TIMOTHY MISSION FUND

It is with sincerest thanks that we acknowledge the gifts received for the Timothy Mission Fund during the month of August. A total of $1,241.00 was received. What a blessing it is that the Lord yet inclines hearts to give in order to sustain the work of the various missions. May the donors experience the certainty of God’s Word, which says, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” Gifts were disbursed as follows: Wycliffe Bible Translators, $100; Spanish Evangelical Mission, $100; Mbuma Mission Hospital, Rhodesia, $100; the Ebenezer Scripture Mission, Rhodesia, $100; and the International Christian Relief for wells in India, $185. The balance at the close of the month amounted to $707.90. Gifts to the Timothy Mission Fund should be sent in care of Mr. Tom Stryd, P.O. Box 2182, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49003.

MISSIONARY WORKER TRAVELS

With a suitcase of medicine strapped to his bicycle, he is on the way to one of the sub-clinics. As is evident, it would not be possible to travel on this road by automobile. Many trips are made into the outlying districts, not only to help the sick and suffering, but also to speak with the people about Him Who came to seek and to save that which was lost.

GIFTS RECEIVED FOR THE MISSION IN AUGUST 1973

CLASSIS EAST SOURCE AMOUNT

Friend in Clifton Gift 100.00

Friend in Prospect Park Gift 10.00

Friend in Paterson Gift 10.00

CLASSIS MIDWEST

Friend in So. Holland Gift 5.00

Friend in Michigan Gift 115.00

St. Catherine’s Ch. Col. Collection 3475.00

Friend in G.R. Gift 100.00

Timothy Mission Fund Gift 100.00

CLASSIS WEST

Friend in Canada Gift 200.00

TOTAL: $4115.00

Dear Friends,

Here-with we acknowledge you all for your kind gifts to the mission, hoping the Lord’s blessing upon all of you and your gifts. At present we do not have much news to write about. We are looking forward the Lord willing to meet Rev. Kuijt. In the name of the Mission Committee.

American General Mission Fund

Netherlands Reformed Congregations of America and Canada

John Spaans, Treasurer

Plankinton Box 106 RR1

South Dakota 57368

NOTES OUT OF THE CATECHISM CLASSES OF REV. J. FRAANJE

Using the Catechism Book

SPECIMENS OF DIVINE TRUTHS

Actual Sin And The Punishment Of Sin

Lesson 15-Part II

So then, since man has original and actual sins, the very least of them deserving death, are there none that can be forgiven?

But none can be forgiven in itself. In Christ they can be except those against the Holy Ghost as is plain from James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

All sins, no matter how terrible they are, can be forgiven in Christ, with the exception of the sin against the Holy Ghost.

Why cannot this sin be forgiven?

This is a very serious matter, so give your close attention.

The Lord Jesus, when He was still upon earth, told His disciples that sorrow would fill their heart because He would be leaving them. If He did not leave them, the Holy Ghost would not come to them, but if He did leave them He would send Him to them. He said, “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.”

The work of the Holy Ghost is, then, to convict and convince sinners of their sins. In general or in a universal sense, all men, elect as well as reprobate, have sinned against a Triune God. This is so because, while God is one God, He is also a Triune Being.

A person can sin against each individual Divine Person as well as against the Divine Being.

If a man sin against God the Father, the Holy Spirit convinces the sinner of it and his sin can be forgiven in Christ.

So also if one sins against the Son, the Holy Spirit convinces of that sin and it will be forgiven in Christ. But, what if one sins against the Holy Spirit?

The Father does not convince of sin nor does the Son. It is not in the order of their operation to do so. Since it is sin against the Holy Ghost, He does not convict either.

The person who sins against the Holy Ghost will not be convicted or convinced of even one sin and, — since conversion or true saving work cannot take place without true conviction, that person will never be saved. That is why the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable.

Would not that person, in whom that sin has taken place, feel badly or have sorrow about it?

No, we have regret about our sins only when we have been convinced or convicted of them. If I have not been convicted of something, I have no burden or distress about it either.

That is why there is no regret or unrest felt by the person who has done the unpardonable sin.

Their heart is hardened and they continue without any true conviction until they die.

They have quenched the Holy Spirit and He will never convict them for their conversion. Further, if their conscience is stricken prior to death it will be most terrible for them and they will die in complete despair. It is most dreadful when it becomes evident.

Some people are often seized upon with the thought that they have committed the unpardonable sin and as a consequence they fear they will not ever be converted.

But, though they are fearful of it, they surely have not committed it because their conscience speaks and they are very much concerned.

To despise warnings, to grieve the Holy Spirit, to go contrary to admonitions, to engage in sin and the activities of the world are all certainly grievous sins. It will not go well for a person to continue in such a way against proper teaching and even his own better judgment. But even so, they are sins which can be forgiven. The sin against the Holy Ghost has not been committed.

On the other hand, you should not think that it is not so bad to sin just because those sins can be forgiven.

A sin in itself is not forgivable. O, no. If you want to see how dreadful sin is, just think of the first sin ever committed. That was the revolt of the angels against God. That sin transformed angels in heaven to devils in hell. Since there was no mediator for them, their sin cannot be forgiven.

The sin of Adam estranged the whole human race from God, making them heirs of wretchedness, unless reconciliation is accomplished for them in Christ.

Do you see now, why not one sin, in itself, is forgivable?

The Psalmist says, “But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.”

to be continued

THE SAME OBSERVATIONS

Part V

Continued from last issue

Except a man is quickened out of his dead state, cut off from Adam, and engrafted into Christ, there can be no ground or hope for a lost sinner. The free, sovereign, irresistible and one-sided work of God must be glorified in the sinner, and that must take place between the cradle and the grave, in the time of grace, which is yet given unto man. All work of man must fall away, only the work of God shall abide to all eternity.

