,lord hast taken of me1 in that unshaken firmness which ,thou givest me in my sufferings1 in a perfect tranquillity in the midst of a furious tempest that assails me on every side1 in an unspeakable joy1 enlargedness1 and liberty which ,i enjoy in a most strait and rigorous captivity8 7#b7 ,how trifling is our knowledge6 ,yet fewer people will assent to the lack of knowledge1 for many think they know a good deal4 ,as in the times of ,socrates1 it is only the wise man who knows he knows nothing4 ,and yet how little we know6 ,we know but little of things in this world1 with all our sciences and study1 and we know much less about ,god1 and glory1 and immortality1 and the spirits which live outside the tent of this mortal flesh1 or of any of those things which eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard4 ,and with all our books of theology and treatises on spiritual life1 we are almost obliged to say that all is less than nothing and vanity4 ,but we believe that for those whom ,god enlarges1 there is an unspeakable increase in the perceptive powers of the soul3 they are taught things that no one else knows anything about1 and that are hidden from the wise and prudent4 ,there is knowledge for the simple and lowly ones2 for those who1 in the spiritual strength they have derived from ,god1 run in the way of ,his commandments4 ,looking into the ,father's face1 and into the ,saviour's heart1 the soul can say1 ,this is life eternal1 to know ,thee the only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom ,thou hast sent4 ,and with the knowledge there comes the aspiration that we1 being rooted and grounded in love1 may be able to comprehend with all saints1 and to beseech for all souls1 the breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height1 and to know the love of ,christ1 which passeth knowledge4 ,and again it is said1 ,ye have an anointing from the ,holy ,one1 and ye know all things4 ,is this a little knowledge8 ,all things are possible to you in possession and in perception4 7#c7 ,how little is our will-power4 ,we often want to do right1 and the force of habits or of grooves is too strong for us4 ,we have not enough momentum to carry us out or enough moral force to deny the past and to assert the future4 ,constantly rises up in judgment the days that have been2 and when looking at the blessed vision of ,god of the days that shall be1 the past rises up and says1 ,it is not for you2 and we have not power to deny this1 and to believe in ,god that ,he will work all the good pleasure of ,his will in us4 ,it seems almost impossible for us ever to become saints4 ,when we get to understand a little about righteousness and holiness1 we do feel utterly inadequate to choose such a righteousness1 or to compel ourselves to live out such a holiness4 ,the only remedy is the ,divine enlargement of heart which comes from the visitation of the ,spirit4 ,we carry our brokenness to ,god2 we put our helpless will at ,his feet1 and ,he energises it1 and sends us back from the altar-steps1 or from the glory where we have met with ,him1 able to say1 ,i delight to do ,thy will1 ,o my ,god4 ,and although for each one of us there will be a ,gethsemane1 a place of tears1 as there was for the ,master1 yet we shall come through with our will unbroken1 because it will be the will of ,god strong within us4 7#d7 ,how small is our capacity for loving or forgiving4 ,many think they have capacity for an infinite love1 and would be able to exhibit it if they could find a worthy object4 ,but ,i believe our love is a strictly measurable quantity1 and dependent on the state of grace we are in4 ,only those who have the ,spirit within them1 energising them1 can truly love at all4 ,again1 we fall at the ,lord's feet1 and tell ,him we have no power even to be civil to some people1 much less to love them2 scarcely power to put up the weapons of revenge against some2 and even to those whom1 like the publicans and ,pharisees and sinners1 we love because they love us1 we have not been able to make an adequate return for the love they have lavished upon us4 ,then ,god teaches us that there lies in ,him the power of enlarging the human affections1 and ,he enlarges our hearts that we1 being rooted and grounded in love1--not only in the experimental realisation of ,his love to us1 but also in the experimental living out of our love to ,him1 and to all that ,he has made and given us1--are able to run the way of ,his commandments4 ,for that is ,his new commandment1 that we love one another4 ,our practical state will depend on the enlarging of our hearts4 ,we talk of large-hearted people1 but they are not so by nature in the sense ,god wishes4 ,it needs a ,divine operation and a definite ,divine experience to enable us to live out the law of the ,new ,testament4 ,thus to do more1 we must first of all be more4 ,this is the ,gospel way all through4 ,god never teaches us that we are to do and afterwards to be4 ,what preachers tell you about dead works means simply that it is a mistake for us to try to do before we have learned to be4 ,you may see a little child trying to lift a heavy weight1 and you tell it that it must wait till its muscles are stronger3 it must wait till it has become4 ,this was the way at the beginning in conversion3 dead works means that in us there does not dwell force or power to lift the great weight of the commandment or righteousness of ,god2 hence they are useless or stupid works4 ,when you find in your heart your inability to fulfil the ,divine commandment1 and have not the strength and power you want1 though all day trying to lift the heavy weight1 you come to ,god and say1 ,it is plain that1 as ,i am1 ,i cannot live out this righteousness1 and ,i come for a new life to live it out4 ,i must have ,thine own strength4 ,then we understand our ,lord's saying1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,you have lived this out in some way since you were converted2 but you have not realised enough the more blessed life2 you know a little of walking in the way1 but running in the way brings you face to face with something outside your strength and power4 ,it is no use to try and do work which needs a stronger man1 unless we can become stronger men4 ,many make a mistake here2 they are trying to live out holiness before they have got the heart-enlarging4 ,but it is no use our trying to be holy1 until ,god makes us holy4 ,we try to take the first part of the verse alone1 and then we break down4 ,my heart breaks down3 ,i can never be a runner4 ,you are trying to live out ,his commandments1 without having the visitation of the enlarged heart2 you must get on to definite dealings with ,god for a visitation of the ,spirit2 when ,he has come1 you will have the strength and peace of ,god with you4 ,it seems to me painfully sad to hear people sorrowing3 ,i know it is my privilege1 but ,i cannot make it real2 and although one can sometimes do little acts of mercy1 or even attain to humble acts of faith1 the life does not flow on naturally and simply4 ,and it will not1 unless you have an experience at the back coming out of ,his visitation4 ,to do more we must be more2 get a new master1 be a new man2 get a new experience1 and you will be a new ,christian4 ,all writers who have spoken of the advanced spiritual life have taught that there is an enlargement of the soul1 and they use the strongest language possible4 ,so we find ,madame ,guyon saying3-- ,this vastness or enlargedness which is not bounded by anything1 however plain and simple it may be1 increases every day2 so that my soul in partaking of the qualities of her spouse1 seems also to partake of his immensity4--,madame ,guyon1 vie4 ii4 #d4 ,and ,philo3-- ,having broken the chains by which it 7the soul7 was formerly bound1 which all the empty anxieties of mortal life fastened round it1 and having led it forth and emancipated it from them1 he has stretched1 and extended1 and diffused it to such a degree that it reaches even the extreme boundaries of the universe1 and is borne onwards to the beautiful and glorious sight of the uncreated ,god4--,philo1 de ebrietate1 #cg4 ,so in ,dr4 ,cudworth's sermon1 which was printed some time ago3-- ,when we have cashiered this self-will of ours1 which did but shackle and confine our soules1 our wills shall then become truly free1 being widened and enlarged to the extent of ,god's own will4--,cudworth1 ,sermon before the ,house of ,commons1 p4 #ba4 ,there is a straitnesse1 slavery1 and narrownesse in all sinne2 sinne crowds and crumples up our souls1 which1 if they were freely spread abroad1 would be as wide and large as the whole universe4 ,no man is truly free but he that hath his will enlarged to the extent of ,god's own will1 by loving whatsoever ,god loves1 and nothing else4444 ,he enjoys a boundlesse liberty and a boundlesse sweetnesse1 according to his boundlesse love4 ,he enclaspeth the whole world within his outstretched arms1 his soul is as wide as the whole universe1 as big as yesterday1 to-day and for ever4 ,whosoever is once acquainted with this disposition of spirit1 he never desires anything else2 and he loves the 'life of ,god' in himself1 dearer than his own life4--,id41 p4 #ef4 ,and finally in the ,imitatio ,christi3-- ,they that willingly and freely serve ,me shall receive grace for grace4 ,but he who desires to glory in things out of ,me1 or to take pleasure in some private good1 shall not be grounded in true joy1 nor be enlarged in his heart1 but shall many ways be encumbered and straitened4444 ,and if heavenly grace enter in and true charity1 there will be no envy nor narrowness of heart1 neither will self-love busy itself4 ,for ,divine charity overcometh all things and enlargeth all the powers of the soul4--,de ,imitatione ,christi1 iii4 #i4 ,we conclude1 then1 that self can never measure the length and breadth of the ,divine love1 and run in the way of ,his commandment4 ,we need ,god to make us understand ,god2 we must be in union with ,him in order to obey ,him4 ,distances on the earth may be measured by a foot-rule or a surveyor's chain1 but to measure the spaces between the stars we must have a base-line in the sky4 ,only by being partakers of the ,divine nature can we live out the ,divine life2 and no man knoweth the ,father save the ,son1 and ,he to whom the ,son will reveal ,him4 ,v ,,he ,,restoreth ,,my ,,soul ,so when they had dined1 ,jesus saith to ,simon ,peter1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me more than these8 ,he saith unto ,him1 ,yea1 ,lord2 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4 ,he saith unto him1 ,feed ,my lambs4 ,he saith to him again the second time1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me8 ,he saith unto ,him1 ,yea1 ,lord2 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4 ,he saith unto him1 ,feed ,my sheep4 ,he saith unto him the third time1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me8 ,peter was grieved because ,he saith unto him the third time1 ,lovest thou ,me8 ,and he saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 ,thou knowest all things2 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,feed ,my sheep4--,,john xxi4 #ae-ag4 ,the whole story contained in these verses carries us back in thought to the time when ,peter denied the ,lord4 ,they contain the first recorded words which passed between ,christ and ,peter since the latter had said1 ,i know not the man1 and the ,lord had turned and looked upon ,peter4 ,he had his special token of lovingkindness at the ,resurrection in the message which the woman brought3 ,tell ,his disciples and ,peter1 in the witness given to himself1 ,the ,lord is risen indeed1 and hath appeared to ,simon1 and in his participation in the blessing when the ,lord stood in the midst and said1 ,peace be unto you2 but these are1 ,i think1 the first recorded words addressed directly to ,peter4 ,peter had professed to be faithful above others2 and now the ,lord asks him1 ,lovest thou ,me more than these8 and the question thrice repeated can scarcely fail to remind us of the triple denial4 ,if we consider what must have been the state of ,peter's mind after he had denied the ,lord1 we shall see that the circumstances recorded indicate a crisis in his life-history4 ,how the enemy must have come in like a flood6 what desolation of spirit he must have experienced during those lonely moments that followed the look of the ,lord1 when he went out1 and wept bitterly6 the enemy was come against him in full force1 and legions of evil spirits had arisen to destroy his faith for ever4 ,one would say to him1 ,thou hast sinned against special warnings2 the ,lord said to thee particularly that ,satan had desired to have thee that he might sift thee as wheat4 ,a little later on ,he said1 ',pray that ye enter not into temptation2' and a sin against special warning is more than twice a sin2 and it was that sin which of all others thou didst think to be so great that it was impossible for thee to commit it4 ,then another spirit would say1 ,thou hast sinned against special promise2 for thee the ,saviour prayed2 but now it is clear that thou hast outsinned the ,mediator's grace and the ,intercessor's prayers2 and at the thought black despair and utter hopelessness would enter his soul1 as if to make it their eternal abode4 ,then a third spirit would suggest the thought1 ,i said1 ',i know not the man6' ,dost remember1 ,peter1 how ,he ,himself said1 ',i will declare unto you1 that ,i never knew you2' and again1 ',whosoever denieth ,me before men1 him will ,i also deny before ,my ,father in ,heaven6' ,no word of ,christ shall be broken2 yea1 thou thyself hast in past time established thyself on the faithfulness of ,his truth6 ,again would come the thought1 ,by thy words shalt thou be justified1 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned2 and of every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account in the day of judgment--how much more then for a deliberate word1 affirmed1 and reaffirmed1 and affirmed again4 ,it was as if a judgment-seat were already set up in his soul1 and the spirits were pleading him outside mercy2 not one would speak in his behalf4 ,even the promises and the threatenings were against him2 the first saying1 we strengthened him2 and the second1 we warned him4 ,then some voices would testify against him on a side where one would think nothing would have been said1 ,thou hast injured the faith2 thou hast weakened the brethren2 thou hast been infidel against love1 and for such there is no repentance2 thou hast sold thy ,lord at a cheaper rate than ,judas6 ,dost thou remember1 ,peter1 that tree which the ,lord cursed1 because1 when ,he had a right to expect fruit from it1 it bore none8 ,was there ever a time when the ,master expected so much from thee as this8 and now ,he has come1 and found 'nothing but leaves4' ,then1 perhaps1 one ray of hope would gleam into his darkened soul--,but the ,lord did pray for me1 and ,he never prayed in vain4 ,he said1 ,father1 ,i know that ,thou hearest ,me always2 and ,he prayed for me4 ,and then the spirits would answer1 ,but the ,lord prayed for thee that thy faith might not fail1 and it has failed2 where now is the power of the ,lord's prayer8 ,and if that has failed what remains for thee unless it be a certain fearful looking-for of judgment4 ,if even ,he who said1 ',father1 ,i thank ,thee that ,thou hearest ,me always1' has been refused in ,his petition2 even ,god is against thee1 and the stars in their courses rule thee down1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas4 ,another bitter shaft enters his heart3 ,dost thou remember1 ,peter1 how the ,lord said of ,his own followers1 ',i have kept them in ,thy name1 and none of them is lost but the son of perdition'8 ,thou hast not only made vain the ,lord's prayers1 but denied the ,lord's faith1 and caused ,him to appear before heaven and earth as a false witness4 ,would ,he speak like that now1 if ,he were beginning ,his intercessory prayer again8 ,would ,he not have to say1 ',none of them is lost1 except the ,sons of ,perdition1 the ,denier and the ,betrayer'8 ,so that even ,christ's words failed to meet his case4 ,and now1 ,peter1 the high priest is asking ,him of ,his disciples and ,his doctrines2 what thoughts must be in ,his mind about thee when ,he takes up ,his testimony concerning those for whom ,he has lavished ,his life6 ,the question will wring ,his heart anew into great drops of blood4 ,moreover1 thou hast sinned against the strongest light and the highest privilege2 it was given to thee to be with ,him at the most solemn and sacred times3 thou wast with ,him at the transfiguration in the ,holy ,mount2 and if ever heaven could strengthen earth1 thou shouldst have been a strong man4 ,thou wast with ,him at times of special ,power1 when only two or three were privileged to see the grace and glory flow down upon the suffering and the dying4 ,will not the greatness of thy privilege be the greatness of thy condemnation8 ,he always chose thee to be with ,him in special times when ,he went apart for prayer3 to whom much is given1 of them will much be required4 ,oh6 how hast thou fallen6 and the spirits away in the darkness would say1 ,thou art become even as one of us4 ,then he would remember how in his own family1 almost in his own flesh1 he had received special mercy2 and that work of healing would rise up to condemn him4 ,sin against mercy is sin without mercy2 a thousand times thou art condemned1 having sinned against such light and privilege and grace4 ,then some spirits would whisper1 ,dost thou remember how when many were leaving the ,lord1 because ,his doctrines were hard to receive and ,his steps hard to follow1 ,he asked the question1 ',will ye also go away8' ,who was it that answered so readily1 ',lord1 to whom shall we go8' ,would it not have been better to have denied ,him at the first than to have waited till the light had grown as clear as it has been1 and to have deserted ,him when ,he needed thee most8 ,better to have denied ,him then1 when evidence was feeble1 than to disown ,him1 known as thou hast been privileged to know ,him6 ,we are not told one word about what ,peter did or where he went1 except that he went out weeping4 ,when the morning came and they were leading ,jesus away to crucifixion1 ,john was there1 but no mention is made of ,peter4 ,and yet ,i think ,i know where he went1 and can see him taking his way across the brook1 which so lately he had crossed with ,jesus1 to the garden of olive-trees4 ,he would say to himself1 ,here is the place where the ,lord came and found me sleeping2 and ,here ,he said to me1 ',pray1 pray1 that ye enter not into temptation4' ,going a little farther1 he would come to the place where the ,master ,himself had prayed4 ,he would kneel and pray there too2 in the place where there were still lying on the ground great drops of blood1 the earth still wet with the strange sorrow of the ,lamb4 ,there1 in his despair1 he would kneel2 and yet even in his despair would be turned towards ,god4 ,his heart would be turned1 even when he thought it never would be turned again2 he would be there1 without comfort1 and yet ,god comforting him4 ,maybe1 for him1 too1 there were strengthening angelic ministries2 for there are more of these heavenly messengers with us than we think4 ,perhaps some words of ancient promise might be brought to his mind by ,god1 as he was kneeling there2 such as1 ,my soul cleaveth unto the dust1 quicken ,thou me according to ,thy word6 ,a bruised reed ,he will not break1 and smoking flax ,he will not quench1 till ,he bring forth judgment into victory4 ,he restoreth my soul1 ,he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for ,his name's sake4 ,but whatever means were adopted1 we believe that ,god was with him--comforting1 restoring1 saving1 strengthening him4 ,all this prepares us for the scene by the ,lake4 ,this must have struck ,peter as very like another passage in the intercourse between him and ,jesus4 ,strange scene6 we are back in ,galilee2 we experience again a night of fruitless toil4 ,this was my place of consecration at the first2 and these nets1 which ,i borrow now1 were then my own2 and it was in the morning that the ,lord was standing on the beach1 as ,he did even now4 ,there is no mere repetition in this story3 to a soul in ,peter's case the one impossible thing would be that he should ever regain the place from whence he fell4 ,and the ,lord was going to convince him1 by means of these similar circumstances and the miraculous draught of great fishes1 that there was for him1 even for him1 such a thing as a fresh start2 and that he should not mourn because there was no returning upon his former track4 ,when the boat had been brought to land1 the ,lord questioned ,peter1 not saying1 ,thou didst deny ,me1 but ,dost thou love ,me8 and finally repeats in his ears the old word with which ,he moved him to tread the heavenly way at the first--,follow thou ,me4 ,there were now no boats or nets which ,peter could leave for the ,lord1 but the whole drama of consecration is acted over again4 ,follow ,me1 ,peter2 what thou hast missed shall yet be given thee2 formerly there was a point beyond which thou couldst not follow ,me2 but now thou shalt tread in ,my footsteps1 even to the cross which thou didst fear at the first1 and to the shame from which erewhile thy soul recoiled4 ,another shall carry thee whither thou wouldest not3 this spake ,he1 signifying by what death he should glorify ,god4 ,,vi ,,addition ,,and ,,multiplication ,he that lacketh these things is blind and short-sighted1 and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins4--#b ,,peter i4 #i4 ,the chapter from which these verses are taken describes two arithmetical processes1 the working out of one of which belongs to us1 and of the other to our ,father in heaven4 ,the first is an addition sum3 ,add to your faith virtue2 and to virtue knowledge2 and to knowledge temperance2 and to temperance patience2 and to patience godliness2 and to godliness brotherly-kindness2 and to brotherly-kindness love4 ,writing down the figures of the sum1 and computing the total1 we have it set out fair and clear1--,ye shall never fall4 ,the other is ,god's multiplication sum3 ,grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of ,god and of ,jesus our ,lord2 and the result of the working comes out1--,ye shall be made partakers of the ,divine nature1 having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust4 ,i suppose it means that if we are willing to go on at an arithmetical progression1 ,god would work in us at a geometrical one2 and so1 patiently persisting in holiness1 and hungering after righteousness1 we shall be in heaven before we know where we are4 ,but such passages trouble some folk who don't like to think that a ,christian has anything to do in the matter of his own salvation2 who say ,it is finished over a work that is only begun in them1 and ,jesus paid it all1 when a voice within is saying1 ,how much owest thou unto thy ,lord8 or1 perhaps1 if they do not put it quite so strongly as that1 they are1 to say the least1 gravely suspicious of the existence of a creaturely activity in the spiritual life4 ,let us settle1 then1 in the beginning1 that ,god never requires us to exercise ourselves to win ,his favour1 nor calls us to work for ,one in whom we have no faith4 ,he never says1 ,add to your darkness grace2 and to grace mercy2 and to mercy peace4 ,that would be impossible2 for grace1 mercy1 and peace are experienced in the ,divine operation2 and it is because we have so received them that we are able to fulfil the commandments given to us4 ,god sets us this sum to work1 but ,he gives us a clean slate on which to work it2 ,he cleanses that inward tablet on which we have been working out quite a different sum1 whose total is given in the words1--,the wages of sin is death2 ,he purifies it1 that there may be written thereon the steps and the summation of the redemption that is in ,christ ,jesus4 ,now1 some one will say1 ,does every one have to go through a process of development of virtues such as is indicated in this epistle1 and must every one have them all1 and produce them in the same order8 ,may we not develop just a few of them1 by a sort of spiritual selection1 as flowers have their own colours1 and the creatures their own forms and features8 ,to this we answer 7i47 that if you are to be a saint1 as ,god has called you to be1 you must have the qualifications and nature of a saint2 7ii47 we ought not to recoil from this sum1 as if the casting of the figures were necessarily a long process4 ,no1 not long6 how long does it take one to reach love8 ,why1 we commonly use the expression falling in love2 and when the heart is awakened to the sense of the universal presence of the ,father1 it is not difficult to love men for ,his sake4 ,as for the virtues1 we must have them all4 ,shall we imagine an impatient saint1 called to follow ,him who when reviled1 reviled not again2 an ignorant saint1 a partaker of ,him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge2 an intemperate saint1 to follow ,him who was living at a cheaper rate1 for a man1 than the foxes or the fowls2 an unloving saint6 into whose heart have been breathed the words1 ,love is the fulfilling of the law1 or1 which is the same thing1 ,christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth8 ,yes1 we must have them all4 ,what1 will you complain1 like little children1 because your ,teacher has been giving you too many rows to add up8 will you say1 ,lord1 you overrate my powers2 you think too highly of the grace that you have given me2 ,i know you1 that you are a hard man1 an austere man8 ,does it matter in what order we ascend our virtue-scale8 ,not at all4 ,an addition sum comes to the same thing whether you put it #b #c or #c #b4 ,for myself1 ,i would like to begin the addition from the bottom row1 starting with love2 but it does not matter1 so that all the figures are included4 ,the ,apostle goes on to speak of the effect of such a chain of experience upon the perceptive powers of the soul2 he who has these things1 well2 his eye shall see the ,king in ,his beauty and the land of far distances2 he who has them not1 he is blind and short-sighted2 or1 as ,luther and the ,vulgate render it1 is blind1 and gropes with his hands4 ,spiritual short-sightedness is the result of the neglect of the pursuit of the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ4 ,an indistinct vision may result from one of two causes3 a fault in the eye1 or an obstruction in the atmosphere4 ,if you cannot make out a distant object while other people can1 they will say to you1 ,how short-sighted you are6 but if no one can discern it1 the probability is that something external has made vision impossible4 ,now1 in the things of ,god1 it is almost always the first defect that mars our perception2 and the main reason why eye hath not seen is in our own nature1 and not because ,god has not prepared nor revealed such things for our perception4 ,to them that love ,him1 ,he reveals2 wherefore let us add to kindness love1 and we shall know4 ,there are many things to which we are blind1 because we have not practised ourselves in looking for them1 nor do we know in what direction to look4 ,i remember1 when in the ,isle of ,arran1 watching through a mist for the coming of the steamer from ,glasgow2 our landlady found it long before we could detect it1 because she was more used to the quest2 her eyes were keener1 and she knew the direction in which to look4 ,and the soul that ardently believes and hopes1 knows well how to lift up its eyes to the hills from whence its help shall come1 and to discern the help when it appears4 ,there are some people who seem ignorant of the fact that ,god has given them spiritual faculties suited to the observation of spiritual realities4 ,they are like folks who1 if they were put down ten miles from home on a clear night1 would never be able to tell you on which side of the sky the sun would rise2 because they never exercised their powers in the observation of the way the skies go round4 ,and not only may we discern spiritual realities1 but more than that1 it is written that the pure in heart shall see ,god4 ,for ,god has not given up revealing ,himself to men yet2 but this is an age in which1 while there are many who know ,him a little1 there are few who know ,him much4 ,he spake to the fathers4 ,he is speaking still4 ,enoch was not the last of whom it should be said1 ,he walked with ,god1 he pleased ,god2 ,isaiah not the only one who could say1 ,i beheld the ,lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up2 ,paul not the only one who should be privileged with rapture to the third heaven2 ,george ,fox not the only one to whom it was given to