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!