More and more the enmity is being revealed against what Christ said in His sermon on the mount, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few there be who find it,” Matt. 7:14. Oh, my friends, God’s people shall all certainly be saved, but from their side it is a scarcely being saved. That is one of the reasons why there is so little unity found anymore in our days. Indeed, we should quake and tremble when we notice in general in what a rash way and upon what grounds a man builds his hope for eternity. What a strife and anxious cares there are among God’s people whether their beginning is right, and whether it is of God. The Spirit of God has a controversy with those people and grants them no rest till they find rest in God. They cannot be satisified with less than that God would speak to them: “I am thy salvation.” They must have the confirmation and sealing of the Spirit in their hearts. Of course we must not misunderstand this, nor draw a wrong conclusion of this, as though we had any rights to anything. How must we understand this then? In the same sense as we sing out of Ps. 81, where the faithful covenant God says to His people:

“I will, if thou plead,

Fill thy every need,

All thy wants relieving.”

And even though by grace they are assured of their portion in God and in Christ, yet they remain miserable and poor in themselves and more and more they are discovered and made bare, so that they will find their life only in Christ, as the apostle Paul explains that in Gal. 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ livefh in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” That is a God-glorifying, sin-mortifying and a world-crucifying life, a life of self-denial, a life wherein through the strength of Christ we mortify our members that are upon earth, and put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him, (Col. 3).

Upon such a life, that flows from the life-giving Head Christ, God will give His approbation. It is profitable for the soul, but it also gives unity and communion with all those who have obtained like precious faith. It is a life that intends the honor of God. Then we do not stand against or above each other, but then we will serve each other out of love, and bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ, not in pious legalism and detestable self-righteousness, but in unity with Christ by God-given strength. That is not a carnal religion, but evangelical sanctification, walking in the footsteps of Christ, who has left us an example. To briefly take this all together now, it is not only necessary to come in union with Christ by faith and to rest in His finished mediatorial work, but also to walk in Him. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Then there remains a practical evangelical sanctification for those people: “In Thy commandments make me walk.” Death separates but life unites. Thus we need not look at others to know where the breach lies. But neither does the knowledge of it in itself bring us nearer. Yes, even with a confession no matter how orthodox and reformed it may be, there still is no true sorrow about it.

That sorrow is no fruit from our field. Only the love of God can work it in our heart. That is why the church testifies in Isa. 63:17, “O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our hearts from Thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.” This does not refer to the eternal, but to the temporary hardening as a righteous judgment of God, because we have offended His supreme love. Yea, if this may again be found in the hearts of God’s children, then God has again made a beginning. Then it is no longer a dead profession and a dead complaint, but then it becomes in the soul: “Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” Then it becomes unbearable, and will drive us out to the Lord, then we say; “I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me.” Then all the high places shall be taken away, then we will bow down before God in our guilt, then there will be an earnest longing after God, and then we will also need one another, and will again seek God’s face. “In their affliction they will seek me early.” Hos. 5:15.

Then they also say, “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.” Hos. 6:1

Be resolute in prayer. Make any sacrifice to maintain it. Consider that time is short and that business and company must not be allowed to rob thee of God.

Adoniram Judson.

OF JUSTIFICATION

The Following is a Translation of p. 66 of

“De Nachtgezichten van Zacharia”

Christ is the Representative of His people. He was so in eternity; accordingly the justification of God’s people was already established in the decrees of God. (And when Christ assumed our nature, and bowed Himself in our flesh and blood under the burden of His people’s guilt, and was condemned, — the sentence was passed upon all His people). When He was justified by His resurrection from the dead, the elect church of God was justified in Christ. The sentence of divine acquittal was passed upon them through Him. This is the foundation upon which is based the justification by faith. For although the justification of the elect is comprehended in the unalterable decrees of God from eternity, and was virtually accomplished in the resurrection of Christ; although they are reckoned in their Head and Mediator, as Israel was reckoned in Joshua the Highpriest; nevertheless they are the children of wrath by nature. By justification by faith we must accordingly in no wise understand merely a becoming aware or conscious of the fact that we are justified in Christ, but a transfer from the state of condemnation to a state of reconciliation. We emphatically oppose those who conclude from justification in the decree and from Christ’s rising again for justification, that the elect are not born under guilt and condemnation as objects of God’s wrath. They teach further that it would be accusing God of being inequitable, to say that God’s wrath is upon those who are justified in Christ, their Head. These destructive tenets are eagerly accepted by many. Conviction of sin and judgment is no longer necessary, nor the striving to be reconciled to God, for they are already reconciled. This is simply to be believed, and so be satisfied. Dear readers, shun such doctrines. We must become reconciled to God; we must be justified by faith if all shall be well. Our conclusions (drawn from God’s decree and Christ’s resurrection) will fall short at death. A change of state is necessary for all who are the objects of God’s love from eternity, and who were justified in Christ, their Head and Mediator, in whom they are reckoned, and by virtue of which they cannot perish. They are, however, born in the state of a broken covenant of works; they are children of darkness, of wrath, of Satan, of condemnation, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise; without God in the world, without Christ, having no hope. And if in this state of nature they wish to make themselves believe something else, they commit falsehood to themselves and to God. Read what He declares to the ungodly in Ps. 50:16.

By the almighty power of the Holy Spirit God’s elect people must be transferred from the state of condemnation and damnation to the state of reconciliation by a true and real change of state. And the reconciliation of their sin which was effected in Christ, must be applied by the Spirit and appropriated by faith.

He who remains a stranger to justification by faith is an object of God’s wrath and, regardless of the suppositions he flatters himself with, is rapidly approaching an eternal destruction. In this life, in a moment determined by God for each of His elect children, God the Holy Spirit discovers to them their sinful, hopelessly lost state of condemnation, and leads and directs them to Christ by faith, to be justified in Him.

MARTIN LUTHER

It was ten O’clock on the morning of the 16th April, 1521 when the watchman of the German city of Worms, from the elevation of the cathedral spire, blew his trumpet and announced to all and sundry that distinguished visitors were approaching the city gate. Horsemen to the number of about a hundred who had held themselves in readiness for this long expected moment rode out to meet them and to make the most of the great occasion. By eleven the cavalcade was cantering through the streets, watched by a vast number of spectators who crowded walls, windows and even trees in order to catch a glimpse of the famed monk of Saxony, Professor of Theology in the University of Wittenberg, who had set the German world, and indeed the whole of Western Europe, aflame.