say1 ,i was come up1 through the naming sword1 into the ,paradise of ,god4 ,many there are who have known the ,most ,high ,god no vision1 nor that ,one who rose again4 ,god1 who at sundry times1 in manners many1 ,spake to the fathers and is speaking still1 ,eager to find if ever1 or if any ,souls will obey and hearken to ,his ,who that one moment has the least descried ,him1 ,dimly and faintly1 hidden and afar1 ,doth not despise all excellence beside ,him1 ,pleasures and powers that are not and that are4 ,aye1 amid all men bear himself thereafter1 ,smit with a solemn and a sweet surprise1 ,dumb to their scorn and turning on their laughter ,only the dominance of earnest eyes4 ,whoso has felt the ,spirit of the ,highest ,cannot confound nor doubt ,him nor deny2 ,yea1 with one voice1 ,o world1 though thou deniest1 ,stand thou on that side1 for on this am ,i4 ,yes6 things that were seen of old may be seen again2 voices that spake to prophets and seers be revived in the innermost soul of ,god's faithful children2 ,god is not dead2 the ,lord ,jesus has not been raised from the grave to be placed in an inaccessible limbo1 far from the sight of believing eyes3 the ,holy ,spirit still speaks1 as of old time1 by holy men2 ,he has not left the world yet1 ,he dwelleth with you1 ,he shall be in you4 ,suppose ,i were to say to you that if you were to go down to ,hastings you would be able to see the ,french coast clearly and distinctly1 you would say1 ,impossible even to the longest-sighted person2 it is more than fifty miles away2 and yet1 as you may see in the ,philosophical ,transactions for #agih1 the coast of ,france was so visible1 without a telescope1 from ,calais to ,st4 ,vallery1 with the fishing-boats1 and the colour of the houses clearly perceived4 ,when you hear this1 you say1 ,well1 if it is in the ,philosophical ,transactions1 it must be true1 and if it happened once1 it may happen again4 ,good enough reasoning2 and the ,scriptures are the ,spiritual ,transactions1 the record of ,god's dealings with and revealings to men of old time4 ,if they are true1 ,he has unveiled the hidden mysteries not once or twice to waiting souls2 and what ,he has done1 ,he not only may do again1 but will do1 wherever ,he finds a truly humble heart in which to work and rest4 ,if ,he stood by ,paul1 saying1 ,fear not1 just as really and maybe as evidently will ,he stand by you3 ,if ,he guided him in his work1 restraining him from preaching here1 and calling him to service there1 ,he will give you also leadings just as certain and maybe as distinct4 ,but1 do you say1 ,are we then to seek for signs and wonders1 to fast and pray1 ardently longing for the ,divine revelation1 until the vision dawns8 ,i do not say so2 but rather add unto your faith virtue2 and to virtue knowledge2 and to knowledge temperance2 and to temperance patience2 and to patience godliness2 and to godliness brotherly kindness2 and to brotherly kindness love3 for if ye do these things ye shall never fall1 and an entrance shall be abundantly ministered unto you into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,,vii ,a ,,conference ,,on ,,death ,and1 behold1 there talked with ,him two men1 which were ,moses and ,elias1 who appeared in glory1 and spake of ,his exodus which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem4--,,luke ix4 #cj1 #ca4 ,we shall not attempt to explain the whole subject of the ,transfiguration1 but let us consider for what ,jesus went up into the mountain4 ,the common opinion is that ,he went up to enjoy ,himself--in search of some spiritual ecstacy4 ,but in this case there would have been no transfiguration4 ,spiritual rapture comes after earnest labour through eager prayer--it is not found by seeking--we have not to look for feelings or ecstacies2 we need to know the will of ,god1 and to do it4 ,jesus went up into the mount to pray about death--the subject which had a little before been borne in upon ,his mind--for we read in ,matt4 xvi4 #ba1 in the narration of events just preceding the ,transfiguration1 that from that time forth began ,jesus to show unto ,his disciples1 how that ,he must go unto ,jerusalem1 and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes1 and be killed1 and be raised again the third day4 ,when the devil took ,him up into a mountain1 he showed ,him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them1 and said unto ,him1 ',all these things will ,i give ,thee1 if ,thou wilt fall down and worship me4' ,when the ,spirit of ,god took ,jesus up into the mountain1 ,he showed ,him the cross1 the shame1 the suffering1--the spear and the crown of thorns1 and said1 ,all these will ,i give ,thee4 ,the highest experiences of the ,christian life are close bound up1 in the ,divine will1 with suffering4 ,jesus went up into the mount to get a better view of ,his approaching sorrow4 ,the ,transfiguration is slightly apprehended and seldom discussed4 ,very few sermons are preached1 or great pictures painted1 or hymns sung1 on the subject4 ,almost the only verse one knows about it-- ,when in ecstacy sublime ,tabor's glorious steep ,i climb1 ,at the too transporting light ,darkness rushes o'er my sight1 implies that it is a subject beyond human understanding4 ,we have hymns on ,his ,incarnation and ,advent1 ,his ,divine ,glory and ,worship1 ,his ,mediatorial ,character and ,titles1 ,passion1 ,death1 ,resurrection1 ,ascension1 ,intercession and ,reign1 and the ,second ,advent1 but none specially referring to the ,transfiguration4 ,yet it contains many wonderful lessons we all need to know4 ,we have felt1 perhaps1 that it was an experience peculiar to ,christ--with which we can have nothing to do--but the ,scriptures say otherwise2 the word here rendered transfigured is the same as that translated transformed in ,romans xii4 #b1 but be ye transfigured by the renewing of your minds1 etc41 and changed1 in #b ,cor4 iii4 #ah1 are transfigured into the same image from glory to glory4 ,we want so to look at the glory of ,jesus1 that1 at the same time1 we may see ,his sorrow as well--and be transfigured into the same image2 for if we suffer with ,him1 we shall also be glorified together4 ,there is no man who understands the ,transfiguration like ,john ,ruskin4 ,he says3 ,we are afraid to harbour in our own hearts1 or to utter in the hearing of others1 any thought of our ,lord as hungering1 tired1 or sorrowful1 or having a human soul1 a human will1 and affected by the events of human life as a finite creature is3 and yet one-half of the efficacy of ,his atonement and the whole of the efficacy of ,his example depend on ,his having been this to the full4 ,consider therefore the ,transfiguration as it relates to the human feelings of our ,lord4 ,it was the first definite preparation for ,his death4444 ,what other hill could it have been than the southward slope of that goodly mountain1 ,hermon1 which is1 indeed1 the centre of all the promised land1 from the entering in of ,hamath to the river of ,egypt2 the mount of fruitfulness1 from which the springs of ,jordan descended to the valleys of ,israel4 ,along its mighty forest avenues1 until the grass grew fair with the mountain lilies1 ,his feet dashed with the dew of ,hermon1 ,he must have gone to pray ,his first recorded prayer about death2 and from the steep of it1 before ,he knelt1 could see1 to the south1 all the dwelling-places of the people that had sat in darkness1 and seen the great light1 the land of ,zabulon and of ,naphthali1 ,galilee of the ,gentiles3 could see even with ,his human sight1 the gleam of that lake by ,capernaum and ,chorazin1 and many a place loved by ,him and vainly ministered to1 whose house was now left unto them desolate3 and1 chief of all1 far in the utmost blue1 the hills above ,nazareth1 sloping down to ,his old home2 hills on which the stones yet lay loose that had been taken up to cast at ,him1 when ,he left them for ever4 ',and as ,he prayed two men stood by ,him4' ,among the many ways in which we miss the help and hold of ,scripture1 there is none more subtle than our habit of supposing that1 even as man1 ,christ was free from the fear of death4 ,how could ,he then have been tempted as we are8--since among all the trials of the earth none spring from the dust more terrible than that of fear4 ,it had to be borne by ,him 444 and the presence of it is surely marked for us enough by the rising of those two at ,his side4 ,it was ,christ's first preparation for death--and1 therefore1 to understand ,his ,transfiguration we must understand ,his ,crucifixion too2 to see ,hermon1 we must go to ,calvary2 to discern how the fashion of ,his countenance was altered1 we must witness that other time in the garden1 when ,his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down on the ground2 to fathom how the three disciples slept through the glory1 we must remember how they slept through the sorrow too4 ,the word rendered decease is a strange one4 ,it is literally exodus--going out4 ,they spake of this exodus which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem4 ,the same word occurs in the second epistle of ,peter3 ,i will endeavour that ye may be able after my exodus to have these things always in remembrance2 and it is worthy of notice that the verses which follow are a reminiscence of the ,transfiguration4 ,we have conferences on many subjects--on peace1 on holiness1 on temperance3 who ever heard of another conference 7as this was7 on death8 ,a listener might have heard some such words as these3-- ,first ,moses might speak3 ,i1 too1 know what it is to want not to die4 ,i did not fear the act of dying1 but the manner--away out of the ,promised ,land4 ,but when ,i saw the will of my ,god in all its beauty1 then even this bitter disappointment seemed bearable1 and the kiss of my ,god at the last made up for all4 ,death is only a kiss to those who love ,god2 and if ,i had not followed the will of my ,god in this1 what had ,i not lost8 ,i had missed burial at the hands of the sons of ,god1 and my feet would not now be standing in ,his presence4 ,then ,elias might say3 ,i had no fear of death3 nay1 ,i even prayed for it1 saying1 ,o ,lord1 take away my life1 for ,i am not better than my fathers4 ,it was not death that ,i feared so much as the fashion of dying when ,i fled from the face of ,jezebel4 ,but to-day ,i am thankful that my dying was not left to my choosing2 if it had been so1 ,i had missed the fiery chariot by which ,i climbed up to the ,presence of my ,king1--the swift seraphic march that brought me home4 ,and then ,jesus might say1 perhaps1 something like these words-- ,i wish to have no wishes left1 ,but to leave all to ,thee444 ,and yet two wills ,i find in ,me ,when on ,my death ,i muse2 ,but1 ,lord1 ,i have a death to die1 ,and not a death to choose4 ,then ,moses might speak again3 ,let us call ,god's providences by their sweetest names3 death is not death to those who love ,god4 ,thou1 ,o ,sinless ,one1 call it not death1 call it exodus4 ,it was my lot once to lead the people of ,god out of slavery and degradation1 out of heavy labour1 out of the furnace of iron2 and yet methinks that will be the true exodus when ,thy people pass over1 ,o ,lord1 ,thy people1 whom ,thou hast redeemed1 when ,thou by ,thy dying lips dost proclaim deliverance to the captive1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 when1 through the deep sea of ,thy sorrows1 a passage is made by which the ransomed shall return4 ,call it not death2 call it an exodus--a mighty deliverance of the people of ,god4 ,then ,elias3 ,o ,son of ,god1 right well do ,i know that the strength of one man may be made the strength of many2 and the triumph of many may spring from the victory of one4 ,i myself have stood alone in the face of an opposing people2 yet by the strength of ,god ,i came off conqueror1 and many were persuaded to cry1 ',the ,lord1 ,he is ,god2 the ,lord1 ,he is ,god1' and the power yet remains in which ,i stood2 it glows1 and grows within thee2 it floods the air2 it streams down thy garments4 ,fear not6 thou shalt bring many souls1 not merely to assent to the truth1 but to the ,truth itself4 ,and especially standing conqueror over death1 thou shalt deliver them who were all their lives in bondage through the fear of the same4 ,the love of ,god shall uphold thee2 the strength of ,god be thine4 ,then ,jesus3 ,in the volume of the book it is written of ,me1 ,i delight to do ,thy will1 ,o ,my ,god4 ,then ,moses might continue3 ,death is our best friend--he strengthens our eyes to behold the glory which in the flesh it would blind us to see4 ,once ,i was afraid to behold the glory of ,god4 ,i stood in a cleft of the rock1 covered1 as ,he passed by--but now1 now1 ,i can bear to stand and gaze in the presence of my ,king4 ,then ,elias would reply3 ,i too knew what it was to be afraid of ,his glory2 in the mountain ,i wrapped my face in my mantle1 but when ,his swift messengers came to bear me home1 ,i cast my mantle behind1 in token that ,i would never need it to shroud my face again4 ,it is the same for ,thee--already that glory smites upon ,thy forehead1 and gilds ,thy garments1 and floods ,thy face with light1 but beyond1 beyond1 ,thou shalt be crowned with glory and honour4 ,and ,jesus would say1 ,thy will be done--,thy will be done4 ,then ,moses once more3 ,a mother has two kisses for her child3 one1 a daybreak kiss1 wherewith she draws aside the curtains of the soul2 and one a good-night kiss1 sometimes given in the dark4 ,and so hath the ,eternal ,his two loves3 the love in the light1 which now encircles us2 and the dark love on which our souls lean back to sleep4 ,those who have felt ,god's daylight kiss can trust ,him for it in the dark4 ,for thee to die will only be to lie back in the ,everlasting ,arms4 ,then ,jesus3 ,father1 into ,thy hands ,i commend ,my spirit4 ,and behold there talked with ,him two men1 which were ,moses and ,elias1 and they spake of ,his exodus which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem4 ,,viii ,,christ ,,will ,,take ,,all ,all that the ,father giveth ,me shall come to ,me4--,,john vi4 #cg4 ,if one were left to determine from our ,english ,bible the meaning of this passage1 it would be difficult to avoid the admission that it gives countenance to that form of doctrine commonly known as ,calvinistic2 for does it not present to us1 in language sufficiently clear and obvious1 the ,divine ,sovereignty as shown in ,electing ,grace8 ,must we not admit that there are those who by a ,supreme ,deed of ,gift are allotted to the mercies of the ,son2 over whom ,he exercises the care of a good ,shepherd2 and is it not difficult to resist the conclusion that1 as there are some who are the objects of special solicitude and care1 so there are those who in some degree lie outside the sphere of the ,divine ,benevolence8 ,again1 if we were to look at the #cith verse of this same chapter1 and read the words1 ,this is the ,father's will which hath sent ,me1 that of all which ,he hath given ,me ,i should lose nothing1 but should raise it up again at the last day1 should we not say that the natural meaning of the passage is that there is a ,doctrine of ,final ,perseverance1 linked on to that of the ,election of ,grace1 and a necessary corollary to it8 ,but when we turn to the ,greek1 we notice that in the first of the verses quoted the word all is in the neuter gender1 and so does not necessarily apply to persons at all1 and we are more likely to catch the true meaning of the words by reading it as follows3 ,everything that the ,father hath given ,me shall come to ,me2 and in the other passage a similar correction must be made1 as is otherwise evident from the last part of the passage1 ,i will raise it up at the last day2 ,of everything which the ,father hath given ,me ,i should lose nothing4 ,viewed in this light1 the words that were supposed to imply election teach consecration1 and instead of final perseverance we read full possession4 ,and this we do not say with any idea of refuting ,calvinistic doctrine1 having no isms of our own and little time to spend in attacking those of other people4 ,likely enough1 our rendering of the words may be incorrect1 and in any case we ought carefully to compare similar passages in the ,gospel2 but be that as it may1 the truth is not affected that the ,sovereignty of ,god and the ,love of ,god demand the full subjection and surrender of our being2 and we are assured that where these conditions are fulfilled1 the ,divine ,possession and ,protection become an intense and abiding reality4 ,now1 in confirmation of our rendering1 we will examine the manner in which the passage is quoted by ,john ,bunyan2 and certainly we may say that if there was a ,calvinistic meaning to be got out of a passage1 ,john ,bunyan was not the man to miss it2 and moreover1 since he was totally ignorant of ,greek 7and ,i suppose of ,latin1 too1 there being only1 as far as ,i know1 the solitary expression in the ,pilgrim's ,progress de carne et sanguine ,christi1 accompanied by the marginal modesty1 the ,latin ,i borrow71 he is not likely to fall into the mistake to which we may be liable1 of evading the plain meaning of words by reference to the original tongue4 ,turning1 then1 to the ,holy ,war1 we shall find the following1 giving an account of terms proposed by ,diabolus for the surrender of the town of ,mansoul2 the offer of submission being made through his ambassador1 ,mr4 ,loth-to-,stoop4 ,then ,mr4 ,loth-to-,stoop said again1 ',sir1 behold the condescension of my master6 ,he says that he will be content if he may but have some place assigned to him in ,mansoul as a place to live in privately1 and you shall be lord of all the rest6' ,then said the ,golden ,prince1 ',all that the father giveth me shall come to me1 and of all that he giveth me ,i will lose nothing1 no1 not an hoof or an hair4 ,i will not1 therefore1 grant him1 no1 not the least corner in ,mansoul to dwell in4 ,i will have it all to myself4' ,it is a little singular1 to say the least1 that he should have apprehended both the passages that we quoted in their right sense2 and we had better attribute his accuracy to a touch of true inspiration4 ,now1 passing on from this point1 we may think of the ,lord ,jesus in a twofold character3-- #a4 ,as the ,receiver appointed to collect debts due to ,god4 #b4 ,as the ,almoner of gifts from ,god to men4 ,he can come to us and say1 ,my ,father has appointed ,me the heir of all things2 ,he has put ,his affairs into ,my hands1 so that debts to ,him are debts to ,me2 how much1 therefore1 owest thou to thy ,lord8 ,for1 all that the ,father giveth ,me shall come to ,me4 ,he can come to us again and say1 ,the ,father hath given ,me authority over all flesh1 that ,i should impart as well as exact2 that ,i may give eternal life and eternal blessing1 and ,holy ,ghost to as many as believe2 that ,i should manifest ,his name to you1 and give to you ,his word and ,his ,glory1 and all things ,i have received of ,him2 that ,i should give unto you rest and ,my own joy1 and1 by way of legacy in a will which the enemy cannot dispute1 should leave peace with you2 finally1 ascending up on high1 should send gifts to men1 even to the rebellious1 that the ,lord their ,god might dwell among them4 ,for ,he that spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for you all1 how shall ,he not with ,him also freely give you all things4 ,how much1 therefore1 hast thou received from thy ,lord8 ,and if we look at it rightly1 ,he speaks but little of the dues1 and much of the gifts2 for ,god only exacts from us that ,he may be able to impart to us2 there is no tyrant seated on the throne of the universe1 but only a ,father waiting to give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask ,him2 and the uttermost farthing that ,he demands from us is only in order that ,he may have the right to save us to the uttermost1 if we could but believe it4 ,we may say next1 that if our ultimate condition must be that of entire subjection and surrender to and harmony with the ,divine ,will1 how sad it is that our consecration is so slow1 so protracted1 so ungracious2 that we take so much time to reach the point where we are altogether the ,lord's4 ,people can read the mystery of conversion in the parable of the dry bones in ,ezekiel2 but there is consecration in the story1 too4 ,little by little we see the dead man coming into the place of blessing2 bone to bone1 sinew to sinew1 nerve to nerve2 and when there is the complete structure of a man1 comes the vivifying breath from the four winds4 ,not before1 for ,god must have a man to quicken2 ,he does not inspire skeletons or fragments2 as at the first1 when a man stands before ,him1 ,he breathes into him the breath of life and he becomes a living soul4 ,we may well be ashamed when we think of the way in which consecration to ,god is made4 ,we are like the man who1 because he was irritated at a claim made upon him for a sum of money1 went and paid the bill in farthings4 ,so we pay our dues to ,god1 giving as little as we can1 and taking as long about it as we list4 ,perhaps it is because we treat ,him that way1 that ,god is obliged to appear exacting and talk to us about uttermost farthings at all4 ,perhaps we shall be right in concluding from the #cith verse1 that there is something in the resurrection contingent on the consecration3 ,i will raise it up at the last day2 of one thing we may be very sure1 that the life to come is not only conterminous with but continuous with the life that is4 ,death changes our surroundings but not our characters4 ,there is no more breach of continuity in those than there is in an algebraical curve that goes to infinity4 ,we may1 indeed1 get dying grace1 and hold a consecration meeting upon our dying beds1 but it is not death that consecrates1 nor the grave that sanctifies and cleanses from all sin4 ,we shall begin the next life pretty much where we left off in this4 ,we were singing a little while ago-- ,let the veil become more thin1 ,let the glory pierce between2 but1 mark you1 that veil does not become more thin by pulling out a thread here and a thread there2 remember how at the ,crucifixion the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom2 the veil that is on your heart will go like that1 when the day comes for things to appear which now are numbered amongst things not seen as yet1 and for you to apprehend and participate in the things which ,god has laid up for those who love ,him4 ,,ix ,,strong ,,crying ,the energised prayer of a righteous man is of great force4--,,james v4 #af4 ,it is strange that we understand so little about prayer3 with most people1 including the greater part of the professedly religious1 it is regarded simply as a sort of spiritual safety-valve1 adapted to relieve the soul from strain and over-pressure2 is any afflicted1 they say1 let him pray2 and as for us1 who are merry1 we will sing psalms4 ,now1 if we were looking at a steam-engine1 and meditating over the motive power of it1 we should scarcely direct our thoughts to the safety-valve1 or say of it1 ,what a mighty power is stored up in this little lever4 ,on the contrary1 our attention would be fixed on the piston and the steam at the back of it1 and on the laws which govern its production1 expansion1 and condensation4 ,and we need scarcely say that there is not much in common between those who regard prayer simply as an emotional safety-valve1 and those who look upon it as one of the great moving forces of the spiritual world4 ,it happens often enough that there are forces in the world of which people generally are ignorant1 or of which they have an idea that is totally inadequate4 ,as1 for instance1 we have known cynical politicians deride the expression of public opinion1 as being only valuable as a political safety-valve1 and useful to keep the many-headed monster1 the populace1 from more dangerous courses2 but not once or twice have they been awakened to find that there is nothing to stand before the rush of a well-formed public sentiment4 ,so that we say rightly public opinion is of great force4 ,and certainly the idea which the majority of folk attach to the word prayer is but very incommensurate to the part which it occupies1 not only in the development of the life of the individual soul1 but in the life and lot of the world at large4 ,on the other hand1 the force of prayer has been understood by the really spiritual writers of every school and of all time4 ,they knew that prayer is one of the secrets of life2 that he who lives1 prays1 and he who prays1 lives2 that he who prays works1 and he who works prays2 and so large a part of the spiritual life is comprised in the one word prayer1 that we find them describing the soul's advance by the character of the prayer which springs from it4 ,for instance1 ,madame ,guyon1 in her precious ,a ,b ,c of the spiritual life1 introduces her book with the title1 ,a ,short and ,easy ,method of ,prayer2 ,st4 ,theresa describes the degrees of the soul's progress as degrees of prayer1 styling them ,prayer of ,quiet1 ,prayer of ,union1 and so on2 ,st4 ,john of the ,cross names his mystical way as the ,ascent of ,mount ,carmel1 the meaning of which is evidently similar to the other4 ,and so1 no doubt one might give other instances1 confining ourselves1 of course1 to the experimental ,christians only1 and letting the divines and theologians alone4 ,may we not say that our dear ,lord ,himself was careful enough both in example and teaching to lead ,his scholars along this way1 making them aware that a great part of the soul's education was education in prayer8 ,he began by making them feel that they really didn't know what prayer meant1 though they had been taught to say prayers almost since they could speak4 ,so ,he brings them to a point where they say1 ,lord1 teach us to pray1 as ,john also taught his disciples3 encourages them further by admonitions to ask1 seek1 and knock2 ,he tells them that if they ask for bread and fish1 they won't get stones and snakes 7but doesn't say that if you ask for a snake1 your ,father will be so good as to give it to you72 leads them on until they acquire the sense of the need of a larger faith2 instructs them that prayer is the function of an organ of the spiritual life1 and must be as constant and persistent as breathing or other natural functions1 so that men ought always to pray and not to faint1 and that they should keep awake at all times praying1 if they are to be found worthy to stand before the ,son of man4 ,finally1 one of ,his last counsels1 just before the last great objective teaching of ,his own ,life on the subject1 connects the force of their prayer with the state of their life1 saying1 ,if ye abide in ,me1 ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you4 ,now the verse which we quoted at the beginning speaks of certain prayers as of great force2 we infer that there are weak prayers as well as strong ones--poor little wingless things that cannot rise into the ,celestial ,audience-,chamber4 ,hermas describes such when he says1 ,the prayer of a sad man has no power to climb to the altar of ,god4 ,and it is of great importance that we should know the reasons which contribute to the strength or weakness of a prayer4 ,on such points we shall find the ,apostle ,james to be an authority2 for he was the great intercessor of the early ,church1 the man of whom they said that his knees were worn hard like the knees of a camel4 ,and being in addition the most practical of all the teachers1 we shall find in his writing 7in spite of the fact that ,luther called it an epistle of straw7 something far more valuable than a merely speculative theology4 ,for instance1 more than any one else1 he supplies us with conditions for the success of that great experiment which we call prayer4 ,prayer of the powerful1 operative sort1 has its conditions4 ,we cannot disregard them4 ,i have seen a man in the ,cavendish laboratory attempt to make a magnetic measurement in the immediate vicinity of some large iron pipes1 and neither of us could tell the cause which made the apparatus behave so unreasonably4 ,and prayers are often hindered in a similar way by unobserved disturbing causes4 ,st4 ,james supplies us with several hints3-- 7i47 ,that a double-minded man need not expect to receive anything from the ,lord2 a waverer1 driven with the wind and tossed4 7ii47 ,that ye ask and receive not1 because ye ask amiss1 that ye may consume it upon your lusts4 7iii47 ,that it must be believing prayer1 if it is to be effectual2 let him ask in faith2 the prayer of faith shall save the sick4 7iv47 ,it is the prayer that springs from a rectified heart and life2 the prayer of a righteous man is of great force4 ,hermas1 too1 a ,christian father of the second century1 whom we quoted before1 supplies us with some suggestions4 ,one