THEY WILL COME.

If Jesus Christ were to stand on this platform tonight, what would many people do with Him? "oh," some say, "we would make Him King," I do not believe it. They would crucify Him again, if they had the opportunity. If He were to come tonight and say, "Here I am, I love thee, wilt thou be saved by Me?" Not one of you would consent if you were left to your own free will. If He should look upon you with those eyes, before whose power the lion would have couched, if He spoke with that voice which poured forth a downpour of eloquence like a stream of nectar rolling down from the cliffs above, not a single person would come to be His disciple. No, it takes the power of The Spirit to make men come to Jesus Christ. He himself said, "no one can come unto Me unless The Father Who sent Me draweth him." Yes! we want that, and here we have it. They will come! they will come!
You may laugh, you may despise us, but Jesus Christ did not die for nothing. If some of you reject Him, there are some who will not. If there are some who are not saved, others will be. Christ will see His seed, He shall lengthen His days, and the pleasure of The Lord shall prosper in His hands. Some think that Christ died for some who will be lost, I could never understand that doctrine. If Jesus my surety, bore my griefs and carried my sorrows, then I believe that I am as secure as the angels in heaven. God cannot ask for payment twice. If Christ paid my debt for me,will I have to pay it again? never.

Free from sin I walk at large

The Saviour's blood my full discharge,

At His dear feet content I lay,

A sinner saved, and homage pay.

They will come! they will come! And nothing in heaven, nor on earth,nor in hell can stop them from coming.

And now thou chiefest of sinners, listen for a moment while I call you to Jesus. There is one person here tonight who thinks of himself as the worst soul that ever lived. There is one who says to himself, "I do not deserve to be called to Christ, I am sure!" Soul! I call you! you lost, most wretched outcast, this night, by authority given me by God, I call you to come to my Saviour.

Some time ago, when I went to the county court to see what they were doing, I heard a man's name called out, and immediately the man said, "make way! make way!, they are calling me!" And up he came. Now, I call the chief of sinners tonight, and let him say, "make way! make way! doubts, make way! fears, make way! sins, Jesus calls me, and if He calls me, that is enough."

I will to His gracious feet approach

Whose scepter mercy gives.

I can but perish if I go

I am resolved to try,

for if I stay away I know,

I must forever die.

OUT OF HIS BELLY.

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of the midst of him shall flow rivers of living waters."

Those operations of the Spirit of God, of which I am afraid some christians are almost ignorant, are of wonderous power. The text says, " he that believeth on me, out of the midst of him shall flow rivers of living water." THESE OPERATIONS ARE OF MARVELOUS POWER. Do you understand my text? Do river of living waters flow out from you?

NOTICE first that this is to be an inward work, the rivers of living water are to flow out of the midst of the man. The words are according to our version, "out of his belly," that is from his heart and soul. The rivers do not flow out of his mouth, the promised power is not oratory. We have had plenty of words, floods of words, but this is heart work. The source of the rivers is found in the inner life. It is an inward work at it's fountain head. It is not a work of talent and ability, and show, and glitter, and glare, it is altogether an inward work. The life-flood is to come out of the man's inmost self, out of the bowels and essential being of the man. Homage is shown too generally to outward form and external observance, those these soon lose their interest and power, but when the Spirit of God rests within a man it exercises a home rule within him and he gives great attention to what an old divine was wont to call "the home department." Alas, many neglect the realm within which is the chief province under our care. O my brother in Christ, if you would be useful, begin with yourself. It is out of your very soul that the blessing is to come. It cannot come out of you if it is not in you, and it cannot be in you unless God the Holy Ghost places it there.

HUMILITY.

What is humility of mind? Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self. It is not humility for a man to think less of himself than he ought, though it might rather puzzle him to do that. Some people, when they know they can do a thing, tell you they cannot, but surely you would not call that humility? A man is asked to take part in some good work, " no," he says, " I have no ability," but if you were to say so of him he would be offended at you. It is not humility for a man to stand up and depreciate himself and say he cannot do this, that, or the other, when he knows that it is untrue. If God gives a man a talent, do you think the man does not know it? If a man has ten talents, he has no right to be dishonest to his Maker and to say " Lord, thou hast only given me five." It is not humility to underrate your endowments. Humility is to think of yourself,if you can, as God thinks of you. It is to feel that if we have talents, God has given them to us, and let it be seen that, like freight in a vessel, they tend to sink us low. the more we have, the lower we ought to lie. Humility is not to say, "I have not this gift," but it is to say "I have the gift, and I must use it for my Master's glory. I do not seek any honour for myself, for what have I that I have not recieved?" Humility is to feel that we have no power in ourselves, but that it all comes from God. Humility is to lean upon our Beloved, saying, " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" This is in fact to annihilate self and to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as being our all in all.

PARDONED

BLESSED IS HE WHOSE TRANSGRESSION IS FORGIVEN,WHOSE SIN IS COVERED

Psalm 32 is very instructive. The experience of one man is instructive to another. We learn the way in which we should walk by observing the footsteps of the flock. The psalm begins with a blessing. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. I think I hear a sort of sigh of relief, as if the man had been burdened with a load of guilt, and now at last his sin is put way, and his sigh has more solemn joy in it than if it had been a song. Beloved you must know the bitterness of sin before you can know the blessedness of forgiveness, and you must have such a sight of sin as shall break your heart before you can understand the blessedness of the divine covering, that sacred coverlet that hides sin effectually, blots it out, and even makes it cease to be. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Would you not think so, dear burdened heart, if it ever came to your lot? I hope it will be so tonight. Do we not think so, who remember the day when almighty mercy forgave us our transgressions, and covered our sins? Indeed we do. This is one of the greatest joys out of heaven. Perhaps, for a sort of still soft melody, with much of the minor in it, this is the sweetest music in the whole book, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Now the psalmist must put the same truth in another form. He loves to reduplicate, to repeat again and again a truth which is very precious to him. Blessed is the man unto whom The Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. Here are two reasons for the man's joyfulness, sin is not laid to his charge, and he is no longer deceitful, he no longer tries to palliate and to excuse his sin, he makes a clean breast of it, and God in a higher sense gives him a clean breast. He acknowledges the justice of God, and God displays His infinite mercy to him.

SPURGEONICS.

AFFLICTION.....The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.

COMMUNION.....One hour with Christ is worth an eternity of all earth's joys, and communion with Him is the best, the surest, and the most ecstatic foretaste of the bliss of heaven.

FAMILY PRAYER.....and the pulpit are the bulwarks of protestantism! depend upon it, when family piety goes down, the life of godliness will become very low. In Europe, at any rate, seeing that the christian faith began with one converted household, we ought to seek after the conversion of all our families, and to maintain within our own homes the good and holy practice of family worship.

PREACHING....."Often, when I come in at the door and my eyes fall on this vast congregation, I feel a tremour go through me to think that I should have to speak to you all and be, in some measure, accountable for your future state. Unless I preach the gospel faithfully and with all my heart, your blood will be required at my hands. Do not therefore wonder that when I am weak and sick, I feel my head swim when I stand up to speak to you, and my heart is often faint within me. But I do have this joy at the back of it all, God does set many sinners free in this place!"

OPEN WIDE.....Open your mouth wide in prayer, " I cannot " says one, well if you open your mouth God will fill it with prayer, and then, when you have prayed the prayer that He has given you, He will fill it with answers! God gives the prayer as well as the answer to prayer! Only open your mouth and, as it were, make a vacuum for God to fill. God loves to look for emptiness where He may stow away His grace

STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS.....The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. God pours no power into man's heart until man's power is all poured out. The christian's life is one of daily dependence on the grace and strength of God.

WHERE CHRIST IS..... "Phlip was a searcher after Christ in the place where Christ loves to be, in the pages of scripture, and you must be the same, if you desire to find Jesus!"

PRINCE OF PREACHERS

FAITH, THE MARK OF SONSHIP.