The papal nuncio Aleander in a recent visit to the city had met with a less rousing reception. In fact he had found difficulty in procuring a lodging, despite his affluence, and had been obliged to content himself with a mean unhealed room. To his master in Rome he had reported that the bookshops were keen to display Lutheran writings and pictures, while the mass of the citizens were shouting ‘Luther, Luther!’ and ‘Down with Rome!’ And now on this notable spring morning, he further reported to the Vatican that, as Luther emerged from his carriage, he eyed the assembled crowds with ‘demoniac eyes’ and announced to them, ‘God will be with me’.

In the afternoon of the following day, the Diet before which the reformer was to appear met in an upper room at the palace of the local Bishop, and the Imperial chamberlain and herald duly appeared at the House of the Knights of St. John, where Luther had spent the preceding night, to conduct him to the palace. Public excitement was at fever pitch. Some doubtless wished that before long the city would witness the heretic’s fiery death, by which the country and continent would be purged of the pestilential Lutheran teachings. The majority of spectators, however, for a variety of reasons desired the contrary. The herald conducted Luther along various alleys and by-ways in order to escape the crowds, but despite his precautions the journey was not made without difficulty. As at the time of his entry into the city, some even clung precariously to the roofs of the houses surrounding the palace, or filled the windows with a view to witnessing the scene to better advantage.

When a way through the crowds had been made by the guards Luther passed into the entrance hall, where his supporters welcomed him with words of exhortation and good cheer. ‘Be bold,’ said one, ‘and fear not those who can kill the body but are powerless against the soul.’ ‘My poor monk, my poor monk,’ said another, a warrior of fame, ‘thou art on thy way to make such a stand as I and many of my knights have never done in our toughest battles. If thou art sure of the justice of thy cause, then forward in the Name of God, and be of good courage — God will not forsake thee.’

After waiting from four o’clock until six, Luther was at length admitted to the upper room and the Imperial presence. The Emperor Charles V was twenty-one years of age. Around him, in imposing array, were the great ones of Church and State — princes, dukes, landgraves, margraves, counts, bishops, abbots, archbishops, in all two hundred and six persons. Acting as Presiding Officer was Johann von Eck, who addressed the reformer in the following words: ‘Martin Luther, his sacred and invincible Majesty, with the advice of the states of the Empire, has summoned you hither, that you may reply to the two questions I am now about to put to you: First, do you acknowledge yourself the author of the writings published in your name, and which are here before me; and second, will you consent to retract certain of the doctrines which are therein taught?’ At this point Luther’s lawyer (Dr. Schurff) intervened (for the reformer had a lawyer to assist him in a legal way) and requested that the titles of twenty-five works should be read aloud. This done, Luther admitted that all of them were the products of his pen, but to the second question he pleaded that he could not give an immediate reply, lest he err through rashness. He desired, he said, time for quiet meditation so that he might answer in the fear of God and without bringing a reproach upon Holy Scripture. The Emperor accordingly granted a respite of a day.

On the following evening at the same hour Luther again awaited audience of the Diet. Another delay of two hours, while the Diet transacted sundry business and doubtless debated matters ecclesiastical once more, gave Luther opportunity for genial conversation with his friends in the crowded entrance hall until the summons of the herald called him away. A second time Dr. Eck put to him the question as to whether he would defend the books he had written or withdraw them in whole or in part. It was a tremendous moment in history. J.C. Philpot speaks of it as ‘one of the sublimest scenes which earth ever witnessed, and most pregnant with blessing’ (Gospel Standard,1867). The occasion is reminiscent of Elijah at Carmel, of the Saviour Himself before the Jewish Sanhedrin, of Paul the apostle before Agrippa and Festus, of Athanasius ‘contra mundum’ (against the world). In this later day, Christians with historical and doctrinal sympathies can still feel the tensions of the Worms judgment hall. Unhappily, the exact transcript of the reformer’s speech is not extant, but the notes which he prepared for his reply are still to be seen in the archives of Weimar. Eloquent is the truth.

At the outset of his reply Luther apologized in advance for any fault of etiquette that might be his in addressing such an august assembly. He reminded all present that, as he had not been reared in a king’s court, he was unacquainted with the wide variety of titles, ranks and honours of the company to be addressed, and that he might unwittingly stumble as he gave honour to whom honour was due. This done, and with an absence of the apparent temerity which had marked his demeanour at his first appearance, he proceeded with all boldness to deal with the charges brought against him. His hearers sat with bated breath and straining eyes and ears. The world of men, believing and unbelieving sitting cheek by jowl, was all attention as God’s man, frail yet strong, poor yet rich, ignorant yet learned, humble yet bold, was speaking in trumpet tones for his Lord and Master, Maker of Heaven and earth. ‘A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He’; and a miner’s son, without social standing, was His chosen spokesman.

Luther first remarked that the twenty-five books could not well be dealt with as one whole. Some of the volumes he said, dealt in a practical way with issues of Christian morality and doubtless even his most outspoken foes would not find it troublesome to assent to their message. Others, however, were treatises in which he attacked the Papacy and such of its works as were in plain opposition to God’s truth. Those works, he claimed, had enslaved the souls of his countrymen and many others, and he could not but aim at their utter repudiation and overthrow. A third part of his writings, he proceeded to say, had been written in defence of the Gospel and this necessitated an attack upon the foes of that Gospel. The only hint of regret that Luther gave was that he might have spoken too vehemently against the protagonists of evil doctrine; yet even so, his ardour had not been displayed in his own defence but in defence of the true Gospel of Christ.

The reply was delivered, first in Latin for the benefit of the ecclesiastics, and then in German for the enlightenment of the rest. In summary, it demanded as a sacred right that evidence from the Word of God itself should be brought forward, if possible, against any of the alleged errors of the twenty-five books. ‘If,’ said Luther, using the words of his Master, T have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smitest thou me?’ In the Name of the living God I entreat your sacred Majesty, your illustrious Highnesses, every human creature, to come and depose what they can against me, and with the Prophets and the Gospel in their hands, to convict me, if they can, of error. I stand here, ready, if any one can prove me to have written falsely, to withdraw my errors, and to throw my books into the fire with my own hand. Be assured I have well weighed the dangers, the pains, the strife and hatred that my doctrine will bring into the world; and I rejoice to see the Word of God producing, as its first-fruits, discord and dissension, for such is the lot and destiny of the Divine Word, as our Lord has set forth, saying, “I came not to send peace but a sword”.’