would almost think1 for some reasons1 that he had been one of ,st4 ,james's immediate disciples1 for he is fond of using that same word double-minded 7more exactly double-souled71 speaks of visiting the orphans and widows1 etc4 ,thus we find in the ninth chapter of the book of ,commands as follows 7the book being of a date immediately subsequent to the apostles73 ,he said unto me1 put away from thee all double-mindedness1 and have no more division of heart concerning petitions from ,god1 saying in thyself1 ,how shall ,i be able to ask and receive anything from the ,lord1 having sinned so greatly against ,him8 ,reason not on this wise1 but turn to the ,lord with all thy heart1 and ask from ,him without hesitation1 and thou shalt know ,his large-heartedness1 that ,he will certainly never leave thee1 but will fulfil thy soul's request4 ,god is not1 as men are1 mindful of wrongs done to ,him1 but forgetful of them1 and ,he hath compassion upon ,his workmanship4 ,do thou1 therefore1 cleanse thy heart from all the vanities of this age1 and from things spoken of before1 and ask from the ,lord and thou shalt receive all things2 and of all thy petitions thou shalt not fail of one1 if thou ask of the ,lord with an unhesitating heart4 ,but if thou doubtest in thy heart1 thou shalt receive none of thy petitions4 ,for they that are doubtful towards ,god1 are the double-minded men1 and they shall obtain none at all of their petitions4 ,but they that are perfectly sound in the faith ask for all things in reliance upon the ,lord1 and receive them1 because they ask without hesitation and with no dividedness of heart4 ,for every double-minded man1 unless he repent1 will scarcely be saved4 ,cleanse1 therefore1 thy heart from double-mindedness1 and put on faith1 for she is mighty1 and believe in ,god1 that thou shalt receive all thy requests that thou dost make4 ,and if ever when thou hast made request thou be somewhat longer in receiving thy petition from the ,lord1 be not of a double-mind1 that thou didst not swiftly receive thy soul's request1 for certainly it is on account of some temptation or some sin that thou art longer in receiving thy petition4 ,therefore1 do not cease making thy request1 and thou shalt receive it1 but if thou faintest and art of doubtful mind in thy petition1 blame thyself and not ,him who gives to thee4 ,it amounts to this1 that to have power in prayer is only possible as long as and in proportion as we walk with ,god4 ,looking at it in another light1 observe that real prayer is connected in a most intimate manner with the influences of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,perhaps this is what is meant by the word rendered by us energised1 but effectual and fervent in the ,english ,version4 ,certainly in almost every case where the word occurs1 it has reference to the operation of ,god or the devil4 ,and if this be so1 the prayer must be a possessed prayer1 and the praying man a possessed person1 and so again we are brought face to face with the foundations of mighty prayer lying in a holy life4 ,and what else is taught by the ,apostle when he says1 ,the ,spirit maketh intercession in the ,saints according to the will of ,god8 ,x ,,the ,,sentinel ,,of ,,the ,,heart ,the peace of ,god1 which exceeds all understanding1 shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in ,christ ,jesus4--,phil4 iv4 #g4 ,one of the best tests of the value of a religion1 and of the degree of the truth enshrined therein1 is found in the nature and permanence of the peace which it imparts4 ,for it is a fact that all religions1 or almost all1 and especially those which have taken a wide grasp of the hearts and minds of men1 profess to bring peace to the worshipper4 ,the ,roman ,church1 with its history unparalleled alike for saintliness or sin1 with its offers to resolve all doubts and to forgive all iniquities1 affords a haven and anchorage for those whose bark has been torn by the stormy winds of private judgment4 ,it is not one or two who have been brought within her pale in search of peace2 and1 indeed1 the bosom of ,mother ,church would be an attractive resting-place1 if it did not strike us on the other hand as being too much like the effort of one baby to carry another of its own size4 ,what is true of the ,roman ,church is true of the religion which has prevailed even more widely amongst the human race2 if we ask the ,buddhist teachers what is offered to the inquiring soul in their sacred books1 or what is revealed as possible in the experience of those men amongst them who have made the greatest progress in mind-and-spirit lore1 they would talk to you of ,nirvana1 or1 as ,i think it was understood by them at the first1 the extinction of the individual1 even as a candle-flame is blown out4 ,and however perverted their belief may have become1 they seem in early days to have contemplated a real destruction of self1--the flame of self-love and self-life being so put out that it should never more be a flame1 and should not long be a spark4 ,for instance1 their writings tell us such things as follow3-- ,to him who has finished the path and passed beyond sorrow1 who has freed himself on every side1 and thrown away all fetters1 there is no more fever of grief4 ,such an one remains like the broad earth unvexed2 like the pillar of the city gate1 unmoved2 like a pellucid lake1 unruffled4 ,tranquil is the mind1 tranquil the words and the deeds1 of him who is thus set at rest and made free by wisdom4 ,the heart1 scrupulously avoiding all idle dissipation1 diligently applying itself to the holy law of ,buddha1 letting go all lust1 and consequent disappointment1 fixed and unchangeable1 enters on ,nirvana4 ,and so in many other features we may trace the doctrine of inward peace as taught in the ,buddhist religion4 ,a similar feature is to be traced in the ,mohammedan faith1 if we are right that ,islam means surrender to the will of ,god1 and the ,mussulman a surrendered person2 and certainly there have been those in the great religion of the ,east who held surrender in a higher sense than that of the fatalism which we generally attach to the words4 ,now1 when we speak of different religions as in the foregoing1 it is not that we want to cultivate the science of comparative religious anatomy2 all we want to say is this1 that just as a very rough observation convinces us that corresponding organs in different creatures imply corresponding uses and similar needs1 so we discern various methods of bringing peace to the soul of man in those religions which have to the greatest extent prevailed in the world4 ,we are right to read these features carefully1 for they are the watermarks of the absolute religion 7which we believe the religion of ,jesus to be71 which is to gather in the men of every tribe and kindred and nation1 and to unite all the children of ,god who are scattered abroad4 ,we are too much accustomed to look on these foreign religionists merely in the light of compassion1 as people for whom we must send the missionary1 make the regular collection and offer the periodic prayer2 and we make maps of the world in which we paint in all the religions which differ from our own in black1 or1 if not in black1 in other colours only for the sake of distinction4 ,but1 if we were wise1 we should see that1 where we paint black1 it should be black with streaks of light2 and we should learn1 too1 to see that our own faith would need1 if accurately represented1 to be a white colour checked and streaked with spots of the intensest black4 ,for not all that is called ,christianity is of ,christ4 ,we say1 then1 that one of the characteristics of the absolute religion is that it offers to the soul a real and permanent peace4 ,here is a test for us3 a real peace2 it must not be based on deceptive methods3 a permanent peace1 which neither things present can disturb1 nor life nor death dispel4 ,and the ,lord ,jesus1 who has spoken of the heart of man as never man spake1 made this one of the keystones of ,his teaching1 as it was the cornerstone of ,his living4 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy-laden1 and ,i will rest you4 ,these things ,i have spoken unto you that in ,me ye might have peace4 ,and thus we hear our blessed ,lord whispering to the world of to-day1 a tired world from the first1 but never so tired as now2 through these lips comes ,god's answer to the cry of five hundred millions of ,buddhists1 of the millions of ,islam1 of the ,romanist1 the ,mystic1 the ,quaker--to all1 in one breath1 the message comes2 yes1 to me1 even to me ,thou speakest when the word is of that hidden lasting peace which ,thou1 ,lord ,jesus1 canst bestow4 ,and if it was a marvel that at ,pentecost every man should hear in his own language the wonderful works of ,god1 much more is it a marvel to speak to all hearts than to speak with all tongues4 ,and what is more than speech1 even that which goes to the heart1 is the action by which ,thou1 ,lord1 hast proved ,thy speech4 ,thy life has given ,thee the right to speak of what ,thou givest as ,thy peace4 ,so quiet wast ,thou that1 but for the wrong-doers that crossed ,thy path1 ,thou wouldst have seemed to be passionless2 yea1 some have even spoken of ,thee as the cold ,galilean1 because of the marvellous rest of ,thy soul in ,thy ,father's arms4 ,not only is it a test of the truth of a religion whether it imparts a real and permanent peace1 but it is also a test of our attainment in the true religion1 when we find it1 for us to examine the depth and character of our peace4 ,we determine the religion of ,jesus to be the ,absolute ,religion1 because it imparts the highest peace in the manner most suited to the soul of man1 and most consistent with the character of ,god4 ,we verify our own position in the ,life by the simple test of the experience of ,peace which we enjoy4 ,it is easy to be tranquil under certain circumstances2 and there are times when most of us perceive the connection between quiet and holiness4 ,but then circumstances change1 and what becomes of the peace8 ,drake and his men cross the isthmus of ,panama1 and from a peak they see below them the smiling ocean on the farther side2 so fair and still it looked that it received the name of the ,pacific ,ocean2 but then there were two things to be noticed3 first1 it was a fine day2 next1 they probably thought the sea the smoother because of the height from which they surveyed it4 ,and it is easy to talk of peace on fine days1 and when we are high up above trouble2 but our test must be when we are in the midst of the waters1 when the waves thereof roar and are troubled4 ,is it ,pacific ,ocean then2 or do we find1 as may be those early adventurers1 that it was too hastily named8 ,certain it is that many ,christians are disappointed because they do not always realise the peace and blessedness of which sometimes they have glimpses and enjoyment4 ,it is our practical every-day test of our standing in grace2 a man who is exploring an old well lowers a candle before him1 knowing that where that can live1 he can live2 the ,christian's test-flame is the peace of ,god2 when that fails1 he ought to know that it is safe to go no farther4 ,this peace is like some magic mirror1 by the dimness growing on the surface of which we may discern the breath of an unclean spirit that would work us ill4 ,as the ,apostle says1 ,let the peace of ,god rule 7i4e4 be arbiter or umpire7 in your hearts4 ,we may almost say that for most of us it is true that what we can do quietly we can do safely4 ,so we see more and more the importance of having the heart and thought kept by the ,peace of ,god4 ,some render the passage1 ,the peace of ,god shall stand sentry over your heart2 and this expresses it very well4 ,where this sentry stands1 nothing forbidden can pass either within or without1 except the watcher be first destroyed4 ,if the thirst for wealth or fame enter into a man's heart1 it is over the slain body of the sentry2 our peace is gone when these things enter in4 ,and many such like things there are which choke the word and destroy the peace4 ,then we turn and look at it in another light1 passing on from thoughts concerning the ,peace of ,god to higher ones about the ,god of ,peace1 who has promised to sanctify us wholly and to preserve spirit1 soul1 and body blameless unto the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,,xi ,,thy ,,father ,,in ,,secret ,alone1 and yet not alone4--,,john xvi4 #cb4 ,of all religious ideas1 the grandest is that which lay at the root of the monastic system1--that religion is the wedlock of the soul to ,god2 although the method in which this idea was exemplified was a faulty one1 or1 at any rate1 one which rapidly became corrupt1 even if it was not so at first4 ,the wonderful worship of the middle ages at least taught men to serve ,god in retirement of life and unworldliness of spirit1 and gave demonstration of holiness and righteousness in men who did their work in the world even though they lived out of it1 and in women who were content to view the busy1 jocular1 combatant1 pleasure-seeking community only from behind the bars of the house of rest that they had chosen4 ,it was a noble object-lesson of the spiritual life2 and though the symbols used to express it may have become valueless1 the truth that they taught remains yet1 that if a man or woman seeks the highest good1 there must be for such an isolation of the soul from the ordinary course of life and thought in the world around us2 we must afford ourselves facilities for a sacred loneliness with ,god4 ,it is interesting to notice that ,st4 ,luke1 probably more than any other evangelist1 gives record of solitariness and vigil and secret communion2 and it may be that it was a line of experience with which he was familiar2 certainly he was careful to chronicle the lonely hours of the ,saint when ,god and the soul are at one1 and it needs no prophet to pray that the ,lord will open the young man's eyes that he may see4 ,what a summary of experience is contained in those words which describe the ministerial preparation of ,john the ,baptist1--,he was in the desert until the day of his showing unto ,israel1 waxing and growing strong in spirit 7,luke i4 #hj74 ,then he speaks of the ,master1 of ,his being led by the ,spirit into the wilderness 7,luke iv4 #a72 of ,his departing and going into a desert place 7,luke iv4 #db72 of ,his withdrawal into the