Faith is the mark of sonship in all who have it, whoever they may be, for "ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."gal.3v26. If you are believing in Jesus, whether you are male or female, Jew or gentile, bond or free, you are the child of God. If you have only believed in Christ of late, and have but for the past few weeks been able to rest in His great salvation, yet beloved, now you are the child of God. It is not an after priviledge, granted to assurance or growth in grace, it is an early blessing and belongs to him who has the smallest degree of faith and is no more than a babe in grace. If a person be a believer in Jesus Christ their name is in the register-book of the great family above, for, "ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." But if you have no faith, no matter what zeal, no matter what works, no matter what knowledge, no matter what pretensions to holiness you may possess, you are nothing, and your religion is vain. Without faith in Christ you are a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal for without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith then wherever it is found, is the infallible token of a child of God, and it's absence is fatal to the claim.
This according to the apostle is further illustrated by our baptism, for in baptism, if there is faith in the soul, there is an open putting on of The Lord Jesus. " For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ."gal3v27. In baptism you professed to be dead to the world and you were therefore buried into the name of Jesus, and the meaning of that burial, if it had any right meaning for you, was that you professed your self henceforth to be dead to everything but Christ, and henceforth your life was to be in Him, and you were to be as one raised from the dead to newness of life. Of course the outward form avails nothing to the unbeliever, but to the one who is in Christ it is a most instructive ordinance. The spirit and essence of the ordinance lie in the soul's entering into the symbol, in the person's knowing not alone the baptism into water, but the baptism into The Holy Ghost and into fire, and as many of you as know that inward mystic baptism into Christ know also that hencforth you have put on Christ and are covered by Him as a man is by his garment. Henceforth you are one with Him, you wear His name, you live in Him, you are saved by Him, you are altogether His. Now, if you are one with Christ, since He is a son, you are a son also. God seeth you not in yourself but in Christ, and that which belongeth unto Christ belongeth also unto you, for if you be Christ's then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. As the Roman youth when he came of age put on the toga, and was admitted to the rights of citizenship, so the putting on of Christ is the token of our admission into the position of sons of God. Thus we are actually admitted to the enjoyment of our glorious heritage. Every blessing of the covenant of grace belongs to those who are Christ's, and every believer is in that list.

GOD'S THOUGHTS.

A book is the expression of the thoughts of the writer. The book of nature is an expression of the thoughts of God. We have God's terrible thoughts in the thunder and lightning, God's loving thoughts in the sunshine and the balmy breeze, God's bounteous, prudent, careful thoughts in the waving harvest and in the ripening meadow. We have God's brilliant thoughts in the wonderous scenes which are beheld from mountain-top and valley, and we have God's most sweet and pleasant thoughts of beauty in the little flowers that blossom at our feet. But you will remark that God has in nature given the most prominence to those thoughts that needed to have the pre-eminence. He hath not given us broad acres overspread with flowers, for they were not needed in such abundance, but He hath spread the fields with corn, that thus the absolute necessities of life might be supplied. We needed most of the thoughts of His providence, and He hath quickened our industry, so that God's providential care may be read as we ride along the roads on every side. Now God's book of grace is just like His book of nature, it is His thoughts written out. This great book, the bible, this most precious volume, is the heart of God made legible, it is the gold of God's love beaten out into leaf gold, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good and holy thoughts concerning Him. And you will mark that as in nature so in grace, the most necessary is the most prominent. I see in God's word a rich abundance of flowers of glorious eloquence, often I find a prophet marshalling his words like armies for might, and like kings for majesty. But far more frequently I read simple declarations of the truth. I see, here and there, a brilliant thought of beauty, but I find whole fields of plain didactic teaching, which is food for the soul, and I find whole chapters full of Christ which is divine manna, whereon the soul doth feed. I see starry words to make the scriptures brilliant, sweet thoughts to make them fair, great thoughts to make them impressive, terrible thoughts to make them awful, but necessary thoughts, instructive thoughts, saving thoughts, are far more frequent, because far more needful. Here and there a bed of flowers, but broad acres of living corn of the gospel of the grace of God.

THE HOLY GHOST.

A very interesting subject is the work of The Spirit upon the Person of Our Lord Jesus.We see The Holy Ghost mysteriously operating in the formation and birth of the holy child Jesus, for by the overshadowing of The Holy Ghost He was born of a woman. This work of The Holy Spirit was manifested to all believing eyes when The Lord Jesus came out of the waters of the Jordan after His baptism, and The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon Him. Before He was said to "wax strong in spirit," but afterwards He is described as " full of The Holy Ghost." Then He was led of The Spirit and inspired by His divine energy, and this was shown throughout the whole of His life, for The Spirit was with Him in innumerable miracles, and in the demonstration and power which followed His word, so that He spoke as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. In Him was fulfilled abundantly the prophecy which saith "and The Spirit of The Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of The Lord, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of The Lord, and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears, but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth."The Holy Spirit had also a peculiar interest in His resurrection, for He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead." He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by The Spirit. That same Spirit wrought mightily when The Lord ascended up on high, and led captivity captive, then succeeding His ascension, the gifts of the cloven tongues of fire and the mighty rushing wind were witnessed by His disciples, for The Spirit of God was given abundantly to the church in connection with the ascencion of the Redeemer. Oh how sweetly doth The Spirit co-operate with Christ at this very day, for it is He who takes the things of Christ and reveals them unto us. He is the abiding witness in the church to the truth of the gospel, and the worker of all our gifts and graces. Jesus gives repentance, but The Spirit works it, faith fixes upon Christ, but The Spirit of God first creates faith and opens the eye which looks to Jesus. This whole dispensation through it is the peculiar office of The Spirit of God to be revealing Christ to His people, and Christ in His people, and Christ in the midst of an ungodly and gainsaying generation, for a testimony against them. Blessed be the name of The Holy Spirit, that He is that divine anointing, and so proves His hearty assent to the great plan of redemption.

"FIGHT THE LORD'S BATTLES,"

The sacramental host of God's elect is warring still on earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salvation. He has said, "lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age." Hark to the shouts of war! Now let the people of God stand fast to their ranks, and let no man's heart fail him. It is true that just now in England the battle is turned against us, and unless the Lord Jesus shall lift up His sword, we know not what may become of the church of God in this land, but let us be of good courage, and play the man. There never was a day when protestantism seemed to tremble more in the scales than now that a fierce effort is making to restore the Roman antichrist to his ancient seat. We greatly want a bold voice and a strong hand to preach and publish the old gospel for which martyrs bled and confessors died. The Saviour is, by His Spirit, still on earth, let this cheer us. He is ever in the midst of the fight , and therefore the battle is not doubtful. And as the conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in His office as our great intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people! O anxious gazer, look not so much at the battle below, for there thou shalt be enshrouded with smoke, and amazed with garments rolled in blood, but lift up thine eyes yonder where the Saviour lives and pleads, for while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that it all depends upon Him.
Now, by the lillies of christian purity, and by the roses of the Saviour's atonement, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, we charge you who are lovers of Jesus, to do valiantly in the holy war, for truth and righteousness, for the kingdom and crown jewels of your Master. Onward! "for the battle is not yours, but God's."

CHILDREN OF GOD.

Adoption gives us the rights of children, regeneration gives us the nature of children, we are partakers of both of these, for we are children of God. And this is a gift of grace recieved by faith. We are not the children of God by nature in the sense meant here. We are in a sense "the offspring of God" by nature, but this is very different from the sonship which is the peculiar priviledge of those who are born again. The Jews claimed to be the family of God, but as their priviledges came to them by way of their fleshly birth, they are likened to Ishmael, who was born after the flesh, but who was cast out as the son of the bond-woman, and compelled to give way to the son of the promise. We have a sonship which does not come to us by nature, for we are " born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of man, but of God." Our sonship comes by promise, by the operation of God as a special gift to a peculiar seed, set apart for The Lord by His own sovereign grace, as Isaac was. This honour and priviledge comes to us by faith, note well Galationsc3v26 "for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." As unbelievers we know nothing of adoption. While we are under the law as self-righteous we know something of servitude, but we know nothing of sonship. It is only after that faith has come that we cease to be under the schoolmaster, and rise out of our minority to take our priviledges of the sons and daughters of God.
Faith worketh in us the spirit of adoption, and our consciousness of sonship in this wise, fist, it brings us justification, the bible says, " the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." An unjustified man stands in the condition of a criminal, not of a child, his sin is laid to his charge, he is reckoned as unjust and unrighteous, as indeed he really is, and he is therefore a rebel against his King, and not a child enjoying his Father's love. but when faith realizes the cleansing power of the blood of atonement, and lays hold upon the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then he or she is justified, and becomes the child of God. Justification and adoption always go together. "Whom He called,them also He justified," and the calling is to the Father's house, and to a recognition of sonship. Believing brings forgiveness and justification through our Lord Jesus Christ, it also brings adoption, for it is written, " but as many as recieved Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

ETERNAL SECURITY.