This, and much more to the same effect, was Luther’s reply to the Diet, made, as one who was present afterwards said, with such bravery and modest candour, that all were astonished. It was something altogether novel for a plea to arise in such a gathering for liberty of speech and the sole supremacy of the Word of God. What the Diet, its few Lutheran members excepted, desired was that Luther, without argument, should recognize the authority of Popes and Church Councils as equal to or even superior to that of the Scriptures, but this the reformer firmly refused to do, for his position depended in its entirety upon the final and sole authority of ‘every word that had proceeded out of the mouth of God.’ A state of deadlock thus ensued.

As was the case after Paul had concluded his address to Agrippa and Festus, the great ones went aside and ‘talked between themselves’, but while in the apostle’s case the verdict was favourable, and ‘nothing worthy of death or of bonds’ was found in him, in the case of the German reformer the Diet as a whole desired his overthrow. When the Emperor returned from his consultations, Dr. Eck announced that the Roman Catholic party was not interested in Luther’s opinions on Scripture; instead the Emperor demanded a direct answer ‘without horns or any evasion’ to the second of the questions. Was Luther prepared openly, publicly and unequivocally to recant his errors? A plain ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ must be forthcoming. Turning his piercing black eyes upon his questioner, as one historian reports, Luther replied:

‘Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures or evident reason (for I believe neither in the Pope nor Councils alone, since it has been established that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures adduced by me, and my conscience has been taken captive by the Word of God; I am neither willing nor able to recant, since it is neither safe nor right to act against conscience. God help me. Amen.’

An alternative rendering of the last-quoted words, more usually heard, runs: ‘Here (i.e. on this truth) I take my stand; I can do no other; so help me, God.’

These bold and uncompromising words caused a measure of ‘pandemonium’ in the Diet chamber. Everyone was speaking simultaneously. ‘There was a great noise’ wrote a contemporary. Above the uproar Dr. Eck tried to make himself heard as he warned Luther that his conscience could not be used as a standard of truth, and that general Councils were a much safer guide to truth than the individual conscience. The Emperor for his part showed little patience with Luther’s doctrine and person. Rising from his seat in anger he informed those around him that he had had enough of such talk, and thereupon he went out from the Diet. Luther was escorted back to his lodgings. When he left the hall darkness had fallen upon the city, but the multitudes still thronged the streets, and the feeble and wavering light of numerous torches only seemed to add to the general confusion. Many, giving vent to passion and bitterness, were eagerly making inquiry as to the verdict of the Diet. When the reformer appeared with his escort some who sympathised with him thought that he was being haled to prison and seemed to be prepared to release him by force. When these misunderstandings were dissolved and Luther was moving through the streets, certain Spaniards, servants of the Emperor, followed at his heels, venting raillery and mockery, and imitating the cries of wild beasts in pursuit of their prey.

Despite the general adverse verdict, there is no doubt at all that Luther’s demeanour and firm doctrinal stand had made a deep impression upon many members of the Diet. Some, by the grace of God, were pre-disposed to receive the testimony of Scripture as presented by the reformer. Others, of inferior spiritual calibre, were stirred by the fact that a German had dared to challenge the vaunted supremacy of a proud Italian potentate, and they were not unmoved by Luther’s plea that Rome enslaved the souls of men. As for the Emperor, he was himself on the horns of a dilemma. He had no wish to alienate the German people, for he required their support in matters political which pertained to his vast Empire. Furthermore he was bound by a Constitution which gave him little true authority within Germany. As for the doctrinal aspect of the affair, he had little knowledge of the Word of God, and to his immediate circle of friends he confessed that he could not see how a solitary monk could be right and the testimony of a thousand years of Christendom be wrong. For himself, the faith of his fathers sufficed. One would like to know what he thought of the words pinned to his own door at this time by a Lutheran, ‘Woe unto the land whose king is a child’, but history does not record the matter. Suffice it to say that Charles reluctantly agreed that Luther should be allowed three more days in which he could be spoken to privately by Roman theologians and debaters in the hope that, later if not sooner, he might yield his intransigence and return as a dutiful son to Mother Church. Aleander mentions, in his account of the consultations, that Rome’s overtures even included the offer of a rich priory and complete protection in a Papal castle. ‘What more can we do?’ asked the Archbishop of Trier. Luther replied that he could give no better advice than that given by Gamaliel to the Jewish Sanhedrin, ‘If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God’.

The reformer now asked permission to return to his home, and be it said to the praise of the Emperor, the safe-conduct with which he came to Worms was honoured. Many urged Charles to cancel his word of promise and to behave as the Emperor Sigismund had behaved a century earlier in the case of John Hus, reformer of Bohemia. But Charles’ grant of a safe return was accompanied by one prohibition, namely, that on his homeward journey he should not preach, speak, or ‘inflame’ the people through whose lands and cities he passed. Luther gave no such pledge. In his opinion the command was ultra vires,and he openly said that he would ignore it. As with the apostles to whom the Sanhedrin gave a similar warning, he ceased not ‘to teach and preach Jesus Christ’.

In the above account, mention has been made of J. C. Philpot, and as some readers may like to know what Philpot says about the advantages which accrued to the Reformation by Luther’s slow and gradual progress to correctness of doctrine, the following is quoted from a review in the Gospel Standarddated June, 1856:

Several great advantages were secured by the slow and gradual way whereby Luther advanced onward in the path of Reformation.

1. He won his way thereby gradually and slowly in the understanding, conscience, and affections of the people of God, who received the truth from his mouth and pen by the same gradual process as he himself had learned it. Had he at once burst forth into all the full blaze of truth the light would have been too strong for eyes sealed in darkness for ages. But like the sun his light broke gradually upon the eyes of men, and thus they could follow him as he clambered slowly up to the full meridian. Thus he and those whom he taught grew together, and the master was never so much in advance of the pupil as to be out of sight and hearing.

2. Again, by this means, as each corruption of doctrine or practice was laid open to the conscience of the reformer, or as each truth was made sweet and precious to his soul, he spoke and wrote under the influence as then and there felt. As he gathered the manna fresh, so he filled his omer, and that of his neighbours who had gathered less….

3. But further, if Luther had at once come forth with his sweeping denunciations of the Pope as Antichrist, without the minds of men being gradually prepared to receive his testimony, his career, humanly speaking, would have been short, and he would have been cut off at once by the iron hand of the Papacy, and not only his work cut off with him, but his very name now might have been unknown. Charles V, it is well known, regretted to his dying day what he considered the grand error of his life — not violating the safe conduct he had given Luther to come and return uninjured from the Diet of Worms.

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WAITING IN THE KING’S GATE

Ernest W. Bacon

‘Porters (gate-keepers) who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward’(I Chronicles 9:18).

The first book of Chronicles supplements the books of Samuel and Kings; these latter deal with events in the kingdom of Israel, and then with the divided kingdom of Judah in the south and of Israel in the north. Chronicles deals with the southern kingdom of Judah. The central thought and outlook of the book is the Sovereignty of God, and the central character is David. The early chapters contain genealogies — lists of names, especially those of the twelve tribes of Israel. Chapter 9 records the names of priests, Levites and others appointed to the service of the Lord in the House of the Lord. Among these we find mention of porters or gatekeepers who were stationed in the king’s gate eastward, or on the east side. They had special duties, and gave highly honoured service, although much of their work was often of a quite lowly kind.

1. THE KING’S GATE. This was the special entrance to the Tabernacle in the time of David, and of the Temple in the reign of Solomon, by which the king went to the House of the Lord. This entrance belonged to the king and was appointed for his exclusive use. It was the gate by which the king, his family, and those statesmen who were closest to him went into the House of God. No doubt it was a very finely decorated and magnificent entrance.

At Malvern in Worcestershire there is an ancient eleventh century gateway that led into the old monastic Abbey which has long since disappeared. The remaining gateway is a wonderful piece of old England, of superb architecture in excellent condition still, containing rooms in which the Abbey servants lived and did their duties. One can be sure that the king’s gate of David and Solomon was equally splendid and remarkable. And there, as verse 23 reminds us, in David’s day ‘Levites and their sons were in charge of the gates of the House of the Lord, that is, the house of the Tent, as guards’ (RSV). Later, when Solomon built the Temple there would be an exceeding magnificent king’s gate built to match, by which the king entered the House of the Lord to worship, to offer sacrifices, and pray.

These porters or gatekeepers waiting in the king’s gate were not there just to admire it or to man it. They were stationed at it, and after waiting awhile they passed through it in attendance upon the king, into the sacred House which was a symbol of the Presence and Glory of God. Without passing through the king’s gate there was no entering the Temple! Now this surely has much spiritual meaning for the people of God.

There is the King’s Gate of Regeneration — a strait gate that leads into Life Eternal. There is no way into the Presence of the King or to the fruitful blessedness of His service except through this gate. Entry into this gate consists of two things — conviction of sin and helplessness, and desire for righteousness and new life in Christ. We must go through this gate as poor, unworthy, needy sinners or we shall never know the King of Grace and the salvation that He alone has to give. Of such Paul wrote, ‘You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins …’ (Eph. 2:1). And the Lord Jesus said, ‘Strait is the gate, and nar-

row is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it’ (Matt. 7:14). And again, ‘I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture’ (John 10:9).

The King’s Gate is the gate of Repentance. Through it all must pass. Some there are who speak of faith disjoined from repentance, but without repentance there can be no true faith. This was our Lord’s first message, ‘Repent ye and believe the Gospel’. Prophets, psalmists, apostles all preached the necessity of repentance. Paul, on the seashore of Miletus, told the Ephesian elders the substance of his Gospel message — ‘repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20:21). Repentance is a grace of the Holy Spirit in the heart, consisting of godly sorrow for sin, and heart-hatred of sin, both of a carnal and spiritual nature.

The King’s Gate is Faith — Trust and reliance on the Saviour and His atoning work for sin. By faith the King comes to His people, and they are joined in union to Him. Standing in this gate the penitent soul looks towards the Temple and sees the Lamb slain for him. Faith looks to the Holy Place where God answers prayer, pardons sin and blesses the believing sinner.

‘Trust and obey, there is no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’

The Gate of Providence also belongs to the King and is appointed by Him. There is nothing of chance in the experience of the true believer. All is directly given or permitted by the wise and loving will of our Heavenly Father. ‘He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will’ (Eph. 1:11) to those who, through His sovereign grace and electing love, He has predestined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory. What a deep passage this is, and what a comfort and stimulus to Christ’s own sheep and lambs. Even our crosses and losses shall be to His glory and our blessings as we take them from His loving hand and count on His unfailing care.

Sometimes He keeps His servants waiting, and it is all that they can do, waiting for deliverance and blessing. But, after all, the King’s Gate is the best place to wait in! ‘He doeth all things well.’ Romans 8:28 covers all the circumstances, conceivable and inconceivable, of the believer’s life, and to grasp this gives unspeakable peace to the soul. Said Habakkuk, waiting for an answer to prayer, ‘Though it tarry, wait for it, it will surely come …’ (Hab. 2:3). Blessings delayed are often the richest blessings. There was blessing abundant for those stationed in the King’s gate, and there still is. ‘Blessing abounds where-e’er He reigns.’

The Gateway of the Word of God leads us into rich treasure chambers, and together with Prayer, leads even into the Audience Chamber of the Most High. Here He reveals Himself. His truth and His salvation, and His will for men. As we wait hereon the Lord we shall renew our strength. John Newton has a great hymn, the first verse of which is…

‘Precious Bible! what a treasure
Does the Word of God afford!
All I want for life or pleasure,
Food and medicine, shield and sword;
Let the world account me poor —
Christ and this, I need no more.’

2. THE WAITING SERVANTS. In brief words in verse 22 we learn that these servants at the gates were chosenmen, and appointed first by Samuel and David; and that theirs was a position of trust. They were humble gatekeepers or serving-men with a vital and honourable service.

Consider their work.They were attendantson the King to accompany his comings and goings. Theirs was the high privilege of a measure of fellowship with their royal master. With them such occasions might be few, and for a short while only. But true believers enjoy constant fellowship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is in the midst of the twos and threes who are devoted to Him and His service. Has He not said, ‘Lo, I am with you all the days’? And Paul reminds us that ‘God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord’ (1 Cor. 1:9).

They were also servantsof the king, ready for anything in his great service. They waited for order and did faithfully the royal will. This is our high calling as Christians still. Of the saints in glory we are told, ‘His servants shall serve Him’. They prepare for that service on earth as Christ’s bond-slaves, ready to do anything and everything that He appoints.

Often these porters or gatekeepers were messengerswaiting to carry tidings, to take the king’s news and king’s command as he should appoint. And what a glorious work this is for every Christian servant of the Lord. We have a wonderful message to declare — tidings of the King of grace and glory; tidings of the free offer of pardon and eternal life to poor, lost, hell-deserving sinners; tidings of His love and sovereignty and power; encouraging tidings to the weak and the burdened, and to all who put their trust in Him and follow where He leads, that He will enable and deliver and sustain. Yes, and warnings from the King to disobedient, rebellious sinners, to the wicked and the ungodly. In the State a ‘king’s messenger’ is a most high and responsible office. In the realm of Grace every believer is to be the King’s messenger by word and by life!

Think also of the spiritof these waiting servants. Much is implied by the fact of their waiting. Watchfulnesswas needed, incessant vigilance, to guard against sloth and drowsiness, so that when the king sent for their services, or arrived for them to accompany him to the House of the Lord, they would be ready, prepared with willing obedience. Said the Lord Jesus, ‘Watch and pray’. ‘Watch ye,’ said Paul, ‘stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.’

Patient endurancewas needed, for often it was weary work waiting in the king’s gate. Not every day was there the excitement and bustle of the royal visit. So with Christ’s servants today — ‘You have need of patience’, and ‘Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not’. So often today both in the secular world and in the Gospel field men want quick results and immediate harvest. But the sowing is often a tedious business, and growth in grace takes time, and we need to ‘rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him’ (Psalm 37:7). In due season we shall reap if we faint not.

Hopefulnesswas part of their spirit. They looked forward to attending the king and running his errands. And so do we who belong to the Saviour. We delight in our gracious Lord, and He delights in the faithfulness of His people. His saved ones are the most cheerful and optimistic of folk, for their expectation is towards Him, and the joy of the Lord is their strength. The worldling and the unre-pentent sinner have no enriching hope, for their horizon is bound by the things of this life and its unsatisfying joys. But the man or woman in Christ has hope set upon a solid foundation, the promises and purposes of God that reach beyond time into a glorious eternity.

More than all, perhaps, was their spirit of obedience.Their primary duty was to do the will of their royal master. Some of them may actually have heard Samuel say, ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’. Others had read Deuteronomy 5:29 — ‘Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear Me and to keep My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children for ever!’ All had sworn allegiance to do the king’s bidding. So have Christ’s servants. They remember that the Redeemer said, ‘Not everyone that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven’ (Matt. 7:21). How well Christ’s true servants have learned that great lesson … Peter among them, when he plainly told the Jewish authorities, ‘We must obey God rather than men!’ There are no blessings like the blessings of obedience. ‘If a man love Me,’ said the Master, ‘he will keep My words!’

3. THEIR POSITION — EASTWARD. ‘Who waited in the King’s Gate eastward.’This is worth pondering. They waited for the king’s visit or commands facing east, towards the sun-rising! It may not have been very comfortable waiting in the gate at times, exposed to bitter, cold east winds. But they looked towards the rising of the sun, ‘in the king’s gate eastward’. And we believers look ever up to Him who is the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the World.

Paul reminds us that the child of God by faith in Christ was ‘sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light’ (Eph. 5:8). This is our environment and outlook, living in and looking towards Divine Light. We live luminous and radiant lives as we shine with His grace and glory.

As we His waiting servants turn our faces to the light we expect His blessing and we receive it. ‘The Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly’ (Psalm 84:11–12). As we look expectantly to the Lord for His blessing we may have to wait for answers to prayer, for instance, and the waiting may be arduous; yet trials are sanctified, our hearts are made meek and gracious, and we are prepared to receive all that the King has designed for us. Our God, says Paul, is a God of hope, who gives us both joy and peace in believing. Joy and peace are richly ours as we look to the Light of the World.

And, of course, we who by divine and sovereign grace are inthe King’s Gate with its eastward aspect are waiting for His glorious return. We await the appointed time of His Coming, His appearing. This is our blessed hope and confident expectation, as Titus 2:13 reminds us. We wait in happy service with our faces towards the sunrise! Spiritually speaking, we are those ‘looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Day of God’, the great Day of the Lord’s Second Coming. ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is’ (1 John 3:2). What a Coming that will be, when our glorious King appears on that great Day. ‘For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God … and so shall we be for ever with the Lord’ (1 Thess. 4:14–18).

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise, and the first beams will fall on His ransomed, faithful ones ‘who hitherto waited in the King’s Gate eastward’.

THE MIGHTY REDEEMER

“For their Redeemer is mighty. “Proverbs 23:11a

In the tenth verse of our chapter under consideration, the wise king Solomon warns others not to trouble and molest the fatherless, saying: “Enter not into the fields of the fatherless.” Do not enter their fields to rob them and to do evil unto them. Do not be so cruel and do not increase their burdens. Show them your love and favor; comfort and encourage them in their bereavements and sorrows. Never try to take away their field or anything that belongs to them. Rather sympathize with them, as you would wish others to do unto you if you were in their stead. Remember that “their Redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee.” The Lord of hosts is His name. He sympathizes with them, has mercy on them, and will not allow cruelty to go unpunished. We read in Hosea 14:3: “In Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.” “A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.” Ps. 68:5.

As this is a blessed truth in a natural sense, so it is also a blessed truth in a spiritual sense. There are natural fatherless (orphans), and there are spiritual fatherless. It is true that these spiritual fatherless have a spiritual birth and consequently they are children and have a Father in heaven, but they are not conscious of it; they have not the assurance of it. They are like newborn babes: they are children and have a father, but are not aware of it. Only in spiritual growth, when they are established in a state of grace by faith in Christ and reconciliation with God, they come to that great assurance that God is their Father. Oh, how does many a soul wait and long for this blessing, to be enabled by the Spirit of adoption to cry, Abba, Father, Rom. 8:15.

Those souls that see and feel themselves to be fatherless pass through much misery, many fears and conflicts, much weeping and sorrow. They feel so helpless, so poor and needy. But the Lord Jesus has said: “I will not leave you comfortless (fatherless — Dutch trans.): I will come to you.” In Psalm 10 we read: “Thou art the helper of the fatherless.” Again, the church confesses in Hosea 14:3: “For in Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.” Job confessed to be fatherless when it seemed that all was against him and he was pining in bitter woe. He said to his friends, although they did not act as friends: “Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.” His Redeemer was mighty, however. He protected and delivered Job. At times Job could rejoice in Him, saying: “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”

This Redeemer is the Redeemer of the whole chosen, living Church. God the Father has given Him as a mighty Redeemer, and says: “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” This Redeemer has all power in heaven and upon earth. His power has no limit: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him. For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy,” etc. (Psalm 72).

A mighty Redeemer was He in the state of humiliation. Do behold Him burdened with the sin and curse of His Bride and struggling as the mighty Redeemer through death and hell, sufferings and woes, to deliver His dear ones with an eternal deliverance and to make them partakers of all His blessed merits eternally in glory. We may exclaim with Paul: “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Yea, their Redeemer is very mighty.

A mighty Redeemer is He in the state of His exaltation. As a mighty Redeemer He arose from the grave and as such ascended on high being exalted at the right hand of His Father. “Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.”

During the days of the Old Testament as well as during the days of the New Testament He has proved to be a mighty Redeemer, Who has power to save, but also power to condemn. Let the wicked fear and tremble. Countless multitudes will not bow for Him and despise Him. What does God say in His Word to all those who do not need and honor Him? “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.” (Psalm 2:12).

Jesus is a perfect Savior and mighty Redeemer for all those who have been brought to a true knowledge of God and self, and who, being led into the depths of their misery through sin, have Him as their only hope. Oh, He is a mighty Redeemer for those helpless and needy worms, who cry out of the depths to Him. He never changes: He is the unchangeable Jehovah, the Alpha and the Omega. Oh, may all those that belong to the spiritual family be drawn to this mighty Redeemer in all their ways, circumstances, troubles, and needs. He may not answer at once when in distress, but He is faithful and full of love and compassion. There are many hills and mountains to look against in the wilderness, just as Israel experienced in olden times. There are many impossibilities from our side, but He is mighty to save. When you look against so many impassable hills and mountains in the wilderness, may you be granted an eye of faith to look upon this mighty Redeemer, and to say and practice with the psalmist: “Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that He have mercy upon us.” (Ps. 123). “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.” (Ps. 72).

J.V.Z.

THE ROBBER’S AUCTION

Many years ago there occurred in Germany an incident which furnishes a wonderful illustration of the gracious providence of God, and of His power to save the lost. It took place in one of the dark, hidden clefts in the wild, wooded hills which abound in the beautiful Schwarzwald or Black Forest.

The spot was a strange one indeed for a sale by auction, but the actors in the scene were a band of highway robbers, who had gathered at midnight, and were assembled in a group by the yellow glare of torches. Seated in a circle, and armed to the teeth, they presented a rude and formidable aspect. These Black Forest robbers had that same evening plundered a richly laden wagon belonging to a firm of wealthy merchants. They did not dare at once to try to dispose of their booty in any town in the district, and thus they were engaged in selling it amongst themselves.

One of the bandits acted as auctioneer in this strange market. Costly garments and many other objects had been offered for sale, while a bottle of strong drink was passed around, when suddenly the salesman held aloft a New Testament as the next article for which he invited bids.

Hilarious laughter greeted the jeering blasphemies which he took the opportunity of uttering. He well knew that this was a cheap way of eliciting loud applause.

In the midst of this profanity one of the company proposed that the auctioneer should read a chapter, in order that they might be able to judge the worth of the book. He at once assented, encouraged by the fresh applause which greeted the suggestion. In a tone of bitterest mockery he commenced to read, to the intense amusement of the listeners in general. In their uproarious merriment, however, they failed to notice that one of their number, the oldest of the band, who had usually been the most conspicuous leader in their expeditions of depredation, and was the hardest drinker of them all, was sitting very quiet and silent, in a contemplative mood altogether contrary to his usual attitude. His folded hands rested on his knees, and he sat as if in deep thought.

What could account for this strange mood in such a man? The reason was a very simple one. The chapter which was being read was the very passage his father had happened to read at family worship on the morning, thirty years before, when he had fled from the paternal home, in order to elude the search of the police. To that home he had never since returned. But the scene had not faded from his consciousness, and now it was appearing very vividly. The whole of that happy family circle to which, in those old days, he had been so dear, came up before him like a beautiful vision. Again he saw all seated at the breakfast table, and again he heard his aged father, with the open Bible on the table, reading that chapter which was now being recited with ribald jests. He saw his dear old mother listening eagerly to the Word of God, and his brothers and sisters participating in the privilege. Above all he saw himself, and his heart was breaking. Since that day he had flung all religion to the winds. Since that morning he had never offered a prayer, and had cast God out of his life.

But now that same Word of God, so lightly rejected hitherto, was suddenly doing a mighty and miraculous work in the lost man’s soul. The hammer of truth was smashing and pulverizing in a few moments the rocky hardness of his heart. The coldness of unbelief had frozen the finest sensibilities of his inmost being, but the sunshine of revelation was now melting the ice. In time his memory streamed multitudinous words of loving counsel and instruction which his father and mother had administered to him in early years. Absorbed by these gracious and sweet recollections of his childhood and youth, the robber chief forgot all that was passing around him. He was deaf to the impious uproar, until suddenly he was aroused from his profound reverie by a rough slap on the shoulder from the hand of his nearest companion.

“Now, old dreamer, why are you not bidding for that book? You know you need it worse than anybody else, for you are the biggest sinner amongst us.”

“Yes, that I am. Give me the book. I’ll pay the full value.”

The sale proceeded to the end and the circle broke up.

In the morning the robbers dispersed to go one by one to distant villages to try to dispose as best they could of their spoil. But the purchaser of the Testament spent his day otherwise. Betaking himself to a secluded retreat among the rocks, he spent the whole day and all the next night in terrible spiritual struggles. His agony of conscience was fearful. He would open the book and read a little, seeking for some comfort, or hope, or guidance, and then he would lay it down, thinking that after such a career as his, during long years, there could for him never be forgiveness. But at length, as he read and prayed in turns, promise after promise brought the hope of pardon to his soul. He firmly resolved to quit his associates, to abandon his shameful calling, and surrender himself to the officers of justice in order that he might seek to make some atonement according to law for his evil deeds and ways. But he concluded that before actually doing so he would seek out the pastor of the nearest village in the Black Forest and tell him all about his case.

In pursuance of this resolution he repaired next morning to the village, when he learned that during the night the whole band had been captured by a detachment of soldiers and lodged in prison. This information confirmed him in his purpose. Going to the pastor’s home, he told his whole history, confessing that he had come to the Cross of Christ to seek salvation as a lost sinner. After gladly listening to many assurances that coming thus to the Redeemer of sinful souls, he could not fail to find acceptance with God through the blood and righteousness of the atoning Lamb of God, he earnestly begged the minister to accompany him to the judge. The officer of the law heard the whole story with astonishment, and expressed the hope that his voluntary surrender and confession might at least save his life. This hope was realised. All the rest of the band were condemned to die and were executed, but he obtained mercy at the hands of the archduke, and was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of ten years. So exemplary was his conduct that he was released at the end of seven years, and was at once taken into the confidential service of a nobleman.

The converted robber proved to be a true follower of his Savior throughout the whole remaining portion of his life. He remained for the rest of his days in the service of the same master who had received him into his establishment when he came out of prison. In that household he became a lasting blessing. After constant usefulness he died in peace, blessing with his last breath the Redeemer to whom he had turned at the crisis of his history.

THE NEGRO PREACHER

In the island of St. Thomas, in the West Indies, there was a negro named Cornelius; he was enlightened about fifty years earlier, and soon began to preach to his countrymen. He was blessed with considerable talents, and was able to speak and write the Creole, Dutch, Danish, German, and English languages. Till 1767 he was a slave. He first purchased the freedom of his wife, and then labored hard to gain his own liberty; which at last, he effected, after much entreaty, and the payment of a considerable sum. By degrees, he was also enabled to purchase the emancipation of his six children. He learned the business of a mason so well, that he was appointed master mason to the royal buildings, and had the honor to lay the foundation stone of six chapels for the use of the Moravian brethren. His gifts for preaching were good, and remarkably acceptable, not only to the negroes but also to many of the whites. He spent whole nights in visiting the different plantations, yet was by no means puffed up, but ever retained the character of a humble servant of Christ. When death approached, (which was in November, 1801) he sent for his family. The children and grandchildren assembled around the bed of the sick parent; he summoned up all his strength, sat up in bed, uncovered his venerable head, adorned with locks as white as snow, and addressed them thus:

“I rejoice, exceedingly, my dearly beloved children, to see you once more together before my departure; for I believe that my Lord and Savior will soon come, and take your father home to Himself. You know, my dear children, what my chief concern has been respecting you, as long as I was with you; how frequently I have exhorted you, with tears, not to neglect the day of grace, but surrender yourselves, with soul and body, to our God and Redeemer; to follow Him faithfully. Sometimes I have dealt strictly with you in matters which I believed would bring harm to your souls, and grieve the Spirit of God; and I have exerted my paternal authority, to prevent mischief; but it was all done out of love to you. However, it may have happened that I have been sometimes too severe: if this has been the case, I beg you, my dear children, to forgive me. O, forgive your poor dying father!”

Here he was obliged to stop, most of the children weeping and sobbing aloud. At last, one of the daughters, recovering herself, said, “We, dear father, we alone have cause to ask forgiveness; for we have often made your life heavy, and have been disobedient children.” The rest joined in the same confession. The father then continued, “ Well, my dear children, if you all have forgiven me, then attend to my last wish and dying request. Love one another; do not suffer any quarrels and disputes to rise among you after my decease. No, my children,” raising his voice, “love one another cordially; let each strive to show proofs of love to his brother or sister: nor suffer yourselves to be tempted by any thing to become proud, for by that you may even miss of your soul’s salvation; but pray to Christ to grant you loving minds and humble hearts. If you follow this advice of your father, by the grace of God, my joy will be complete, when I shall once see you again in eternal bliss, and be able to say to my Savior, Here, Lord, is Thy poor unworthy Cornelius, and the children thou hast given me. I am sure that the gracious Lord will not forsake you; but, I beseech you to seek Him and not forsake Him.”

THE DISCIPLES AT SEA

Constrain’d by their Lord to embark,
And venture without Him to sea;
The season tempestuous and dark,
How griev’d the disciples must be!
But though He remain’d on the shore,
He spent the night for them in pray’r;
They still were as safe as before,
And equally under His care.

They strove, though in vain, for a while
The force of the waves to withstand;
But when they were wearied with toil,
They saw their dear Savior at hand;
They gladly received Him on board,
His presence their spirits reviv’d,
The sea became calm at His word,
And soon at their port they arrived.

We like the disciples, are tossed
By storms on a perilous deep;
But cannot be possible lost,
For Jesus has charge of the ship.
Though billows and winds are enrag’d
And threaten to make us their sport,
This pilot His Word has engaged
To bring us in safety to port.

If sometimes we struggle alone,
And He is withdrawn from our view,
It makes us more willing to own
We nothing without Him can do;
Then Satan our hopes would assail,
But Jesus is still within call,
And when our poor efforts quite fail,
He comes in good time and does all.

Yet, Lord, we are ready to shrink,
Unless we Thy presence perceive;
O save us, we cry, or we sink;
We would, but we cannot believe!
The night has been long and severe,
The winds and the seas are still high;
Dear Savior, this moment appear,
And say to our souls, “It is I!”

Olney Hymns

COUNTERFEIT

“This pound note is a bad one — it must be destroyed,” said the bank cashier.

“What’s wrong?” exclaimed the astonished depositor, “it has been in use a long time, and it has done a lot of good. It has paid a sick child’s doctor’s bill; it has bought food and clothes for the needy, and it is now helping to pay the preacher’s salary.”

“I am quite sure that all that is true,” replied the cashier, “yet it must be destroyed, because it is bad through and through. All its good deeds cannot make it worth saving now that the truth is known about it.”

Jesus spoke of counterfeit Christians when He said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And them will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

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