wilderness for prayer 7,luke v4 #af72 of ,his going out into a mountain to pray1 and continuing all night in prayer to ,god 7,luke vi4 #ab74 ,would it not be better1 instead of making the commonplace assertion that there was nothing of the ascetic about ,jesus ,christ1 for us to recall to mind ,his teaching at another time1 that every disciple shall be perfected as his ,master 7,luke vi4 #dj71 and to inquire whether we might not do well to love and covet retirement1 even of an external character1 as a means to the attainment of that perfection8 ,retirement with ,god is the only preparation for success1 and the only medicine for failure whether it be ,moses wondering at the burning bush in the mount of ,god1 or ,elijah eating angel's bread under the juniper-tree4 ,we shall do well to observe also that it has been a feature of all the great religions of the ,east2 the secret of all strong souls lies in those times of loneliness when they were bound hand and foot as captives to the ,everlasting ,will4 ,we deride such nowadays2 call them mystic1 contemplationist1 fanatic4 ,george ,fox1 sitting about in lonely places1 reading his ,bible in hollow trees1 is hard to understand4 ,but if it were anything but religion that was in quest1 people would not laugh4 ,tell them of ,demosthenes living in a cellar1 with head half shaved to prevent his appearing in public1 and there will be admiration2 was it any wonder that he became an orator8 ,but let a man be as bent on becoming a saint2 let him give up one hour's frivolous talk in order to commune with his ,father in secret2 then we suspect that such an one is becoming righteous overmuch4 ,mind1 no one complains of a man being anxious to be wise overmuch1 or rich overmuch1 healthy overmuch2 he may burn the midnight oil and study1 watch the markets and scheme1 frequent the gymnasium and develop his muscle1 and no one will find fault2 but to spend time on what is at least as important as wisdom1 wealth1 and health1 and in a sense involves them all1--this is fanatical1 and not to be encouraged or approved4 ,we miss much through our want of separation from the world1 and through our deficiency in insulation1 or1 which is the same word1 in isolation4 ,if we go into a science laboratory and examine the great brass machines for holding electrical charges1 we find that they are all mounted on glass feet4 ,these are the insulators1 and if it were not for them1 no electricity would remain on the surface2 as it is1 electricity is hard enough to keep in charge1 even with the best insulators4 ,and we know sometimes what it is to have life and power pass into us from above1 but we don't know how to retain it1 because we have never learnt true retirement of heart and insulation of life4 ,there is good teaching in the following passage from one of ,madame ,guyon's letters3 ,it is very desirable1 and in the earlier part of your ministry especially1 that you should spend a portion of your time--and that perhaps not a small portion--with ,god in retirement4 ,let your own soul be first filled with ,god's spirit1 and then and not otherwise will you be in a situation to communicate the ,divine fulness to others4 ,no man can give what he has not2 or if a man has grace1 but has it in a small degree1 he may in dispensing to others impart to them what is necessary for himself4 ,now if any one were to ask what is the especial strength of ,england as regards other empires and commonwealths1 the answer would be that it lies in her insular position1--in the silver streak that parts her from ,france2 and the true ,christian is girt round with separating grace4 ,we might draw two pictures to remind us how we may become strong for ,god3 one of the solitary vigil of the ,great ,shepherd keeping watch over ,his flock by night2 the other of the little company who waited with joined hands and hearts in the upper room for the coming of the ,comforter2 these two pictures representing the solitude of a single soul and of united souls with ,god4 ,by such silent communion ,god will especially prepare us for service and for suffering4 ,some one spoke to ,john ,nelson1 making unfavourable comparison of ,john ,wesley with a prominent religious teacher of the day2 and ,nelson replied1 ,he has not stayed in the upper room like ,john ,wesley4 ,we need our silent preparations for speech2 to go forth1 like ,ezekiel1 into the plain to find the glory of the ,lord2 or like ,daniel to the river-side1 where we may meet one like unto the ,son of man2 or like the two who walked into the country whom ,jesus met1 and with whom ,he talked till ,he made their hearts burn4 ,especial preparation of this kind is necessary for the prosecution of great enterprises4 ,we are reminded of this if we observe what followed the all-night of prayer of the ,lord ,jesus1--how1 when it was day1 ,he called unto ,him ,his twelve apostles1 and with them went down into the plain to heal diseases and them that were vexed with unclean spirits4 ,napoleon leaves his army1 as they near the ,russian frontier1 and spurs his horse until at last in solitary contemplation he sees before him the river that separates him from the country that he is going to invade3 a striking picture1 made more so by the thought of the luckless termination of the enterprise4 ,and some of us1 whom ,god will call to great enterprises for ,him that will not end in failure1 will know what it is to make a similar solitary advance2 and in silent waiting upon ,god to watch ,him unroll before us the map of our journey1 telling us what we must do and what we must suffer for ,him3 and the silence makes us strong when the voice of ,god has broken in upon it4 ,and we will not marvel if to us1 as to ,saul of ,tarsus1 the answer to the question1 ,what wilt thou have me to do8 should come in the form1 ,i will shew him how great things he must suffer2 for our thoughts will turn again to ,him who said1 ,rise and let us be going from the solitude of the upper room to the deeper retirement of the olive grove2 who went a little farther1 even from those ,he loved most1 as ,he prayed1 ,not ,my will but ,thine be done2 and then took ,his way alone1 and yet not alone1 to be the ,redeemer and ,reviver of the souls of men4 ,,xii ,,tests ,,of ,,faith1 ,,love1 ,,and ,,rightness ,what are the experimental bases of our ,christianity8 and whereby shall we know that we are of the truth and assure our hearts before ,him8 ,our answers to such questions may appear discouraging1 but it is far better that we should experience discouragement 7not that we would really wish to say a word to throw back the weakest believer from his faith71 than that we should attempt to fill ourselves with the formulas that the ,pharisees do eat4 ,some time ago1 in discussing the definite points and peculiar characteristics of ,christian life and experiences1 we took as a comparison the changes of state in a material body1 from solid to liquid1 and from liquid to gaseous4 ,we observed that1 just as in nature the most important practical and theoretical investigations were made upon bodies in the neighbourhood of those points where they undergo a change of state1 so it is also true in the world of grace that our most valuable observations and inquiries relate to certain critical points in the life--as conversion and sanctification2 points which may sometimes1 like the freezing and boiling points of a material substance1 approach almost1 if not quite1 to coincidence1 but which1 like them1 may be very widely separated4 ,suppose1 then1 to resume our figure1 we were to propose to ourselves the question1 ,how shall ,i know whether a body near the melting point has passed from the solid to the liquid state8 ,in some cases it would be extremely easy to give an answer3 with ice1 under ordinary circumstances1 we should simply say that it becomes mobile2 the word of the ,supreme ,law having gone forth1 the waters flow4 ,but our test would not do for all liquids1 because there are some that do not answer readily to it1 but are extremely sluggish in the neighbourhood of their melting points1 so that they seem almost solid even when liquid4 ,we are obliged1 then1 to look for a better test1 and we should probably observe that the most convenient would be found in the fact that an addition of heat produces a change in temperature in a body that has passed its melting point4 ,place a thermometer in melting snow1 it marks zero until the snow is really melted1 and after that it rises4 ,now1 in a similar manner1 we should find that many of the tests popularly applied to discriminate spiritual life1 are only partially accurate2 and since our method is a purely experimental one1 we ought to see that we apply proper methods of inquiry in an accurate manner4 ,our question1 then1 is1 ,whereby shall we know that we are of the truth8 and we shall probably look to ,scripture for an answer4 ,indeed1 there is a ,school which tells us positively that we must try the condition in which we are by the statements of ,scripture1 holding up the ,word of ,life as a mirror before our lives1 so that we may compare the reflection with the ,divine characteristics4 ,and provided this method be honestly applied1 and not by the mere selection of pet texts1 it is probable that it is a correct one4 ,we will1 then1 take the #ast ,epistle of ,john1 in which we find the most definite assertions about personal experience1 and try ourselves by it4 ,first of all1 there is the simple and beautiful statement1 ,beloved1 now are we the children of ,god2 most of us would quote it freely2 but our scientific method would at least require that we should harmonise the supposed fact with the asserted consequences1 ,therefore the world knoweth us not1 even as it knew ,him not2 and if we find that the world smiles on us in a way that it did not upon our ,lord1 then we must either conclude 7i47 that we were mistaken in the fact1 or 7ii47 that while the word we in the first part of the sentence is capable of extension1 the us in the second is restricted in its reference to ,st4 ,john and the despised and rejected people with him--with1 perhaps1 a possible reference to subsequent isolated instances1 down to the ,salvation ,army1 and a few more in our own day6 ,or1 taking another simple assertion1 ,we know that we have passed 7crossed over1 transmigrated7 from death unto life4 ,we use the words to convince people of the definite nature of conversion2 we say it is as real as a passage from death to life1 and as truly marked2 it is the advent of a new life in the soul4 ,but can we honestly go on to base the assertion on the fact of our own love to men1 to--souls8 ,would we venture to stand or fall by this test1 ,i have loved1 ,i love1 and not be afraid that our good angels would rise up to bear witness against us as we said it8 ,a third passage comes before us2 for some one will say1 ,we believe1 and is it not written that he that believeth hath everlasting life8 and may we not rest upon the assurance conveyed by the present tense of the verb employed8 ,without going at present into the consideration of this passage from the ,gospel1 let us say1 roughly1 that the test of the existence of a spiritual life presented by ,st4 ,john in the ,epistle is of a threefold character3 it is-- 7,greek3 alpha7 ,a test of faith3 he that believeth that ,jesus is the ,christ is born of ,god4 7,greek3 beta7 ,a test of love3 he that loveth is born of ,god4 7,greek3 gamma7 ,a test of righteousness3 every one that doeth righteousness is born of ,him4 ,and if these are true criteria of the life within us1 each of these statements1 with its necessary consequences1 may be predicated of that soul in which the ,heavenly ,life has been brought forth4 ,for instance3 we must not take 7,greek3 alpha7 and reject 7,greek3 beta7 and 7,greek3 gamma72 nor must we disregard the consequences which are a necessary part of our experimental verifications4 ,of these three passages we should most probably elect to be tried by 7,greek3 alpha72 for it is comparatively easy for us1 especially at the present day1 to hold to an intellectual assent to a proposition4 ,in fact the difficulty is that the sieve is too wide2 for almost every one believes that ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,it must be evident then that we have misunderstood the text or omitted the consequences which follow from it4 ,now the continuation of the statement is that whatsoever is in this holy birth has victory over the world2 and if we apply the test of an overcoming life to our supposed faith1 things look very different4 ,discouraged1 we pass on to the second criterion2 if not by faith1 let us be judged by love4 ,since we all of us love something and some persons1 we shall perhaps find ourselves safe under this test4 ,but1 upon examination1 we perceive that he does not simply mean love of ,god1 or love of ,jesus1 or a merely selective human love2 but love of the brethren and of the children of ,god in a universal manner4 ,he twists it backwards and forwards1 saying at one moment1 ,he that loveth ,god1 let him love his brother also2 at another1 ,if he love not his brother whom he hath seen1 how can he love ,god whom he hath not seen8 and again1 ,by this we know that we love the children of ,god1 when we love ,god1 and1 breaking off abruptly1 when we love ,god1 and keep ,his commandments4 ,certainly if love is universal and coincident with obedience1 we shall scarcely be able to face this test4 ,so we pass on to the third criterion--that of righteousness2 and here1 perhaps1 we may expect some help1 knowing how careful the ,lord is to judge us by the light we have1 how generously ,he measures every effort after holiness1 and blesses every pang of the spiritual hunger4 ,we may not be able to grasp the creeds which others recite so fluently2 we may not be able to give easy expression to the affections which thrill within us2 may1 perhaps1 wonder if we love at all2 but at least we can say this1--we want to be right4 ,but then we are confronted with the difficulty that what ,god means is not that we should want to be right1 but that we should be right4 ,he explains and characterises the spiritual birth by the words of the ,apostle1 ,he that doeth righteousness is righteous even as ,christ is righteous4 ,he that is born of ,god doth not sin4 ,every one that is born of ,him sinneth not4 ,it almost seems as if the ,apostle of ,love had been remetamorphosed into the ,son