Now think of the joy of this fact. Our union with Christ is not only lasting, it is everlasting. With great boldness we utter the challenge, "who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?" It is true that we hold Christ, and that we will hold Him tighter still, but the greater mercy is that He holds us, and He will never let us go. Does He not say concerning His sheep, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand?" And will He not be true to His word? You may take Christ from our hand, but you cannot take us from Christ's hand, He holdeth us fast, He is married to us, and He Himself declares, " The Lord, the God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away." He will have no divorce between our soul and Himself. This living, lasting union, which we have already found to be such a glorious reality, is to last for ever and ever, blessed be the name of The Lord!

C.H.SPURGEON. - Vox

C.H.SPURGEON. - Vox

EACH ONE RECEIVING CHRIST.

But as many as recieved Him, to them gave He

power to become the sons of God.

Even to them that believe on His name.Jn1v12

Those who received Christ were different from those who did not receive Him, they were as different as white is from black, or light from darkness. They took a distinct step, separated themselves from others, and came out and received Him Whom others would not receive. Have you taken such a step, dear friend? Can you say, " yes, let others do as they will, as for me, Christ is all my salvation, and all my desire, and at all hazards I am quite content to be counted odd, and to stand alone, I have lifted up my hand to heaven, and I cannot draw back. Whatever others may do, I say, Christ for me."

As it was a distinctive act, so it was a personal one, " to as many as recieved Him." They had to receive Christ each one by his own act and deed. " Even to them that believe on His name." Believing is the distinct act of a person. I cannot believe for you any more than you can believe for me, that is clearly impossible. There can be no such thing as sponsorship in receiving Christ or in faith. If you are an unbeliever, your father and your mother may be the most eminent saints, but their faith does not overlap and cover your unbelief. You must believe for yourself. I have had to even remind some that The Holy Ghost Himself cannot believe for them. He works faith in you, but you have to believe. The faith must be your own distinct mental act. Faith is the gift of God, but God does not believe for us, how could He? It is for you to distinctly believe.

Come, dear hearer,have you been trying to put up with the national faith? the national faith is a mere sham. Or have you tried to think that you possess the family religion"oh,we are all christians, you know!" yes, yes, we are all hypocrites, that is what that comes to. Unless each one is a christian for himself, he is a christian in name only, and that is to be a hypocrite. Oh, that we might have the certainty that we have each one laid our sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God! God grant that, if we have never done so before, we may do so this very moment!

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON.

" WHY STAND YE GAZING?"

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?"acts1v10

What the disciples did we are very apt to imitate. " oh," say you, " I shall never stand gazing up into heaven." I am not sure of that. Some christians are very curious, but not obedient. Plain precepts are neglected, but difficult problems they seek to solve. I remember one who used always to be dwelling upon the seven vials and seals and trumpets. He was great at apocalyptical symbols, but he had seven children, and he had no family prayer. If he had left the vials and trumpets and minded his girls and boys, it would have been a deal better. I have known men marvellously great upon Daniel, and specially instructed in Ezekiel, but singularly forgetful of the 20th chapter of exodus, and not very clear upon romans chapter 8. I do not speak with any blame of such folk for studying Daniel and Ezekiel, but quite the reverse, yet I wish they had been more zealous for the conversion of sinners in their neighbourhoods, and more careful to assist the poor saints. I admit the value of the study of the feet of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's vision, and the importance of knowing the kingdoms which make up the ten toes, but I do not see the propriety of allowing such studies to overlay the common-places of practical godliness. If the time spent over obscure theological propositions were given to a mission in the dim alley near the good man's house, more benefit would come to men and more glory to God. I would have you understand all mysteries, if you could, but do not forget that our chief business here below is to cry " behold The Lamb!" By all manner of means read and search till you know all that The Lord has revealed concerning things to come, but first of all, see to it that your children are brought to Christ, and that you are workers together with God in the upbuilding of His church. The dense mass of misery and ignorance and sin which is round about us on every side demands all our powers, and if you do not respond to the call, though I am not a man in white apparel, I shall venture to say to you, " ye men of christendom, why stand ye gazing up into the mysteries when so much is to be done for Jesus, and you are leaving it undone?" O ye who are curious but not obedient, I fear I speak to you in vain, but I have spoken. May The Holy Spirit also speak.

MANY SHALL COME. pt:1

I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness,there men shall weep and gnash their teeth.Matt:8v11-12.

Oh! I love God's "wills" and "shalls" there is nothing like them. If a man says "shall"what good is it? "I will" says a man, and he never performs, "I shall" says he, then he breaks his promise. But it is never that way with God's "shalls."If He says "shall," the thing shall be done, when He says "will," then it will be. Now here He has said, "many will come." The devil says, "they will not come," but "they will come." Their sins say "you cannot come," God says "you will come." You, yourselves say, "we will not come," God says "you will come." Yes! there are some here who are laughing at salvation, who can scoff at Christ and mock the gospel, but I tell you some of you will yet come.

"What!" you say, " can God make me become a christian?" I tell you yes, for herein lies the power of the gospel. It does not ask for your consent, but it gets it. It does not ask " will you recieve it?" but it makes you willing in the day of God's power. It does not violate your will, but it makes you willing. It shows you it's value, and then you fall in love with it, and immediately you run after it to make it yours. Many have said "we will not have anything to do with religion," then they get converted. I have heard of a man who once went to church only to hear the singing, and as soon as the minister began to preach, he put his fingers in his ears and refused to listen. But then a small insect landed on his face, so that he was obliged to take one finger from his ear to brush it away. Just then the minister said, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." The man listened, and God met with him at that moment and converted his soul. He went out a new man. A changed person. He who came in to laugh, left to find a quiet place to pray, he who came in to mock went out to bend his knee in repentance, he who entered to spend an idle hour, went home to spend an hour in devotion to his God. The sinner became a saint. Who knows but that we might have some like that in here tonight. The gospel does not want your consent, it gets it. It knocks the hostility against God out of your heart. You say " I do not want to be saved," Christ says you shall be. He turns your will around, and then you cry " Lord save, lest I perish."- " Ah " heaven might exclaim "I knew that I would make you say that," and then He rejoices over you because He has changed your will and made you willing in the day of His power.

MANY SHALL COME. pt:2

I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit and sit at table

with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness;

there men will weep and gnash their teeth.Matt:8v11-12

Look again at my text, and you will see where these people come from. They are to "come from the east and the west." The Jews said they would all come from Israel, every one of them, every man, woman and child, that there would not be one in heaven who was not a Jew. And the pharisees thought that, if they were not all pharisees, they could not be saved. But Jesus Christ said, there will be many, that will come from the east and the west. There will be a multitude from that far off land called China, for God is going to do a great work there, and we hope that the gospel will yet be victorious in that land. there will be a multitude from this western land of Britain, from the western land beyond the atlantic ocean in America, and from the south in Australia, and from the north in Canada, Siberia and Russia

From the uttermost parts of the earth there will come many to sit down in the kingdom of heaven. But I do not think that this text is to be understood so much geographically as spiritually. When it says " many shall come from the east and from the west," I do not think the reference is to nations only, but to different kinds of people. Does not " the east and the west " signify those who are the very farthest away from religion?, yet many of them will be saved and get to heaven. There is a class of people who will always be looked upon as hopeless. I have heard many times a man or a woman say about someone " he can't be saved, he is too depraved. What is he good for? when asked to go to church, he went and got drunk on Saturday night. What would be the good of trying to reason with him? There is no hope for him. He is a hardened person. See what he has done all these years. What good would it be to speak to him?"

Now hear this, you who think others are worse than you, you who condemn others, whereas often times you are just as guilty. Jesus Christ says, "many will come from the east and the west." There will be many in heaven who were once drunkards. I believe, among that blood-bought throng, there will be many who staggered in and out of bars half their lives, but, by the power of divine grace, they were able to throw the drink glass to the ground. They renounced the frenzy of intoxication, ran from it, and turned to serve God. There will be many prostitutes, some of the most abandoned will be found in heaven. You remember the story Whitefield told, that there would be some in heaven who were " the devil's cast-a-ways;" some who the devil did not hardly think good enough for him, yet whom Christ will save. Lady Huntington chided Whitefield that such language was not quite proper. But just then the door bell rang and Whitefield went downstairs to answer it, when he came back he said " Your ladyship, what do you think a poor woman had to say to me just now? She was a depraved woman, and she said " Oh Mr. Whitefield, when you were preaching, you said that Christ would take in the devil's cast-a-ways, and I am one of them." And that was the means of her salvation."

THE LORD YOUR GOD.

Our great consolation in the worst times lies in our God. The very name of our covenant God -"The Lord thy God "-is full of good cheer. That word, "The Lord" is really Jehovah, the self- existent One, the unchangeable One, the ever-living God, who cannot change or be moved from His everlasting purpose. Children of God, whatever you have not got, you have a God in whom you may greatly glory. Having God you have more than all things, for all things come from Him, and if all things were to be blotted out, He could restore all things simply by the power of His will. He speaks, and it is done, He commands, and it stands fast. Blessed is the man who has the God of Jacob for his trust, and whose hope Jehovah is. In the Lord Jehovah we have righteousness and strength, let us trust Him forever. Let the times roll on, they cannot affect our God. Let troubles rush upon us like a tempest, but it shall not come nigh unto us now that He is our defence. Jehovah, the God of His church, is also the God of each individual member of it, and each one may therefore rejoice in Him. Jehovah is as much your God, my brother, as if no other person in the universe could use that covenant expression. O believer, The Lord God is altogether and wholly your God! All His wisdom, all His foresight, all His power, all His immutability, all that He is, is yours. As for the church of God, when she is at her lowest estate she is still established and endowed in the best possible sense, established by the divine decree, and endowed by the possession of God all-sufficient. The gates of hell cannot prevail against her. Let us exult in our possession. Poor as we are, we are infinitely rich in having God, weak as we are, there is no limit to our strength, since the almighty Jehovah is ours. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" If God be ours, what more can we need? Lift up thy heart, thou sorrowful one, and be of good cheer. If God be thy God, thou hast all thou canst desire, wrapped up within His glorious name we find all things for time and for eternity, for earth and for heaven. Therefore in the name of Jehovah we will set up our banners, and march onwards to the battle. He is our God by His own purpose, covenant and oath, and this day He is our God by our choice of Him, by our union with Christ Jesus, by our experience of His goodness, and by the spirit of adoption whereby we cry " Abba, Father."

"All the days of my appointed time will I wait"

SCIPTURE TITLE; JOB14V14 A little stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly. Nothing makes rest so sweet as toil, nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to alarms. The bitter quassia cups of earth will give a relish to the new wine which sparkles in the golden bowls of glory. Our battered armour and scarred countenances will render more illustrious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world. We should not have full fellowship with Christ if we did not for a while sojourn below, for He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among men, and we must be baptized with the same if we are to share His kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is so honourable that the sorest sorrow is a light price by which to procure it. Another reason for our lingering here is for the good of others. We would not wish to enter heaven until our work is done, and it may be that we are yet ordained to minister light to souls benighted in the wilderness of sin. Our prolonged stay here is doubtless for God's glory. A tried saint, like a well-cut diamond, glitters much in the King's crown. Nothing reflects so much honour on a workman as a protracted and severe trial of his work, and it's triumphant endurance of the ordeal without giving way in any part. We are God's workmanship, in whom He will be glorified by our afflictions. It is for the honour of Jesus that we endure the trial of our faith with sacred joy. Let each man surrender his secret longings to the glory of Jesus, and feel, " if my lying in the dust would elevate my Lord by so much as an inch, let me still lie among the pots of the earth. If to live on earth for ever would make my Lord more glorious, it shall be my heaven to be shut out of heaven." Our time is fixed and settled by eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait with patience till the gates of pearl open for us.

"WE DWELL IN HIM."

Do you want a house for your soul? Do you ask " what is the purchase?" It is something less than proud human nature will like to give. It is without money and without price. Ah! you would like to pay a respectable rent! You would love to do something to win Christ? Then you cannot have the house, for it is " without price." Will you take my Master's house on a lease for all eternity, with nothing to pay for it, nothing but the ground rent of loving Him and serving Him forever? Will you take Jesus and " dwell in Him?" See this house is furnished with all you want, it is filled with riches more than you will spend as long as you live. Here you can have intimate communion with Christ and feast on His love, here are tables well stored with food for you to live on for ever, in it, when weary, you can find rest with Jesus, and from it you can look out and see heaven itself. Will you have the house? Ah! if you are houseless, you will say, " I should like to have the house, but may I have it?" Yes, there is the key-the key is " come to Jesus." You say " but I am too shabby for such a house." Never mind, there are garments inside. If you feel guilty and condemned, come, and though the house is too good for you, Christ will make you good enough for the house by and by. He will wash you and cleanse you, and you will yet be able to sing, " we dwell in Him." Believer, thrice happy art thou to have such a dwelling. Greatly priviledged thou art, for thou hast a " strong habitation " in which thou art ever safe. And "dwelling in Him," thou hast not only a perfect and secure house, but an everlasting one. When this world shall have melted like a dream, our house shall live, and stand more imperishable than marble, more solid than granite, as self existant as God, for it is God Himself, " we dwell in Him."

Charles and Susannah

SUSANNAH SPURGEON WAS A "GO ALONG" NOT A "TAG ALONG"

PERSEVERING PRAYER.

Do not give up those prayers which God's Spirit has put into your hearts, for remember, the things you have asked for are worth waiting for. Besides, you are a beggar when you are in prayer, therefore you must not be a chooser as to the time when God shall hear you. If you had right ideas about yourself, you would say, " it is a wonder that He ever listens to me at all, so unworthy as I am. Does the Infinite indeed bow His ear to me? may I hope He will at last listen to me? Then I may well continue with my prayers."
And recollect, it is your only hope, there is no other Saviour. This or none, Christ's blood or else eternal wrath. None ever yet perished pleading for mercy, therefore keep on.
Besides, better men than you have had to wait. Kings, patriachs and prophets have waited, therefore you can afford to sit in the King's ante-chamber a little while. It is an honour to sit as Mordecai did at the gate. Pray on-wait on!
"Ah!" says one " that is just what I have been doing, a long time." Yes, yes, there are different kinds of waiting. A man says " I have been waiting," but he has his arms folded and is gone to sleep. You may wait in that way till you are lost. The waiting I mean is " getting all things ready " the waiting for the physician by the poor sufferer, who cries out in pain, " is the doctor coming?" I will be a surety for my Master when I say that none such as that will be sent away empty. He will never break His promise. TRY HIM, TRY HIM!

SPURGEONICS.

EVOLUTION.......I have heard a great deal about the evolution and the development of man. But I am afraid that if any of us were to be developed to our utmost, apart from the grace of God, we should come out worse than when the development began.

SERMONS.......Some sermons which I have heard, though faultlessly orthodox, have contained nothing that could convert anybody-for there has been nothing to touch the heart or the conscience. Others, though very clever and profound, have had no possible bearing on the needs of the hearers and so it was little wonder that they were without result.

SLANDER.......It is a fine thing, when you are slandered, not to hear it. And it is a better thing to never reply to it. I try to possess one deaf ear and one blind eye, and I believe the deaf ear is the better one, and the blind eye the more useful one. Do not remember the injury that was done to you, forget it, and pass it over. Do not go around the world determined to grasp every red-hot poker that any fool hands to you. Let it alone, that will be for your own good and for God's glory, be patient under the slander of the wicked.

SELF WORSHIP.......The Egyptians have been reckoned the most degraded people in the world in their worship. They worshipped onions, until Juvenal remarked to them, "oh blessed people, who grow their gods in their own gardens!" But I do not think they were quite as degraded as the man who worships himself. If I could bring my soul to worship an onion, yet I could never degrade myself low enough to worship myself. A man who makes himself to be his own god is mad.

PRAYER.......should be the natural outflow of the soul, you should pray because you must pray, not because the set time for prayer has arrived, but because your heart must cry unto The Lord.

GRACE AND FREE-WILL.......You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences, "salvation is all of the grace of God."-"damnation is all of the free-will of man."

FORGIVENESS.......There is the same power with God to forgive sin as there has always been, for the blood of Jesus is as powerful to cleanse as it ever was. Note also that there is the same power of The Holy Spirit to change your nature as there ever was. He who turned Saul of Tarsus from being an enemy into an apostle, can do just the same for you.

THE OIL OF GLADNESS.

Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness,

therefore God, thy God, hath anointed Thee

with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.ps45v7

We know that the anointing recieved by our Lord Jesus Christ was the resting of The Holy Spirit upon Him without measure. We are not left to any guesswork about this, for in Isaiah 61 we are told, "The Spirit of The Lord God is upon Me, because The Lord hath anointed Me." Our Lord appropriated these very words to Himself when He went into the synagogue at Nazereth and opened the book at the place wherein these words are written, and said ," this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." The apostle Peter also, in act.10:38. speaks of " how God anointed Jesus of Nazereth withThe Holy Ghost and with power," so we know both on old testament and new testament authority that the anointing that rested upon The Lord Jesus Christ was the unction of The Holy Spirit. Therefore, by the "oil of gladness " which we have before us in the text is intended The Holy Spirit Himself, or one of the gracious results of His sacred presence. The divine Spirit has many attributes, and His benign influences operates in divers ways bestowing upon us benefits of various kinds, too numerous for us to attempt to catalogue them. Amongst these is His comforting and cheering influence, " the fruit of The Spirit is joy." In acts13:52 we read, " the disciples were filled with joy and with The Holy Ghost." Wherever He comes as an anointing, whether upon The Lord or upon His people, upon The Christ or the christians, upon the anointed or upon those whom He anoints, in every case the ultimate result is joy and peace. On the head of our great High Priest He is joy, and this oil of gladness flows down to the skirts of His garments. To the Comforter therefore, we ascribe " the oil of gladness."

FATHER FORGIVE THEM.

And when they were come to the place, which is

called calvary, there they crucified Him,

and the malefactors, one on the right hand,

and the other on the left. Then said Jesus,

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.

And the people stood beholding. Luke 23vs33-35.

They gave Jesus the place of dishonour. Reckoning Him to be the worst criminal of the three, they put Him between the other two. They heaped upon Him the utmost scorn which they could give to a malefactor, and in so doing they unconsciously honoured Him. Jesus always deserves the chief place wherever He is. In all things He must have the pre-eminence. He is King of sufferers as well as King of saints.

How startled they must have been to hear such words from one who was about to be put to death for a supposed crime! The men that drove the nails, the men that lifted up the tree, must have started back in amazement when they heard Jesus talk to God as His Father, and pray for them, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Did ever Roman legionary hear such words before? I should say not. They were so distinctly and diametrically opposed to the whole spirit of Rome. There it was blow for blow, only in the case of Jesus they gave blows where none had been recieved. The crushing cruelty of the Roman must have been startled indeed at such words as these, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

The gambling soldiers little dreamed that they were fulfilling the scriptures while they were raffling for the raiment of the illustrious Sufferer on the cross, yet it was so. In the 22nd psalm, which so fully sets forth our Saviour's suffering while He hung on the tree, David wrote, " they parted My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture."

"And the people stood beholding," gazing, looking on at the cruel spectacle. You and I would not have done that, there is a public sentiment that has trained us to hate the sight of cruelty, especially deadly cruelty to one of our own race, but these people thought that they did no harm when they "stood beholding." They also were thus fulfilling the scriptures, for the 17th verse of the 22nd psalm says, " they look and stare upon me."

ALL THINGS WORKING FOR GOOD.

Christ is the arbiter of all events, in everything His sway is supreme, and He exercises His power for the good of His church. He spins the thread of events and acts from the distaff of destiny and does not suffer those threads to be woven otherwise than to the pattern of His loving wisdom. He will not allow the mysterious wheel to revolve in any way which shall not bring good unto His chosen. He makes their worse things blessings to them, and their best things He sanctifies. In times of plenty, He blesses their increase, in times of famine, He supplies all their needs.
As all things are working for His glory, so all things are working for their good.

GOD'S TENDER CARE

How careful God is of His people, how anxious He is concerning them, not only for their life, but for their comfort. Does He say, " strengthen ye, strengthen ye My people,"? does He say to the angel, " protect My people,"? does He not say to the heavens, " drop down manna to feed My people."? All that, and more also, His tender regard secures to them. But to show us that He is not only regardful of our interests, but also our superfluities, He says, " comfort ye, comfort ye My people." He would have us not only His living people and His preserved people, but He would have us His happy people too.
He likes His people to be fed, but what is more, He likes to give them " wine on the lees well refined," to make glad their hearts. He will not only give them " bread," but He will give them " honey " too, He will not simply give them " milk " but He will give them " wine and milk." "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people." It is The Fathers yearning heart, careful even for the little things of His people. "Comfort ye " that one with the tearful eye, "comfort ye " yon child of Mine with an aching heart. "Comfort ye My people, saith your God. "

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wildrness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it,he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours saying unto them, rejoice with me, forI have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner who repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. luke.15v4-7 .

I call attention to this observation. The one subject of thought to the man who had lost his sheep. This sets forth to us the one thought of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, when He sees a man lost to holiness and happiness by wandering into sin.The shepherd, on looking over his little flock of 100, can only count 99. He counts them again, and notices that a certain one has gone, it may be a white faced sheep with a black mark on it's foot, he knows all about it, for " The Lord knoweth them that are His." The shepherd has a photograph of the wanderer in his mind's eye, and now he thinks but little of the 99 who are feeding in the pastures of the wilderness, but his mind is in a ferment about the one lost sheep. This one idea possesses him, "a sheep is lost." It masters his every faculty. He cannot eat bread, he cannot return to his home, he cannot rest while one sheep is lost.To a tender heart a lost sheep is a painful subject of thought. It is a sheep, and therefore utterly defenceless now that it has left it's defender. If the wolf should spy it out, or the lion or the bear should come across it's track, it would be torn to pieces in an instant. Thus the shepherd asks his heart the question, " what will become of my sheep? perhaps at this very moment a lion may be ready to spring upon it, and if so, it cannot help itself!" A sheep is not prepared for fight, and even for flight it has not the swiftness of it's enemy. That makes it's compassionate owner the more sad as he thinks again, " a sheep is lost, it is in danger of a cruel death." A sheep is of all creatures the most senseless. If we have lost a dog, it may find it's way back home again, possibly a horse might return to it's master's stable, but a sheep will wander on and on, in endless mazes, lost. It is too foolish a thing to think of returning to the place of safety. A lost sheep is lost indeed in countries where lands lie unenclosed and the plains are boundless. That fact still seems to ring in the man's soul, " A sheep is lost, and it will not return, for it is a foolish thing. Where may it not have gone by this time? Weary and worn, it may be fainting, it may be far away from green pastures and ready to perish with hunger among the bare rocks or upon the arid sands." A sheep is shiftless, it knows nothing about providing for itself. The camel can scent water from afar, and a vulture can espy it's food from an enormous distance, but the sheep can find nothing for itself. Of all wretched creatures a lost sheep is one of the worst.If anybody had stepped up to the shepherd just then, and said " Good sir what aileth thee? you seem to be in great concern," he would have replied, "and well I may be, for a sheep is lost." " It is only one sir, and I see you have 99 left," "do you call it nothing to lose one? You are no shepherd yourself, or you would not trifle so. Why I have quite forgotten the 99 that are all safe, and my mind only remembers that one which is lost."

A GRACIOUS VISITATION.

I am full of delight at what The Lord is doing among you in saving souls. But will any of you be missed by the gracious visitation? will the sacred rain leave some of you as dry as the mountains of Gilboa? is Jesus passing by and will you not cry out to Him? Is His grace felt by your brother, your sister and your mother, and not by you? Unhappy soul, which shall manage to elude the blessed influences of The Holy Spirit and desparately resolve to perish. What reason can be urged for such a course, what excuse for such suicide. Let those who are saved pray much for others who are hardened.
I am rejoiced that those of you who have found Jesus, are not ashamed to own Him. Why should you be? only make sure you are truly converted, do not be content with a sham conversion, seek the real thing, lay hold, not on a temporary hope, but on eternal life.
True faith always has repentance for it's twin brother, love for it's child, and holiness for it's crown.
If you have looked to Jesus for life be sure that you next look to Him for the pattern of life. So that you may walk as He walked.

MEMBERS OF CHRIST.

For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.eph5v30

Paul here speaks only of true believers, men and women who are quickened by divine grace and made alive unto God. Of them he says, not by way of romance, nor of poetic exaggeration, but as an undisputed matter of fact, "we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." That there is a true union between Christ and His people is no fiction or dream of a heated imagination. Sin separted us from God, and in undoing what sin has done ,Christ joins us to Himself in a union more real than any other in the whole world.

This union is very near, and very dear, and very complete. We are so near to Christ that we cannot be nearer, for we are one with Him,we are very dear to Him. Consider how close and tender is the tie when it is true that Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us. It is a union more intimate than any other that exists amongst men, for " greater love, hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." We were His enemies when Christ died for us, that He might save us, and make us so one with Himself, that from Him our life should be drawn, and that in Him our life should be hid. It is then a very near and dear union which Christ has established between Himself and His redeemed, and this union could not be more complete than it is.

It is also a most wonderful union. The more you think of it, the more you will be astonished, and stand in sacred awe before such a marvel of grace. Well did Kent say-

"O sacred union, firm and strong,

how great the grace, how sweet the song,

that worms of earth should ever be

one with incarnate Deity!"

But so it is. Even the incarnation of Christ is not more wonderful than His living union with His people. It is a thing to be thought upon often, it is the wonder of the skies, and is chief among those things which "the angels desire to look into." On the surfac of this truth you may not see very much, but the longer you gaze, the more The Holy Spirit assists you in your meditation, the more you will see in this wondrful sea of glass mingled with fire. My soul exults in the doctrine that Christ and His people are everlastingly one.

Once again it is a very cheering doctrine. He that understands it has an ocean of music in his soul. He that can truly grasp and feed upon it will often sit in the heavenly places with his Lord, and anticipate the day when he shall be with Him, and shall be like Him. Even now, since we are one with Him, there is no distance between us, we are nearer to Him than any thing else can ever be. The very word union makes us forget all distance,indeed, distance is altogether annihilated. Love joins us so closely with Christ, that He becomes more to us than our very selves, and though now we see Him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

EVENING.

When the noise and turmoil of the day are over, it is sweet to commune with God, the cool and calm of eventide agree most delightfully with prayer and praise. The hours of the declining sun are so many quiet alleys in the garden of time wherein man may find his Maker waiting to commune with him, even as of old The Lord God walked with Adam in the garden in the cool of the day. It is meet that we should set apart a peaceful season ere the day has quite departed, a time of thanksgiving for grace abounding, of repentance for follies multiplied and for self examination for evils insinuating. To leap from day to day like a mad hunter scouring the fields, is an omen of being delivered over to destruction, but the solemn pause, the deliberate consideration, these are means of grace, and ensigns of an indwelling life.
The drops of the night come from the same fount as the dew of the morning, He who met Abraham at break of day communed with Isaac in the field at eventide. He who opens the doors of the day with the hand of mercy, draws around His people the curtains of the night, and by His shining presence makes the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to rejoice. A promise at dawn, and a sure word at sunset, crown the brow of the day with light, and sandal it's feet with love. To breakfast with Jesus, and to sup with Him also is to enjoy the days of heaven upon the earth. It is dangerous to fall asleep till the head is leaned on Jesu's bosom. When divine love puts it's finger on the weary eyelids, it is brave sleeping, but that The Lord's beloved may have such given to him, it is needful that he should make a near approach to the throne of grace, and unburthen his soul before the great preserver of mankind.

MORNING.

Poets have delighted to sing of the morning as " Mother of the dews," "sowing the earth with orient pearl," and many of the saints, upstarting from their beds at the first flush of dawn, have found the poetry of nature to be the reality of grace as they have felt the dews of heaven refreshing their spirits. Hence, morning exercises have ever been dear to enlightened, heaven-loving souls, and it has been their rule, never to see the face of man till they have first seen the face of God. The breath of morning redolent of the fragrance of flowers is incense ofered by earth to her Creator, and living men should never let the dead earth excel them. Truly living men tuning their hearts for song, like the birds, salute the radiant mercy which reveals itself in the east. The first fresh hour of every morning should be dedicated to The Lord whose mercy gladdens it with golden light. The eye of day openeth it's lids, and in so doing opens the eyes of hosts of heaven-protected slumberers, it is fitting that those eyes should first look up to the great Father of Lights, the fount and source of all of the good upon which the sunlight gleams. It augurs for us a day of grace when we begin betimes with God, the sanctifying influence of the season spent upon the mount operates upon each succeeding hour.
Morning devotion anchors the soul so that it will not very readily drift far away from God during the day, it perfumes the heart so that it smells fragrant with piety until nightfall, it girds up the soul's garments so that it is less apt to stumble, and feeds all it's powers so that it is not permitted to faint.
The morning is the gate of the day, and should be well guarded with prayer. It is one end of the thread on which the day's actions are strung, and should be well knotted with devotion. If we felt more the majesty of life, we should be more careful of it's mornings. He who rushes from his bed to his business, and waiteth not to worship, is as foolish as if he had not put on his clothes, or cleansed his face, and as unwise as though he dashed into battle without arms or armour. Be it ours to bathe in the softly flowing river of communion with God, before the heat of the wilderness and the burden of the way begin to oppress us.

FULL ASSURANCE.

I speak affectionately to the weaker ones, who cannot yet say that they know they have believed. I speak not to your condemnation, but to comfort you. Full assurance is not essential to salvation, but it is essential to satisfaction. May you get it-may you get it at once, at any rate, may you never be satisfied to live without it. You may have full assurance. You may have it without personal revelations, it is wrought in us by the Word of God. These things are written that you may have it, and we can be sure that the means used by the Spirit are equal to the effect which He desires. Under the guidance of the Spirit of God, John so wrote as to attain his end in writing. What, then, has he written with the design of making us know that we have eternal life? Go through the of his whole epistle, and you will see that it all presses in that direction.
He begins thus, " Whosoever believeth that Jesus is The Christ is born of God." Do you believe that Jesus is the anointed of God? Is He so to you? Is He anointed as your prophet, priest and king? Have you realised His anointing so as to put your trust in Him? Do you recieve Jesus as appointed of God to be the mediator, the propitiation for sin, the Saviour of men? If so then you are born of God. "How may I know this " Brethren, our evidence is the witness of God Himself as here recorded. We need no other witness. Suppose an angel were to tell you that you were born of God, would that be a more sure testimony than the infallible scripture? If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you are born of God. John has thus positively declared the truth, that you may know that you have eternal life. Can anything be more clear than this?
The loving spirit of John leads him to say, " everyone that loveth Him that begat, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him." Do you love God? Do you love His only begotten Son? You can answer these two questions surely. I knew a dear christian woman who would sometimes say, " I know that I love Jesus, but my fear is that He does not love me." Her doubt used to make me smile, for it never could have occurred to me. If I love Him, I know it is because He first loved me. Love to God in us is always the work of God's love towards us. Jesus loved us, and gave Himself for us, and therefore we love Him in return. Love to Jesus is an effect which proves existence of the cause. Do you love Jesus? Do you feel a delight in Him? Is His name as music to your ear and honey to your tongue? Do you love to hear Him praised? Ah dear friends! I know that to many of you a sermon full of His dear name is as a royal banquet, and if there is no Christ in a discourse, it is empty and void and vain to you. Is it not so? If you do indeed love Him that begat and Him that is begotten of Him, then this is one of the things that is written, " that ye may know that ye have eternal life."

C.H.S. PICTURES

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

FAITH AND FEELING.

We are saved by faith and not by feeling, yet there is a relation between holy faith and hallowed feeling like that between the root and the flower. Faith is as permanent as the root which is ever embedded in the soil, feeling is casual and has it's seasons. The bulb does not always shoot up the green stem, far less is it always crowned with it's many flowers. Faith is the tree, the essential tree, our feelings are like the appearance of that tree during the different seasons of the year. Sometimes our soul is full of bloom and blossom, and the bees hum pleasantly and gather honey within our hearts. It is then that our feelings bear witness to the life of our faith, just as the buds of spring bear witness to the life of the tree. Anon, our feelings gather still greater vigour, and after we come to the summer of our delights, again perhaps, we begin to wither into the sear and yellow leaf of autumn, nay sometimes into the winter of our despondancy and despair will strip away every leaf from the tree, and our poor faith stands like a blasted stem without a sign of verdure. And yet, so long as the tree of faith is there, we are saved. Whether faith blossom or not, whether it bring forth joyous fruit in our experience or not, so long as it be there in all it's permanence, we are saved, Yet should we have the gravest reason to distrust the life of our faith if it did not sometimes blossom with joy and often bring forth fruit unto holiness.

FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST.

The needs of spiritual men are very great, but they are not greater than the power of the Divine Trinity to meet. We have one God-Father, Son and Holy Ghost,-One in Three and Three in One, and that blessed Trinity in unity gives Himself to sinners that they may be saved. In the first place, every good thing that a sinner wants is in The Father. The prodigal son was wise when he said, " I will arise and go to my father." Every good and perfect gift comes from God The Father, the first Person of the blessed Trinity, because every good and perfect gift can only be found in Him. But the needy soul says, " how shall I reach The Father? He is infinitely above me, how shall I get to Him?" In order that you may obtain the blessings of grace, God was in Christ Jesus, the second ever-blessed Person of the sacred Trinity. Jesus said " All things that The Father hath are Mine." So you see that everything is in The Father first, and The Father puts all things into Christ, for, " it pleased The Father, that in Him should all fulness dwell." Now you can get to Christ because He is man as well as God. He is " over all, God blessed forever." But He came into this world, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, was buried. He is the conduit-pipe, conveying to us all the blessings from The Father. In the gospel of John we read, " of His fulness have all we recieved, and grace for grace." Thus you see The Father, with every good thing in Himself, putting all fulness into the mediator, the Man Christ Jesus who is also the Son of God.
Now I hear a poor soul say, " but I cannot even get to Christ, I am lame and blind. If I could get to Him , He would open my eyes, but I am so lame that I cannot run or even walk to Him. If I could get to Him, He would give me strength, but I lie as one dead. I cannot see Christ or tell where to find Him." Here comes the work of The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the blessed Trinity. It is His office to take the things of Christ, and show them to saints and sinners alike. We cannot see them, but we shall see them fast enough when He shows them unto us. Our sins put a veil between ourselves and Christ. The Holy Spirit comes and takes the veil away from our hearts, and then we see Christ. It is The Holy Spirits office to come between us and Christ, even as the Son of God comes between us and The Father, to lead us to The Father. So that we have the whole Trinity uniting to save a sinner, the Triune God bowing down out of heaven for the salvation of rebellious men.
Every time we dismiss you from this house of prayer, we pronounce upon you the blessing of The Sacred Trinity. " May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of The Holy Ghost be with you." And you want all that to make a sinner into a saint, and to keep the saint from going back to being a sinner again. The whole blessed Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost must work upon every soul that is to be saved. See how divinely they work together, how The Father glorifies The Son, how The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus, how both The Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus glorify The Father? These Three are One, sweetly uniting in the salvation of the holy seed.

SPURGEONIC TONICS

GOOD BOY!....There is a story about a doctor at one of our hospitals, a year or two ago, he healed a dogs' broken leg and the grateful animal brought other dogs to have their broken legs healed, that was a good dog you say, but some of you are not half so good! You believe that Christ is blessing you, yet you never bring others to Him to be saved.

MEDITATE...."My meditation of Him will be sweet" of HIM that is, of the Well-beloved of the Father, of the Well- beloved of the church, of the Well-beloved of my own soul, of Him who loved me, in whose blood I have washed my robes and made them white. It is meditation of HIM that is sweet, not merely doctrines about Him, but of Him. Not merely of His work or His offices, but His own dear Self! there lies the sweetness of it. And the closer we come to His blessed Person, the more truly we have approached the very center of bliss.

THE GOSPEL....It is the word of God which saves souls, not our comment upon it, howsoever correct that comment may be, let us then be scrupulously careful to honour The Holy Ghost by taking the weapon which He has prepared for us, and believing fully in the divine inspiration of the sacred scriptures and expecting that God will prove their inspiration by their effect on the minds and hearts of men.

GREAT SINNER-GREAT SAVIOUR....Do not think of the sinner, or the greatness of his sin, but think of the greatness of The Saviour.

GUIDANCE....Is there anybody here who is going out of this tabernacle to a place where he ought not go? Will he pray first? he knows he cannot ask a blessing on it and therefore he ought not to go there. Go nowhere where you cannot go after prayer, this is the best guide in your choice of where you should go.

PRAYER....No man has so great need to pray as the man who does no care to pray. When you can pray and long to pray, why then you will pray. But when you cannot pray and do not wish to pray, then you must pray, or evil will come of it. He is on the verge of ruin who forgets the mercy-seat.

IN THE GREATNESS....of our trouble there may often be room for the greater display of the goodness of God.

THE INDWELLING CHRIST.

That spiritual life, which is the innermost recieving of Christ, that new life, which no man knows but he that has recieved it, that quickening of the spirit, which makes the christian as much superior to ordinary men, as men are above, dumb, driven cattle-if we recieve that blessed gift, then shall we with emphasis be entertaining our Lord as a stranger.
Profession is abundant, but the secret life is rare. The name to live is everywhere, but where is the life fully seen? To be rather than to talk, to enjoy rather than to pretend, to have Christ truly within, this is not every man's attainment, but those who have it are among the God-like ones, the true sons of God.
A strange thing is the fact that Jesus will deign to dwell in our hearts. Such a One as Jesus in such a one as I am! The King of glory in a sinner's bosom! This is a miracle of grace, yet the manner of it is simple enough. A humble repenting faith opens the door, and Jesus enters the heart at once. Love shuts to the door with the hand of penitence, and holy watchfulness keeps out intruders. Thus is the promise made good, "if any man hear My voice, and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me." Meditation, contemplation, prayer, praise and daily obedience, keep the house in order for The Lord, and then follows the consecration of our entire nature to His use as a temple. The dedication of spirit, soul and body, and all their powers as holy vessels of the sanctuary, the writing of "holiness unto the Lord" upon all that is about us. until our everyday garments become vestments, our meals sacraments, our life a ministry and ourselves priests unto the Most High. Oh the supreme condescension of this indwelling! He never dwelt in an angel, but He resides in a contrite spirit. There is a world of meaning in the Redeemer's words " I in them. " May we know them as Paul translates them, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

GOD'S PROMISES

Holy scripture is wonderfully full and abiding in it's inner sense. It is a springing well, whereat you may draw and draw again, for as you draw it springs up forever new and fresh. It is a well of water springing up everlastingly. The fulfillment of a divine promise is not the exhaustion of it. When a man gives you a promise, and he keeps it, there is the end of the matter, but it is not so with God. When He keeps His word to the full He has but begun, He is prepared to keep it, and keep it, and keep it for ever and ever. What would you say of a man who had wheat upon his barn floor, and threshed it until he had beaten out the last golden grain, but the next day he went and threshed again and brought back as much as the day before, and the day after, again taking his flail, he went to the same threshing, and again brought back his measure as full as at the first, and so on for all the days of the year? Would it not seem to you as a fairy tale? It would certainly be a surprising miracle. But what should we say if throughout a long life, this miracle could be prolonged? Yet we have continued to thresh God's promises ever since faith was first given us, and we have carried away our full portion every day. What shall we say of the glorious fact that the saints of all the ages, from the first day until now have done the very same, or of that equal truth, that as long as there is a needy soul upon earth, there will be upon the threshing floor of the promises of God the same abundance of the finest of the wheat as when the first man filled his measure and returned rejoicing?
The children of God have used His promises under all sorts of circumstances, and have derived the utmost comfort from them. As God rests in His love, so may we rest in it, and as He joys over us with singing, so may we break forth into joyous psalms to the God of our salvation.

UNTIRING DELIGHT

Who ever called the sea monotonous? Even to the mariner, travelling over it as he does, sometimes by the year together, there is always a freshness in the undulation of the waves, the whiteness of the foam of the breaker, the curl of the crested billow, and the frolicsome pursuit of every wave by it's long train of brothers.
Which of us has ever complained that the sun gave us but little variety? What though at morn he yoke the same steeds and flash from his car the same golden glory, climb with dull uniformity the summit of the skies, then drive his chariot downward and bid his flaming coursers steep their burning fetlocks in the western deep?
Or who among us would complain loathingly of the bread which we eat, that it palls upon the sense of taste? We eat it today, tomorrow, the next day, we have eaten it for years that are passed, still the one unvarying food is served upon the table, and bread remains the staff of life.
Translate these earthly experiences into heavenly mysteries.
If Christ is your food and your spiritual bread, if Christ is the sun, your heavenly light, if Christ is the sea of love in which your passions swim and all your joys are found, it is not possible that you as christian men should complain of monotony in Him. He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever," and yet He has the "dew of His youth." He is like the manna in the golden pot which was always the same, but He is also like the manna which came down from heaven every morning new. He is as the rod of Moses, which was dry and changed not it's shape, but He is also to us as the rod of Aaron which buds, and blossoms, and brings forth almonds.

PERSECUTION

Oh how happy are we in these days that we are not subjected to the fierce sufferings, and the cruel persecutions, which the early christians, and even our own forefathers had to endure! How often in a Jewish family, as soon as a young man had become a follower of Christ, from that moment, none of his family would acknowledge him. He was a follower of the hated Nazarene! "A curse be upon him" said his father, and even a mother's tenderness seemed dried up, so that she could not think of him without bitterness or gall.A like thing happened also in the old Roman families. The child of a Roman noble had stepped into some little place where humble and unlettered people met to hear the gospel preached, to sing songs in the name of Jesus, and to keep holy one day in the week, and there that youthful heart had learned the story of the cross, and by the grace of God had been brought to love the Saviour. As soon as the fact was made known, the officers of justice would take the child away from the father's house, and hale the young believer off to prison. When persecution grew very hot in the old Roman times, you know how the good, and the great, and the true, the strong and the old, the young and the maiden, had alike to flee for their lives. If they remained, it was only to be dragged before the Roman praetor, and short work was made of them at the stake or the arena. Soon nothing was left of them but a heap of ashes from the martyr fire, or a few bones that the wild beasts did not care to eat.
Horrible work was wrought too when the the Roman Catholic Church had it's full power, and the officers of the Inquisition, at dead of night, knocked at the door of some christian man and demanded either himself, or his wife, or his son, or his daughter, they had to surrender themselves without a word, that they might be immured in the damp, dark vaults of that hellish institution. never to be seen again, except on some dreadful day, when they were marched out in derision to be burned alive because they would not bow down before images of ivory and wood and call those idols the Christ to whom homage and reverence should be paid. It was so in our own land during the persecutions of Queen Mary. And after that , when our noble sires would not conform to the established Church of this land, and were therefore hunted into the dens and caves of the earth, as though they had been wild beasts, instead of men of whom the world was not worthy. Many of the best and bravest of England's sons and daughters fled away to America and found another and safer home there, in New England, where the wild rocks were less flinty than the hearts of men here in England.
When days of persecution come again, will we be able to give up all? Could the husband let his wife and children go for Christ's sake? Could the children again give up the father's love? Could you wrench yourself away from all your dear ones, to prove that you truly belonged to Christ, and that you loved Him more than father or mother, husband or wife, or any of your kin? God grant that the true martyr spirit may not die out in our heart, even if, in God's gracious providence, it be not called into terrible exercise as among the brave peasants of Switzerland, or the noble covenanters of Scotland, or the old Nonconformists of England. At any rate, whatever we are called to endure, may we be true and loyal to the gospel for which our fathers bled and died. And if the times of persecution should ever come again, as come they may, may we be ready again to forsake the place of comfort, luxury and peace for our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Believer's Experience.

Do you not know what it is sometimes, when spiritual things are at a very low ebb, when you cannot find any joy, and scarcely any hope, when you look into your own heart, and all seems as dry as the earth is after a long autumn drought? You have no power, no strength and scarcely any desire. You sit down and say, "I am afraid that I am no child of God, I am given up, I am spiritually dead." Yet have you never known within an hour, the great water-floods to be let loose and your soul to be full of feeling, full of faith, hope, joy, love? The chariot wheels had been taken off, and the chariot dragged very heavily, but now, or ever you are aware, your soul has made you like the chariots of Amminadib. You are leaping, you are laughing for very joy. And The Lord has turned your captivity, and filled your mouth with laughter and your tongue with singing, and done it all of a sudden too. God can do strange things for His people, even wonderful things which they looked not for.

God says "I will, I will." part 1.

"I will open rivers in high places,

and fountains in the midst of the valleys.

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

and the dry land springs of water." Isaiah c 41 v18.

You notice that in this verse, The Lord twice says "I will" and in this respect this verse is in harmony with the rest of the chapter. How greatly I prize a portion of scripture which is filled with God's shalls and wills! Everything He says is precious, but His "I wills" are peculiarly precious. There are the "I wills" of the psalms, a long list of them, and the "I wills" of Christ, a goodly company. When we come to the "I wills" of God, then we are among the precious things, the deep things, the things that minister comfort and strength to the people of God.

We sometimes say "I will," but it is in a feeble fashion compared with the way in which God says it. People say " must " is "for the king," so, "I will" is for the King of kings. It is His prerogative to will. It is His sovereign right to say "I will." When we get a chapter like the one we have been reading, which is full of the "I wills" of God, it is worthwhile to pause for a few moments and just think of what Jehovah's "I will," must mean.

It is an "I will," uttered with deliberation. James said, "known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." We say "I will," in a hurry, and then we take time to repent of it. We are under excitement, persuasion or compulsion and we say "I will," and we are very sorry soon after, and perhaps we are so unfaithful as not to keep our word. But God never speaks under compulsion, He is almighty. God never speaks in a hurry, He has infinite leisure. God never speaks under excitement or persuasion, that were not like a God. His purpose is of old, and His decree is from everlasting, and the "I will," which is the mouth of the decree, is a word that is spoken with wisdom and prudence. Now when a man speaks a thing prudently and wisely, you believe that he will carry it out if he can. You may have much more confidence with regard to what The Lord says, for He has not spoken without due deliberation, therefore, whenever God says "I will," you may be sure that He will perform it.

Next, when God says "I will," His resolution is supported by omnipotence. You say "I will," but you cannot do what you have promised. Your will is good enough but you fail because of the lack of means. You say "I will, yes I will," but afterwards you have to meekly say, "I pray thee, take the will for the deed" for you have overshot the mark and are unable to perform what you have promised. Now that can never happen with God. Hath He said and shall He not do it? Is anything too hard for The Lord?, especially anything which He has promised to perform. Come then dear friends, if God be omnipotent, and we know that He is, when He says "I will," we dare not doubt it, for eternal power goes forth with the word of His wisdom, and it must be yea, it shall be done. Whatever doubts we might have had, if it were not God's "I will," vanish when we come to remember that all things are possible with Him.

Furthermore, when God says "I will," we should remember that it is sealed with immutability. We change, we are always changing. Made of dust and ashes, we are made of materials that continues to change. Hence we say today "I will," and we mean it, but tomorrow we wish we had never said "I will," and the next day we say "I will not," Ah me the suicides that have come through resting on the word of a man that was false and proved a traitor to his friend. But God never changes, He is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. The thing that has gone out of His mouth shall never be reversed. When He once says "I will," depend on this, He still says "I will," and till heaaven and earth shall pass away, it will still be "I will," He is too perfect to change, for being perfect He cannot change. A changeable being either changes from a worse to a better, in which case he was not perfect before, or he changes from a better to a worse, in which case he will not be perfect afterwards. But God being always perfect is always the same, never withdrawing His word or altering His purpose. Will you not therefore believe the unfailing word of an unchanging God? can you not hang upon it? and when He says "I will," depend upon it that it shall be even so.

Once more when God says "I will," it will be carried out with faithfulness. He has fulfilled His threatenings. He never idly vapours and utters words of terror without intending to carry them out, and when it comes to promises, rest you sure that God never flatters the ear, and then decieves the man. If He did not mean to do it, He would not say "I will." Eternal faithfulness performs what eternal wisdom declares. Shall God lie? Is He a man as thou art? Will He decieve? Will He promise falsely and then run from His word? That be far from Him, and let it be far from us thus to sin against Him with such a thought. Come then, child of God, thou who knowest Him, if He has said, "I will help thee," He will help thee. If He says "I will strengthen thee," He will strengthen thee. Believe God without a trace of doubt and "be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in The Lord.