of ,thunder1 and were calling down fire from heaven upon us to devour us4 ,and do not let us say that this is merely ,st4 ,john's extravagant way of preaching holiness2 for it is the language in which the teachers of the time generally held and transmitted the ,christian doctrine4 ,thus ,ignatius1 writing to the ,ephesians1 adopts the three tests of faith and love and righteousness3 ,no man professing the faith sinneth2 nor does he who professeth love1 hate2 the tree is known by its fruits2 so1 likewise1 those who profess to be ,christ's shall be seen from their deeds4 ,and ,polycarp presents the life-criteria in the same manner3 ,you shall be built up in the faith which is given to you3 before which is love to ,god and to ,christ and to the neighbour2 for he who has love is far from all sin4 ,and so we might multiply instances4 ,what shall we then say3 ,is a new ,sinai set up on the square of the ,new ,jerusalem8 or is it a sense of good things not seen as yet that makes us cry1 ,search me1 ,o ,god2 444 and see if there be any lack of faith or love or righteousness in me1 and lead me in the way everlasting8 ,,xiii ,,the ,,eternal ,,idea ,see that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed thee in the ,mount4--,,heb4 viii4 #e4 ,when we speak of a pattern1 we generally understand by it some temporary or partial representation of an idea that is to be or has been realised--such as the plan of a house1 or the mould of a casting1 or1 to take a more definite illustration1 like the little silver models of the ,temple of ,diana at ,ephesus1 or the carved wooden lions which are sold in the shops in the neighbourhood of the ,lion ,monument at ,lucerne4 ,in these last two instances we see that the greater is made the pattern of the less2 and it is important for us to remember this2 we are not to suppose that ,god showed to ,moses a diminutive tabernacle1 a sort of doll's house1 in accordance with which he was to construct his house of skins1 or that ,he impressed upon him the nature of the priestly and sacrificial worship by altars and offerings of a lower degree1 of small quantities4 ,it is more like what ,philo explained it to be1 that the outer world is fashioned upon the model of the ,world of ,ideas whose centre is the ,divine ,word2 or like ,swedenborg's ,doctrine of ,correspondence1 by which we may learn ,cup1 column1 candlestick1 ,all temporal things related royally1 ,and patterns of what shall be in the ,mount4 ,but1 to get a more simple and exact idea1 let us observe the means which those who have studied the heavens have taken to illustrate astronomical facts4 ,there is an astronomical toy called the orrery1 which can be made1 by proper mechanism1 to represent1 with tolerable accuracy1 the actual motions of the planets in their orbits1 and which can serve to illustrate the phenomena which from time to time occur in the heavens4 ,now the tabernacle of ,moses is precisely like this2 it is a religious orrery1 a means of representing religious truths and bringing home religious facts to the consciousness of those who are unable to study the skies and the lunar and planetary theories for themselves4 ,but no one who wishes to be a real astronomer would be content with winding up the orrery and watching the balls go round2 he would know that the heavens must be studied for themselves1 if one was ever to understand them accurately3 and no one who wishes to be more than moderately religious can remain satisfied with the meagre assistance obtained by ritual and externalism4 ,we observe1 too1 that no one who wished to chronicle fresh facts would go to the orrery to learn them4 ,he would1 for instance1 turn his spectroscope on the sun1 and not on the great ball which represents it in the mechanism1 if he wanted to determine the constituents of that great luminary4 ,and let us remember that we shall never get at any fresh religious truth by means of ritual2 the proper destination of all orreries1 religious or otherwise1 is the museum4 ,but meanwhile the heavens still go round1 which are the work of ,thy fingers2 and the moon and the stars1 which ,thou hast ordained1 can still be studied1 even when all the imitations of the universe have been swept away4 ,we desire for ourselves an emancipation from all that is merely traditional in the religious life2 we would refer back our lives to the original thought of ,god concerning them4 ,our life needs emendation1 which can only take place satisfactorily by reference to the original design4 ,we are often perplexed in our study of ,scripture1 by various readings and incorrect texts1 and we wish that we could attain to something like the possession of an exact copy1 if it were only of a single gospel4 ,we read of ,tischendorf finding the precious ,codex in the monastery on ,mount ,sinai1 and cannot forbear wishing that1 perhaps1 in some of the waste places of the ,east1 there might be found a copy1 not of the fourth or fifth century1 but1 if possible1 of the first4 ,suppose1 for example1 that a copy of the ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew1 signed with his own hand1 should come into our possession1 in which it should be stated that ,i1 ,matthew1 sometime a tax-gatherer for the ,romans1 and now a collector of dues for the ,almighty1 and one of them that are set to ask1 ',how much owest thou unto my ,lord8' have written this book1 by the aid of the ,holy ,spirit2 wherein may be heard many voices of the ,lord2 and lo6 some of them have already come to pass1 and the rest must shortly be done4 ,and may the peace of him that wrote this book abide also with them that read4 ,the supposition is not so very absurd1 and if it could be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the learned 7a people hard to persuade7 that the ,book and the hand were genuine1 what a number of questions would be settled4 ,an end would be made of all glosses and emendations of the text over which there have been so many disputes1 and there would be an excision of all parts that have been added by later hands4 ,but we must admit that the corruptions of the sacred text are insignificant in comparison with the deviations that we find in our own lives from the original thought of ,god concerning us4 ,registered and chronicled in heaven is the mind and will of our ,father about us2 registered and chronicled also are the defects which have marred the handiwork of ,god in the soul4 ,we do not always set out with the intention of spoiling our souls1 and of keeping them from being holy books1 in which he that runs may read2 but as a matter of fact what self writes in the margin soon creeps into the text2 and what we write between the lines soon becomes a part of the manuscript4 ,let who says ,the soul's a clean white paper1 rather say ,a palimpsest1 a prophet's holograph1 ,defiled1 erased1 and covered by a monk's-- 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 we may discern perhaps ,some upstroke of an ,alpha and ,omega ,expressing the ,old ,scripture4 ,but if we are to undergo a real emendation1 it must be by detecting something more than an upstroke of the ,divine ,will2 it must be by reference to the original plan of ,god1 and by a surrender to the same4 ,in the chapels at the back of the choir of ,cologne ,cathedral are preserved the original parchments on which are drawn the plan of the great minster4 ,all the centuries through which this building has been raising1 the men that have been working at it have had in reverence the original thoughts of the master-minds at the first3 and those who have been chosen to the superintendence of the work have been men who were reckoned the most conversant with the laws of the ,gothic architecture4 ,one can imagine that ,archbishop ,englebert sleeps the more softly in his silver shrine because of the completed work of to-day4 ,so we speak and think of a great stone-temple1 the working out of an idea whose details were at first but scantily given1 carried out in ages during which the master-minds that planned it could no more be consulted4 ,and yet when a greater and more perfect tabernacle is in building1 not planned of mortal thought1 and whose stones were too heavy to be moved by mortal hands1 how little reference there is to the plan of the ,founder1 how few that are desirous of living according to the counsel and will of ,god1 and to see in that will1 not a mere legal skeleton of the structure1 but a pattern1 good and acceptable and perfect1 with no detail wanting for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear4 ,alas6 that our lives should be lived so much at random instead of being so fashioned that it might be said over the completed structure at the last1 ,whose architect and craftsman is ,god4 ,in ,christianity the ideal is to be the actual3 there is to be no shooting at the moon1 because by that means you reach higher than by aiming at a tree 7a very doubtful statement even in mechanics72 what ,god wants us to be that we must be2 and if ,he says1 ,be ye perfect1 then let us go on to perfection and reach it4 ,the ,christian is called upon by his ,master to live out and actualise ,god's ideal thought concerning him4 ,upon the map of his life is already marked out the road by which he is to reach the heavenly city2 if1 at least1 he reaches it1 as ,god intends1 by the shortest way4 ,there are no roundabout roads marked on the map in the ,mount1 and yet the ,divine ,plan of our life will be found inclusive of the minutest necessary details1 just as an ,ordnance map will tell you each feature of interest and importance as you go from place to place4 ,it is of the utmost importance that we should take counsel's opinion about our lives1 and that we should pray1 ,lord1 what wilt ,thou have me to do8 that we should1 if need be1 weep much1 until the ,lamb shall take off the seals from that book of life1 which1 in the archives of the celestial city1 is entitled ,the ,life of ---- taken from the ,pattern in the ,mount2 that we should learn to conform ourselves to the ,divine original1 just as a manuscript1 however deformed by glosses and traditions1 is accurately and certainly emended by the discovery of the original text2 that we should know1 in some sense1 as ,christ did1 whence we come and whither we go2 that1 as ,he said1 we also might feel that for this end we were born and for this purpose we came into the world1 that we might bear witness to the truth2 that1 with ,him1 too1 we might in some measure be able to say1 ,the son can do nothing but what he seeth the ,father do2 and that at our ending it might be said1 ,he lived out the secret thought and counsel of the ,almighty4 ,but in thinking of the pattern in the ,mount as a pattern of life1 it is important for us to see that1 in the first instance1 this thought was presented to us in connection with that side of life which we call worship2 for there was to be a sanctuary made1 etc41 nor must we omit to get1 with regard to our worship1 a glimpse into the thought of ,god beforehand1 consulting the oracle in advance as did men in the old days4 ,we may not take voyage without the very best map that can be had1 lest we make shipwreck2 nor1 because we have not taken pains to obtain the map1 may we content ourselves with creeping round shores that we know we ought to leave4 ,we must not separate the life from the worship2 in fact they are one3 we learn that from the description of the ceaseless adoration of those nearest the throne2 they rest not day nor night saying1 ,holy1 holy1 holy4 ,are we to suppose from this that their existence is occupied in the mere repetition of an everlasting ,trisagion2 or that1 as ,beecher once said1 they stand like wax candles round the throne1 uttering an occasional ,hallelujah8 ,is it not rather ,god's way of showing us how ,he is unceasingly glorified in those who live nearest ,him1 whose lives worship ,him8 ,the worship must be continuous with the life4 ,i have a thermometer which has become perfectly useless because the air has broken up the continuity of the alcohol2 it is worth next to nothing as an index of temperature4 ,and little can we learn from any soul in which the continuity of the religious life is broken1 and which has become life streaked with worship4 ,now let us learn one or two of the characteristics of a pure life-worship4 ,out of the worship according to the pattern in the ,mount all respectability has been differentiated3 the ,christian religion will not hold caste in solution2 it precipitates it to the bottom2 its founder died the death of a slave2 how could they give the slave a back seat after that8 ,on the contrary1 they gloried in the name2 ,paul1 a slave and an apostle2 a slave1 and so eligible for the honour of crucifixion2 an apostle1 and so sent with the good news of life4 ,respect of persons holds not in heaven2 none there will criticise the clay out of which the first raiment of your soul was made4 ,what need is there1 then1 that we should leave off holding the faith of our ,lord ,jesus1 with respect of persons 7there are few churches where the ministers dare to preach on such a text as that74 ,let us have done with such classifications4 ,in ,jesus ,christ there is neither barbarian nor ,scythian1 bond nor free1 town nor university1 but ,christ is all1 and in all4 ,we know1 too1 that the life-worship to which ,god calls us consists in abandonment and surrender to an animating1 impelling spirit4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord will come upon thee1 and thou shalt prophesy1 and thou shalt be turned into another man4 ,and it shall be1 when these signs are come upon thee1 that thou shalt do as occasion serve thee1 for the ,lord is with thee4 ,whither the ,spirit was to go1 thither was their spirit to go4 ,the highest life is one in which we realise not merely surrender to the ,divine ,will1 but harmony with it1 so that the rails on which the life moves1 the human and ,divine wills1 become strictly parallel4 ,a surrendered life implies surrendered lips3 this is the key of true worship2 every one having a psalm1 an interpretation2 ye may all of you prophesy4 ,the ideal worship becomes the actual when heaven touches earth1 as on the day of ,pentecost--they were all filled1 and1 by consequence1 they all ran over4 ,who would venture to tell the woman who had been a sinner1 that it was not seemly that her life should proclaim the magnolia ,dei1 the wonders of ,god2 my lips1 she says1 have touched ,his feet1 and are consecrated for evermore4 ,who shall tell these prophesying handmaidens of the ,lord that their place is in a different spiritual order3 ,are there two inner courts1 they will reply1 to the ,new ,jerusalem8 ,whoso hath felt the ,spirit of the ,highest ,cannot confound nor doubt ,him1 nor deny2 ,yea1 with one voice1 ,o world1 though thou deniest1 ,stand thou on that side1 for on this am ,i4 ,,xiv ,,more ,,light ,ye are the light of the world4--,,matt4 v4 #ad4 ,there is a great stir nowadays about improved methods of lighting our streets and houses4 ,men began with torches and pine splinters2 then they advanced to candles and oil lamps2 after that to coal gas2 and now we are coming to electricity4 ,in ,paris they are experimenting with an electrical system1 and we shall have it in ,england before long1 the unmistakable cry of the natural world being ,more light1 more light4 ,a similar experience prevails in the spiritual life1 whether we regard that life in the isolated individual1 or fix our attention upon the dealings of ,god with the race of which we form a part4 ,we need1 in fact1 an improved illumination4 ,it is plain that we do so4 ,the light of ,moses is not enough for us4 ,his face shines indeed1 but with a glory that fades away1 so that he must put on a veil lest they should detect its evanescence4 ,the prophets of old days are like the flight of meteors across the sky--very bright while they last1 but no settled and abiding glory4 ,john the ,baptist is a burning and a shining lamp2 but he says of himself1 ,i must decrease2 and with the words1 ,he must increase1 we are pointed on to ,christ1 the true ,light of the world1 which if any man follow he shall not walk in darkness1 but shall have the light of life2 who gives ,his own name and character to those whom ,he receives as disciples1 telling them1 ,let your light shine4 ,and the individual soul begins with the glimmer of grace and the spark of a respondent love1 and the operation of the ,lord improves this little fitful glimmer1 and develops it1 until it becomes a clear and strong illumination1 by which we may read something of the heart of ,god towards us1 and understand that in the spiritual world1 as in the natural1 the order of this providence is1 ,more light1 more light4 ,light1 that we may know our way more accurately2 light1 by which we may work2 light1 by which we may read2 light1 by which we may help others to walk and work and read2 for ye are the light of the world1 and ',heaven doth with us1 as we with torches do1 ,not light them for themselves4' ,god makes one man a lamp for another4 ,every saint should be like a cranny in the walls of heaven or translucent crystal in its foundations1 letting the glory through4 ,there is a glory within such a one1 because ,god has shined in his heart3 there is a glory without him1 for the ,spirit of glory and of ,god resteth upon him4 ,not once nor twice has the ,church historian to record1 ,they beheld his face1 as it had been the face of an angel4 ,now in any improved system of illumination we have a right to expect that one of its characteristics will be its capability for a general application4 ,it must not be as great a blaze as one's eyes can bear in the principal thoroughfares1 with thick darkness in the back streets and lanes4 ,the improved light must become more sun-like1 more catholic1 that is1 more for everybody1 must rise upon just and unjust2 and while it participates in the universality of the sun1 it must share also the steadiness of the stars4 ,such1 too1 must be the better life to which ,god calls us1 not narrowing its sphere from day to day1 nor fitful1 like a star of the first magnitude at one moment and of the ninth a fortnight after1 but burning with a steady patient zeal towards all men that ,god has made4 ,the light of love will survive the light of enthusiasm1 as ,christ outlasts ,john the ,baptist2 enthusiasm must be swallowed up of love4 ,a lighted lamp is no respecter of persons2 it shines in all directions and upon all people and things1 being an imitation1 within its measure1 of the sun1 concerning whom it is said1 ,there is nothing hid from the heat thereof4 ,is there this property of radiation about the light that ,god has given you8 ,have you learnt and practically entered into the truth that the supreme love is also the universal love1 and that ,god is no respecter of persons8 ,it gives light unto all that are in the house3 every soul truly won for ,god is marked with this token1 ,for the sake of ,god and a perishing world4 ,but perhaps you will say1 ,my light is so small that ,i cannot be a help or a witness to any2 ,i have not light enough to show any the right way4 ,not so3 a glow-worm in the hedge can tell a man which way to walk1 if it will only shine4 ,we may not all of us have the privilege of saying with ,john ,wesley1 ,the world is my parish4 ,our parish may be small1 and we may be lights indoors1 shining for only one neglected soul in the house1 or for young ones who have to be trained for the ,lord1 or for the men on our own staircase in college1 or with whom we walk in afternoons4 ,they say the problem about the electric light is the difficulty of its subdivision1 that is1 of its multiplication2 and in the spiritual world the corresponding necessity is to multiply and reproduce the image of ,god in ,jesus ,christ4 ,there was a similar difficulty in the early days of photography2 they could take one picture1 but did not know how to produce copies from it4 ,the ,christian religion has in it the means of producing not only one ,light of the world but many--a church of men and women of whom it may be said1 as to the disciples at the first1 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,but will something within us object and say1 ,shining means burning up and burning out3 the candle will grow shorter1 and the battery weaker8 ,now here we get at the root of the matter4 ,truly it is impossible to offer any real devotion to ,god1 or perform any real service to man1 unless we are willing to pay the cost4 ,we are not to offer1 either to ,god or man1 of that which costs us nothing4 ,the noblest thing in ,god's world is a lavished life2 whereof ,god has given us plain proof in this--that ,he so loved the world that ,he gave ,his ,son2 and which ,paul confirms as he says to some of those to whom he had been the means of bringing light1 ,i will most gladly spend and be spent for you4 ,i will burn up for you1 and then when ,i am burnt out1 ,i will be content with the mere candle-end of a life1 extinct for the love of ,jesus4 ,and let us remember1 too1 that old proverb1 that ,you can't burn a candle at both ends4 ,if our life has been lighted at one end for ,god1 we must not burn it at the other for selfish enjoyments and ambitions4 ,the work that ,god has called you to do is a burner that will take all the gas that you can supply4 ,now suppose that every time a candle is lighted here1 a star were to shine out up yonder4 ,how eager we should all be to make the face of heaven sparkle6 we should take every candle and lamp that we could lay hands on1 light them up1 and watch for the gleaming of the new wonder in the sky4 ,does that seem strange8 ,did you never read that ,they that are wise shall shine as the sun1 and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever8 ,the lamps and candles in ,god's world do become suns and stars2 the illumination that you will have by and by will depend on the little candle that you are to-day2 and if you curtail your service for ,god and man down here1 you will clip the wings and shear away the strength of the angel that you hope to be4 ,o ,lord1 that ,i could waste my life for others1 ,with no ends of my own6 ,that ,i could pour myself into my brothers1 ,and live for them alone6 ,,xv ,,over-,,overcoming ,we are more than conquerors4--,,romans viii4 #cg4 ,the ,apostle coins a word to suit his experience4 ,we should render it exactly by saying1 ,in these things we over-conquer1 imitating the formation of similar words in our language1 such as over-master1 over-do4 ,more forcibly we might say1 ,in all these things we over-overcome4 ,coverdale gives the sense of it well in his translation1 ,we conquer far4 ,observe some of the ways in which this excess and extravagance of victory may take place1 for it is as if one should win a victory over a foe in such a way as to prevent him from ever troubling us again4 ,our conquest over special sin is to be of this character4 ,we are not to be content with winning the field while the foe retires to some more secure position from which he will have to be dislodged4 ,it is never meant that we should sin the same sin twice1 the ,lord's purpose concerning us being shown in the ,exodus of the children of ,israel3 ,the ,egyptians which ye see to-day1 ye shall see them no more again for ever4 ,let him that stole steal no more4 ,neither do ,i condemn thee1 go and sin no more4 ,there is a passage in ,miss ,havergal's life which narrates how1 after having been angry with a servant1 the word of comfort came to her through a friend3 ,perhaps this may be the last time that you will ever be so overcome4 ,and then our victories are to leave us stronger than before4 ,this will seem quite contrary to the order of nature1 in which seldom is there a battle without garments rolled in blood1 and where the victory often costs as much to the victors as to the vanquished4 ,a great general has said that nothing is half so terrible as a battle lost1 except a battle gained4 ,but to be more than conquerors6 to rise the stronger for the strife even while we strive6 this is what is involved in the ,christian song of jubilee in the ,eighth of ,romans4 ,we over-overcome because of the completeness of the victory4 ,in most campaigns it is by the balance of battles fought that the war is decided4 ,seldom does it happen that all the victory is on one side3 and even then there will be virgin fortresses that never have been stormed1 over which no alien flag has ever floated1 which may be yielded indeed by treaty1 but not taken by force4 ,the over-conquering ,christian can say with the invading ,israelites1 ,there was not one city too strong for us3 the ,lord ,god delivered all unto us4 ,and in the strength of this ,i rode4444 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,and brake through all1 and in the ,strength of this come victor4 ,the triumphant scenes of the ,apocalypse are not all future2 but even now we know something of living and reigning with ,christ in a fellowship above sin and above sorrow4 ,for it was of sorrow rather than of sin that the ,apostle was speaking4 ,our principle is one of holy indifference--an experience far removed from mere apathy4 ,we do not simply say with ,buddha that sorrow drops off from him who has finished the path1 as water drops from a lotus leaf4 ,we are not sure whether the sorrows always do disappear from the burdened life like that4 ,but when they do not so pass away1 the drop is turned to honey in the cup of the flower2 it is really the richer for its burden1 and so may well be content4 ,and now how do we come to this place of triumph8 ,by what means is it granted us to enter so fully into the songs which shall one day resound through the universe8 ,through ,him that loved us4 ,it is alliance with ,god that is the secret4 ,the three steps of the mystics are ,purification1 ,illumination1 and ,union2 and simple as the statement is1 it is a better theology than many another of much larger dimensions4 ,many people do not understand this alliance in which we are led into union with ,god1 through the ,holy ,spirit4 ,they think it is more like the old story of the dwarf and the giant1 who went a warfare together1 in which expedition the dwarf lost his arms and legs1 and was only saved from imminent death in each conflict by the happy arrival of the giant4 ,one can scarcely blame the dwarf for breaking up the partnership4 ,we must understand that in ,christianity the dwarf is the giant1 that the despised deformed puny child of faith is1 when he recognises his own weakness and leans upon his own ,god1 big with the force that rolls the stars along4 ,the might of ,god is in him3 and though he may have no armour nor sword to match the ,philistine1 he will come home carrying his head for all that2 for ,man's weakness leaning upon ,god1 ,its end can never miss4 ,,the ,,end ,the ,devotional ,library #a4 ,,the ,,key ,,of ,,the ,,grave4 ,a ,book for the ,bereaved4 ,by ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 #b4 ,,memoranda ,,sacra4 ,by ,professor ,j4 ,,rendel ,,harris1 ,m4,a41 ,fellow of ,clare ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,,studies ,,in ,,mysticism ,,and ,,certain ,,aspects ,,of ,,the ,,secret ,,tradition4 ,by ,,arthur ,,edward ,,waite4 ,,little ,,books ,,on ,,religion4 ,edited by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,,ll4,d4 #a4 ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,future ,,life4 ,by ,r4 ,w4 ,,dale1 ,,ll4,d4 #b4 ,,the ,,seven ,,words ,,from ,,the ,,cross4 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,,ll4,d4 #c4 ,,the ,,visions ,,of ,a ,,prophet4 ,studies in ,zechariah4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 #d4 ,,the ,,four ,,temperaments4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 #e4 ,,the ,,upper ,,room4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,john ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,,works ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,miller1 ,d4,d4 ,a ,,message ,,for ,,the ,,day4 ,a ,year's ,daily ,readings4 ,,dr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,miller',s ,,new ,,year ,,booklets4 #a4 ,,secrets ,,of ,a ,,happy ,,home ,,life4 #b4 ,,the ,,blessing ,,of ,,cheerfulness4 ,dr4 ,miller's ,silent ,times ,series4 #a4 ,,making ,,the ,,most ,,of ,,life4 #b4 ,,the ,,every-,,day ,,of ,,life4 #c4 ,,secrets ,,of ,a ,,beautiful ,,life4 #d4 ,,silent ,,times4 #e4 ,,week-,,day ,,religion4 ,,works ,,by ,,dr4 ,,james ,,stalker4 ,,the ,,trial ,,and ,,death ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,a ,devotional ,history of our ,lord's ,passion4 ,by ,,james ,,stalker1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d4 ,,imago ,,christi4 ,the ,example of ,christ4 ,,the ,,four ,,men4 ,,the ,,preacher ,,and ,,his ,,models4 ,yale ,lectures on ,preaching ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton4