PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 BV 4501 .M484 1892 
 Meyer, F. B. 1847-1929 
 Christian living 
 
 if- 
 
^'Feio books of recent years are better adapted to in- 
 struct and help Christians than those of this author. 
 He is a man mighty in the Scriptures."— D L. Moody. 
 
 WRITINGS OF REV, F. B. MEYER. 
 
 We have learned to take up with eagerness whatever 
 bears the name of this author.— Standard. 
 
 Eminently the offering of a heart full of the love of God. 
 —Magazine of Christian Literature. 
 
 He will point out to many a reader unsuspected truth 
 and beauty in the Scriptures.— Watchman. 
 
 The Life and Light of Men Si 
 
 Tried BY Fire. Expositions of ist Peter, i 
 
 Moses: The Max of God ... i 
 
 Israel: A Prince with God i 
 
 Abraham ; or, The Obedience of Faith, i 
 Elijah, and the Secret of His Power, i 
 
 The Shepherd Psalm 
 
 Christian Living 
 
 Present Tenses of the Blessed Life, 
 
 ENVELOPE SERIES OF BOOKLETS. 
 
 The Chambers of the King. 
 With Christ in Separation. 
 Seven Rules for Dpily Living. 
 The Secret of Victory over 
 
 Sin. 
 The First Step into the Blessed 
 
 Life. 
 Words of Help for Christian 
 
 Girls. 
 The Filling of the Holy Spirit. 
 The Stewardship of Money. 
 In the Secret of His Presence. 
 
 Where am I Wrong ? 
 Young Men, Don't Drift! 
 The Lost Chord Found, 
 Why Sign the Pledge? 
 The Secret of Power. 
 The Secret of Guidance 
 Peace, Perfect Peace 
 How to Read your Bible. 
 Burdens, and What to Do 
 
 with Them. 
 The Blessed Dead. 
 Not Eradication. 
 
 20c. per dozen, or $1.50 per 100. 
 
 Choice Extracts from Mr. Meyer's writings, com- 
 piled by Rev. B. Fay Mills, 5c. or 33c. per doz. 
 
 Any of the above sent post-free to any address on re- 
 ceipt of price. 
 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIVING. 
 
 Rev. F. B. MEYER, B.A., 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 'Elijah: and the Secret of His Power; 
 '■'■ Israel: a Prince with God;^* 
 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 "We thus judge, . . . that they which live should not 
 henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died 
 for them and rose again." — 2 CoR. v. 14, 15. 
 
 NEW YORK ANo CHICAGO. 
 
 JlcminQ 1b. IRevell Company 
 
 Publishers of Evangelical Literature. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892, by 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY, in the Office of the 
 Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ^^^HESE chapters contain the essence 
 ^"^ of Addresses delivered at several 
 Conferences and Missions, in which 
 they have been wonderfully used to the 
 quickening of the children of God. 
 
 Looked at in this form, they seem as 
 unlikely to produce life as the rod which 
 was laid in vain on the face of the dead 
 child (2 Kings iv. 31). Yet may He who 
 caused the rod of Aaron to bud and bear 
 fruit graciously bless these words after 
 like manner; and use them to answer 
 some of the questions which are being 
 so eagerly asked on all sides, as to the 
 attainment of a nobler ideal of Christian 
 Living. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 I. The Appropriation of 
 
 Christ 9 
 
 II. Christ's Proprietorship . . 27 
 
 III. Reciprocal Indwelling. . . 41 
 
 IV. "Sin" AND "Sins" 58 
 
 V. The Will 'j^ 
 
 VI. Guidance 95 
 
 VII. The Fulness of THE Spirit 114 
 
 VIII. Our Work for Christ. .. . 134 
 
 IX. Concluding Words 149 
 
CHRISTIAN LIVING, 
 
 -oO> 
 
 Zbc Bpproprlatlon of Cbrist 
 
 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ."— Romans xz/z. 14. 
 
 ^T the beginning of the Christian 
 life, for the most part at least, we 
 try to imitate Jesus Christ. There is 
 Scriptural warrant for our doing so. 
 And the time will never come when we 
 may not look up to Him as our model 
 and ideal, with that eager, longing gaze 
 which must exert something of a trans- 
 forming influence. But if this be all, 
 we shall find our Christian life one of 
 unutterable disappointment and sorrow. 
 The infinite beauty and glory of our 
 ideal must ever distance our noblest 
 efforts, as the inaccessible heights of the 
 
I o trbe Hpproprtatton of (Tbrlst 
 
 Jungfrau, clad in untrodden snows, rise 
 higher and ever higher above the tra- 
 veller as he approaches them along the 
 valley at their foot. 
 
 In a railway carriage recently I was 
 attracted by the earnest look on the 
 face of a young man who was reading 
 "The Imitation of Christ." Some kin- 
 ship of spirit drew me to his side, and 
 the conversation naturally opened by a 
 reference to the holy meditations of the 
 almost unknown saint, which has be- 
 come part of the household literature 
 of the Church. Without depreciating 
 that precious manual of the holy life, I 
 ventured to suggest that "imitation* 
 alone was insufficient for the purpose 
 we had in view ; and that there was a 
 more excellent way. 
 
 Years ago, when a lad at school, ther^ 
 was failure in my attempts to imitate 
 with clumsy fingers the smooth cop- 
 per-plate at the head of my copy-book, 
 nor was there better success in the en- 
 
3t is a Scriptural XTbouobt* 1 1 
 
 deavor to imitate the finished drawing 
 placed upon the easel; and the captain 
 of the school could throw cricket-ball 
 and hammer for almost as many yards, 
 as the slender arms of his imitator could 
 throw them feet. Yes, and as year 
 after year I have tried to imitate the 
 matchless glories of Jesus Christ, there 
 has been the same weary sense of fail- 
 ure, beneath which heart and hope have 
 sunk down baffled and disappointed. 
 
 There is another word, which carries 
 with it the inspiration of a new hope, 
 and speaks of the possibilities of faith 
 — the word Appropriation. Let us not 
 be content with the effort to imitate 
 Christ; let us appropriate Him, as the 
 flowers of spring and the fruits of 
 autumn appropiate the properties of the 
 sap and dew and balmy air, and all the 
 glorious forces that lie hid in sunbeams. 
 
 This thought is Scriptural. What is it 
 but another way of expressing the 
 Apostle's exortation to "put on the 
 
1 2 Ube appropriation of Cbvist 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ"? (Rom. xiii. 14.) In 
 Him, by the good pleasure of the Father, 
 all fulness dwells, that we might re- 
 ceive of it grace upon grace; and that 
 reception is but another term for ap- 
 propriation. In giving us His Son, the 
 Father hath given unto us all things 
 that pertain unto life and godliness; 
 but that gracious provision avails us 
 nothing until we claim and appropriate 
 it by a living faith. The promises are 
 all ours: but they are vain until we lay 
 upon them the hand of appropriating 
 proprietorship; and, as heirs, enter upon 
 our inheritance. All true faith must 
 have in it this thought of appropriation. 
 We first know by hearing what are our 
 glorious privileges and rights. Then 
 we reckon that the record is true. And, 
 finally, we begin to use that which has 
 been so freely given. Like the pilgrim- 
 saints of olden days, "we are persuaded 
 of them, and embrace them." (Heb. 
 xi. 13.) 
 
This thought is also confirmed by ex- 
 perieiice. A little group of earnest men 
 were gathered not long ago around a 
 fire, eagerly discussing the methods of 
 a holy life, and reciting their own ex- 
 periences of the grace of God. One 
 had recently entered upon the gladness 
 of a life of entire consecration, and 
 spoke fervently of his new-found joys. 
 But when his story was told, a venerable 
 clergyman expressed his disappoint- 
 ment at an experience which was only 
 negative, and told so little of the posi- 
 tive side of the appropriation of Christ. 
 
 Years before, when engaged in a 
 gathering of unruly and noisy children, 
 he had been suddenly driven to claim 
 from the Saviour the gift of his own 
 gentle patience, in the words, *'Thy 
 patience, Lord!" And instantly so divine 
 a calm filled his spirit that he realized 
 that he had made a great discovery. 
 And from that moment he had retained 
 the extremes of his brief petition, in- 
 
1 4 XTbe Hppr oprtation ot Cbrtst 
 
 serting between them the grace, the lack 
 of which was hurrying him to sin. In 
 moments of weakness, "Thy strength. 
 Lord!" or in moments of conscious 
 strength, "Thy humility. Lord!" When 
 assailed by unholy suggestions, "Thy 
 purity, Lord!" or when passing through 
 deep waters of trial, "Thy resignation 
 and restfulness. Lord!" What is this 
 but a living example of the appropria- 
 tion of Christ? 
 
 T/iis thought would light up the darkest, 
 saddest life. We sadly chide ourselves 
 for our failures; and yet we are op- 
 pressed by the weary consciousness that 
 we are all too likely to repeat them. 
 We catch glimpses of ideals in the lives 
 of others, and in our own happier mo- 
 ments, that only mock us. We fail to 
 adorn the Gospel of God our Saviour 
 in all things, because we lack the ma- 
 terials for the beautiful garments of our 
 array. And all this because we do not 
 realize that all of Jesus is for us; only 
 
Gives 5o^ anb Strengtb* 1 5 
 
 waiting for us to appropriate it with 
 exceeding joy. 
 
 Jesus Christ is an Armory, in which 
 hang armour for defence, and weapons 
 for attack. Happy is he who has 
 learned to enter the sacred arsenal, to 
 gird on the breast-plate and helmet, and 
 to lay his hand to spear and sword! 
 Christ is a Banqueting-house, in which 
 the tables groan beneath the weight of 
 all that is needed for the supply of ap- 
 petite and the gratification of taste. 
 Happy is he who makes free of the rich 
 provision, and comes to it whenever he 
 needs! Christ is a Surgery, stored with 
 all manner of restoritives and blessed 
 elixirs; nor lacks an ointment for every 
 wound, a cordial for every faintness, a 
 remedy for every disease. Happy is he 
 who is well-skilled in heavenly phar- 
 macy, and knoweth how to avail himself 
 of his healing virtues: Christ is the 
 Jewel-room, in which the graces of the 
 Christian are held in strong and safe 
 
16 Ube Hpproprtatton ot Cbrist 
 
 keeping. Happy is he who knows which 
 is the key to the massive doors, so that 
 he can go in and out at his will, and array 
 himself in "whatsoever things are love- 
 ly, and whatsoever things are of good 
 report! " With burning words like these 
 the saintly heart expatiates on the ful- 
 ness of Christ. But, after all, how inade- 
 quate the words are to express all the 
 rapture, the strength, the grace, which 
 become the spending-money of the man 
 who has learnt to appropriate the Lord 
 Jesus! He moves from the attic into 
 comfortable apartments. He becomes 
 a first-class traveller by the most luxu- 
 rious route. He no longer laments his 
 leanness; but cries with the ring of a 
 new hope, "I can do all things through 
 Christ which strengtheneth me." 
 
 It is difficult — nay, impossible — to 
 employ words sufficiently emphatic, or 
 forcible, to enforce this habit of Christ- 
 appropriation on Christian hearts. Suf- 
 fice it to say that it would be as life 
 
Hs ©ur TKIllst)om* 17 
 
 from the dead for many who read these 
 lines, and whose life has been a series 
 of disappointments. Let us work it out 
 in one or two directions, as suggested 
 by the Apostle when he says: "Of 
 Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God 
 is made unto us wisdom, and righteous- 
 ness, and sanctification, and redemp- 
 tion." (i Cor. i. 30.) Let us 
 
 I. Appropriate Christ as our Wisdom. 
 Many true Christains find it difficult 
 to know the will of God. They long to 
 do it, if only they knew it; but it is hid- 
 den from their eyes. "Should I move 
 to another town ? " " Should I take such 
 a step in business?" "Should I enter 
 into such a partnership, or ally myself 
 with such an enterprise?" "Should I 
 embark in this new branch of Christian 
 activity?" Such questions are con- 
 stantly arising and pressing for an an- 
 swer in all our lives; and as they do so 
 they excite the instant inquiry, " Lord, 
 
1 8 Ube Hpproprlatton of Cbrtst, 
 
 what wilt Thou have me to do?" 
 
 But how may we know God's will? 
 That is not always easy. Yet the diffi- 
 culty is not in Him. He does not wish 
 us to grope painfully in the dark. Nay, 
 He is ever giving us many signs and 
 hints as to the way we should take, too 
 delicate to be perceived by the coarse 
 eye of sense, but clear enough to those 
 who are divested of self-will and pride, 
 and only anxious to know and do the 
 holy and acceptable and perfect will of 
 God. 
 
 It is a mistake to seek a sign from 
 heaven; to run from counsellor to coun- 
 sellor; to cast a lot; or to trust to some 
 chance coincidence. Not that God may 
 not reveal His will thus; but because it 
 is hardly the behaviour of a child with 
 its Father. There is a more excellent 
 way. Let the heart be quieted and 
 stilled in the presence of God; weaned 
 from all earthly distractions and world- 
 ly ambitions. Let the voice of the Son 
 
Hs ©ur IRigbteousness* 19 
 
 of God hush into perfect rest the storms 
 that sweep the lake of the inner life, 
 and ruffle its calm surface. Let the 
 whole being be centred on God Him- 
 self. And then, remembering that all 
 who lack wisdom are to ask it of God, 
 and that Jesus Christ is already made 
 unto us wisdom, let us quietly appro- 
 priate Him, in that capacity, by faith; 
 and then go forward, perhaps not con- 
 scious of any increase of wisdom, or 
 able to see far in front; but sure that 
 we shall be guided, as each new step 
 must be taken, or word spoken, or de- 
 cision made. It is an immense help in 
 any difficulty to say, " I take thee. Lord 
 Jesus, as my wisdom," and to do the 
 next thing, nothing doubting; assured 
 that He will not permit those who trust 
 in Him to be ashamed. 
 
 n. Let us appropriate Christ as our 
 Righteousness. 
 It is not necessary to convince the 
 readers of these lines that they need a 
 
20 Ube Hpproprtatlon of Cbttst 
 
 righteousness, in whose stainless white 
 they may stand accepted before the 
 Holy Father. That, alas! is but too ap- 
 parent. Conscious of our nakedness 
 and sin, we once sought to establish 
 our ownrighteousness, stitching together 
 the fig-leaves, which died as we plucked 
 them, and became sere and shrivelled. 
 But since then we have submitted our- 
 selves to the righteousness of God, 
 which is by faith. There is often, how- 
 ever, an apparent doubt in Christian 
 hearts as to their relation to that right- 
 eousness; and they do not realize that, 
 whether they feel it not, it is, neverthe- 
 less, covering them, in all its radiant 
 beauty; for in the thought of God, 
 every believer is arrayed in the beaute- 
 ous dress of the Saviour's finished work. 
 "It is UPON all them that believe." 
 (Rom. iii. 22.) There is only one kind 
 of faith, and directly it is exercised, 
 though amid many doubts and fears, 
 the believer is justified, accepted in the 
 
as Onv IRigbteousness* 21 
 
 Beloved, and accounted not only as for- 
 giv^en, but as righteous in the sight of 
 God. This is so, whether it be realized 
 or not. 
 
 The first moment of faith is the time 
 when we begin to appropriate the right- 
 eousness of Christ. At first it is with 
 trembling hands that we gird ourselves 
 in the dress that cost our Lord so much. 
 We fear, as we enter the most holy 
 place, and stand where angels worship; 
 but, as the days pass on, and we learn 
 more of its efficiency, its adaptation to 
 our need, and its preciousness in the 
 sight of God, we become more assured 
 of our position, and notwithstanding re- 
 peated failures in the past, the misgiv- 
 ings of nature, and the taunts of hell, 
 we have boldness to enter into that 
 which is within the vail. 
 
 Jesus Christ has been made to us 
 righteousness by God; but He needs to 
 be appropriated by faith when we are 
 first convinced of sin, and ever after, 
 
22 ube Hppropriatton of Cbrlst 
 
 when conscious of our worthlessness 
 and guilt. How triumphant the ejacu- 
 lation, "Jesus, I flee unto Thee to hide 
 me; I appropriate Thee as my right- 
 eousness before God!" 
 
 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 
 my soul shall be joyful in my God: for 
 He hath clothed me with the garments 
 of salvation, He hath covered me with 
 the robe of righteousness." 
 
 HI. Let us appropriate Christ as our 
 Sanctification. 
 
 Sanctification is separation — separa- 
 tion from sin; separation to God, to the 
 point of devotion. There often arises 
 before us the vision of a devoted life; 
 such a life as Jesus lived, whose only 
 thought was to do the will of God. To 
 recognize God as the sole source of holi- 
 ness. To lean on Him, and to listen foV 
 His voice within the heart as the sole 
 and sufficient guide. To live apart from 
 the restless aims and fretting ambitions 
 
Hs Qixv Sanctificatton, 23 
 
 of men. To be separate from sin — holy, 
 harmless, and without rebuke. To keep 
 ever in touch with God and His thoughts 
 and aims. To obey him at all hazards 
 and costs. To be the channel through 
 which the river of God may flow down 
 into earths desert places, making them 
 rejoice and blossom — ah, what an ideal 
 is here ! 
 
 Yet at first this ideal mocks us sore- 
 ly. It is high, we cannot attain unto it. 
 And we shall be beaten by repeated 
 failures until we learn the secret, which 
 is just now our chosen theme. Apart 
 from that, there is nothing for us, but 
 sadly to renounce the bright vision 
 as impossible; though perhaps reserved 
 for saintly hearts which spend their 
 time in cloistered piety. 
 
 But it is brought within the range of 
 the humblest and weakest disciple, who 
 renounces all hope of realizing it through 
 nature's efforts, and who appropriates 
 Christ in his all-sufficiency. Trust the 
 
24 Ubc Hppropriatton of Cbrtst 
 
 Holy Spirit to work in you a perpetual 
 remembrance of the Lord Jesus; and 
 then avail yourself of Him in all His 
 offices and work. And amongst other 
 aspects, be sure to appropriate Him as 
 your sanctification. When tempted to 
 cross the line of separation, or to relax 
 the energy of your devotion, look up- 
 ward, and say, "Be thou to me in fact 
 that which the Father has already made 
 Thee, in possibility and by right, my 
 Sanctification." 
 
 IV. Let us appropriate Christ as our 
 Redemption. 
 
 We have been redeemed from the 
 curse of the law, because He was made 
 a curse for us. But we long to be re- 
 deemed from the power of sin. "The 
 good we would, we do not; the evil we 
 would not, we do." And this longing 
 shall be met; because it would not be 
 like our God to leave us to the mercy 
 of the strong Pharaoh-like foes, which 
 
Bs Qxw 1Re&emption. 25 
 
 have made us serve under cruel bondage 
 for so long. He must come down to 
 deliver us. Ah, what joyful news it is 
 that He has done so, and has provided 
 a sufficient deliverance in Jesus, 
 
 But this redemption waits our appro- 
 priation, as the flowers of spring await 
 the hand of the flower-girl; or as the 
 deliverance wrought for the Jews by 
 Mordecai awaited their personal action, 
 which made it their own. From this 
 moment give up your strivings and en- 
 deavors, and take Christ as your deliv- 
 erance from all the sins which have 
 broken your peace, and cursed your 
 joy. When the oppressor approaches 
 you; when the old habit seeks to assert 
 itself; when easily besetting sin begins 
 to weave its snare about you, or sudden- 
 ly to assail — then look up to the Saviour, 
 and say, ** I appropriate Thee as my re- 
 demption in this my hour of need ! " 
 
 A lady travelling in the Southern 
 States, after President Lincoln had pro- 
 
26 Ube Bppropriation of Cbrist 
 
 claimed the freedom of the slaves, found 
 a black woman, who was acting as a 
 slave, because she did not know that 
 her race was free. She had heard ru- 
 mors, which her owner and others had 
 denounced as lies. But as soon as she 
 knew that she was free, see appropri- 
 ated her freedom, and went forth into 
 liberty. Let it be clearly understood 
 that the Son has made us free, who 
 bear His name; let us avail ourselves of 
 our right; and go forth into the glorious 
 liberty of the sons of God. 
 
 This is the secret, then, of a glad and 
 victorious life, unshadowed by cloud or 
 defeat: Jesus Christ for all who believe; 
 awaiting only the appropriation of the 
 most trembling hand stretched out to- 
 wards Him in expectation of faith. 
 
 It is a goodly land which the Lord 
 our god giveth us in which scarceness 
 and penury are unknown. Let us not 
 linger on the threshold, but go in to 
 possess it with songs of thanksgiving. 
 
II. 
 
 Cbrlst's proprtetorsbtp* 
 
 "V/hose I am, and Whom I Serve." — Acts xxvii. 23. 
 
 fN the "Song of Songs, which is Solo- 
 ^ mon's," there is a beautiful gradation 
 of expression, which significantly illus- 
 trites the successive steps in the expe- 
 rience of the soul. Thrice does the 
 bride speak of the Bridegroom in similar 
 terms; but in each case there is a slight 
 alteration in the phraseology, which 
 speaks volumes of her deepening char- 
 acter, and truer attitude towards Him. 
 
 •'My Beloved is mine, and I am His." 
 (Song of Solomon ii. i6.) "I am my 
 Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." 
 (vi. 3.) "I am my Beloved's, and His 
 desire is toward me." (vii. lO.) 
 
28 (Tbrtst's propdetorsbtp. 
 
 At first she lays the chief stress on the 
 thought that all her Beloved was hers, 
 and that she had a right to employ con- 
 cerning Him the appropriating pronoun 
 My; it was only a secondary consider- 
 ation that she was also His. 
 
 But as her thought ran on, she 
 changed the relative place of the two 
 clauses of the sentence, and laid her pri- 
 mal emphasis not on her appropriation 
 of Him, but on his proprietorship of 
 her: "I am His." 
 
 And, lastly, this conception so filled 
 her mind that she had no thought of 
 her side of the matter, and was alto- 
 gether absorbed in the happy conscious- 
 ness that she belonged utterly, and for 
 ever, to the object of her supreme and 
 adoring love. 
 
 This is also the history of each scholar 
 in the school of grace. We begin by 
 calculating how much there is in Christ 
 for us. We appropriate His fulness, 
 and count ourselves millionaires in His 
 
XTbe IRunawap Slave. 29 
 
 wealth. And there is no wrong or harm 
 in this. But, as the days pass on, we 
 realize that there is a yet profounder truth 
 on which this rests; and to have that is 
 to have in addition all that Christ can 
 be and do for the soul which clings to 
 Him — as the limpet to the rock on 
 which the long line of waves breaks, 
 with boom of thunder and clouds of 
 spray, without detaching it from its 
 hold. We begin by saying, Christ is 
 mi7ie: we go on to say, Ia?it His. We pass 
 from the appropriation of Christ by us 
 to the proprietorship of us by Christ. 
 And this is surely a happier and better 
 standing- ground: because the hand, 
 which appropriates only, may become 
 numbed and tired; but that which is 
 locked in the hand of Christ, in the 
 tight grasp of ownership, can never be 
 withdrawn. 
 
 Did you, my Christian reader, ever 
 realize the conception that you are ab- 
 solutely Christ's? You may not own it: 
 
30 Cbrlst's proprtetorsbtp, 
 
 you may not live beneath its power: 
 nay, you may seek to cast the thought 
 aside; as Onesimus, who, when he fled 
 from Ephesus to hide himself, truant that 
 he was, in the slums of Rome, tried to 
 forget the claims which Philemon, his 
 master, had over him, by right of pur- 
 chase. All this you may do: and yet, 
 in spite of all, you are as much Christ's 
 property as any slave would be the 
 chattel of the man who had paid down 
 his price in the market, or who had 
 received him as part of the family 
 estate by right of inheritance. 
 
 And not only are yon the property of 
 Christ; but all you are and have is His 
 also. The master owns not only the 
 slave, but all the proceeds of his toils; 
 and all the personal or other property 
 which he may acquire. The hapless 
 serf can point to nothing as his; all is 
 his master's. He is but a steward, 
 bound to account for the way in which 
 every coin is expended; at the best per- 
 
IRcsts on /IDanp 6rount)6» 31 
 
 mitted to deduct from the general pro- 
 ceeds of the estate only a bare sufficiency 
 for his personal maintenance; but ex- 
 pected to forward all the rest to his 
 master, or expend it on such interests as 
 he may direct. This is our rightful 
 position with respect to Christ. Paul 
 was proud to call himself the bond-slave 
 of Jesus Christ. He chose as his motto 
 the immortal words (badge of a slavery 
 which does not degrade, but enobles all 
 who bend beneath its yoke), "Whose I 
 am, and whom I serve." 
 
 I. Christ's Proprietorship rests on 
 MANY Grounds. 
 
 We are His <^j/ Creatio?i: His image 
 and superscription have been stamped 
 upon every lineament of our face, though 
 almost obliterated as the effigy of the 
 sovereign from a well-worn coin. " It is 
 He that hath made us, and His we are." 
 
 We are His by Purchase: for never 
 was slave more certainly acquired by 
 
32 Cbrist's iproprtetorsbtp^ 
 
 silver and gold than we have been 
 bought by His precious blood. "Ye are 
 not your own, ye are bought with a 
 price, wherefore glorify God in your 
 body and in your spirit, which are His." 
 
 We are His by Deed of Gift: for the 
 Father has given to Him all who shall 
 come to Him; and it is impossible to 
 believe that donation could be of any- 
 thing less than our whole being. When 
 God gave us, He gave all of us. 
 
 We are His by Cojiqiiest: for the Man- 
 soul of our inner nature has opened to 
 Him her gates, unable longer to resist; 
 and, even though He be not as yet re- 
 cognized in all her environs, there is 
 no doubt that He is her rightful Lord 
 and King. 
 
 Ah! it is impossible to escape the 
 fact, that in the thought of God, and 
 according to the rights of the case, we 
 are the absolute property of Jesus Christ, 
 our Lord: and that he thinks much of 
 that fact, is evident in the frequent re- 
 
35 Bbsolute. 33 
 
 ferences of His High-priestly prayer 
 (John xvii.), though we, alas! are too 
 forgetful of His claims. 
 
 H. The Act of Consecration consists 
 IN THE Recognition of Christ's ab- 
 solute Proprietorship. 
 Men often ask and wonder what that 
 consecration is to which they are urged. 
 They suppose that it is something alto- 
 gether over and beyond what is ex- 
 pected from ordinary Christians. But 
 this is a profound mistake. Consecra- 
 tion is simply giving Christ His own, 
 and restoring stolen property to its 
 rightful owner. Consecration is to give 
 to Christ by choice that which is His 
 by indefeasible right; but which He 
 will not snatch from any one. 
 
 The men of Israel were David's by 
 God's appointment; but they could not 
 rest content until they had swum the Jor- 
 dan at its flood, and had fallen at the feet 
 of their rightful king, crying, "Thine 
 
34 Cbrtst's iproprtetorsbtp^ 
 
 are we, David; and on thy side, thou 
 son of Jesse." (i Chron. xii. i-i8.) 
 Should we be content without saying as 
 much to our Saviour, Jesus? 
 
 Of course we all in a general way re- 
 cognize Christ's ownership. "We are 
 His people, and the sheep of his pas- 
 ture." But we must do it in a particular 
 and personal sense. We must crown 
 Him King of our hearts and lives by our 
 own glad choice. We must bring the 
 whole of our nature and life under His 
 direct control. We must be willing that 
 His will should be as supreme, and as 
 universally honored, in us, as it is in His 
 own bright home. We must come to 
 the point of saying something like this: 
 "Lord Jesus, I am Thine by right; for- 
 give me for having lived so long as if I 
 were my own. I now gladly recognize 
 that Thou hast a rightful claim on all I 
 have and am; I want to live as Thine 
 from henceforth; and I do solemnly at 
 this hour give myself to Thee, by my own 
 
personal Gonsecratton. 35 
 
 glad choice : Thine entirely: Thine in 
 life and death: Thine forever." 
 
 III. There are a Few Cautions and 
 Directions necessary in this Act 
 OF Consecration. 
 
 ( 1 ) The act of consecration is the 
 taking-up of an attitude, which must 
 never be renounced; or if it is lost for a 
 moment, it must instantly be resumed, 
 with prayer for forgiveness and for 
 cleansing. But this is only possible 
 through the gracious aid of the Eternal 
 Spirit, through whom the Lord Jesus 
 offered Himself without spot to God; 
 and through whom alone, we shall be 
 able to take up and maintain this sacred 
 attitude. 
 
 (2) As the light grows we shall be- 
 come increasingly aware of new depart- 
 ments of our heart and life, that were 
 not consciously included in our first 
 glad act of surrender. But as they come 
 to view, we must hand them also into 
 
36 Cbrist's proprtetorsbtp. 
 
 the governorship of the King. We must 
 send them on, as we might send on the 
 loose sheets of a book to a friend, who 
 had already taken away the bulk. 
 
 {3) There is no reason, in the nature 
 of the case, why the children of God 
 should not become consecrated from the 
 very moment of conversion. It should 
 be the normal state of Christians. And 
 with many it is so. Redeemed from 
 eternal death, they instantly give them- 
 selves to their Deliverer, as those alive 
 from the dead. But with most this is 
 not the case. And so it is necessary, at 
 some future period of their lives, when 
 the claims of Christ suddenly break on 
 them, that they should come to the 
 definite point of self-surrender. 
 
 (4) It matters little when, and how, 
 we do it; whether by speech, or in 
 writing; whether alone, or in company. 
 But we must not be content with a vague 
 desire. There should be a definite act, 
 at a given moment of time, when we 
 
shall gladly sign, and seal, and confess, 
 that we are His. (Isaiah xliv. 5.) 
 
 (5) Sometimes we may feel unable 
 to GIVE all; but we are willing that He 
 should TAKE all. This is equally ac- 
 ceptable to Him. And is it not a better 
 and more scriptural way of putting the 
 truth? For we might be troubled by 
 grievous questionings, as to whether we 
 had really given all, or whether there 
 were not some fatal flaw^ in our act. But 
 if the question is simply one of His 
 taking — or of our being willing for Him 
 to take — entire possession; so that 
 every imagination is cast down, every 
 thought brought into captivity, and our 
 wills moulded into harmony with His: 
 then rough places are made smooth, 
 and crooked ones straight. This is the 
 charm of Miss Havergal's Consecration 
 Hymn; its key-word is — take! 
 
 (6) The ACT OF CONSECRATION is Can- 
 celled by one reserve. To give ninety- 
 nine parts and to withhold the hun- 
 
38 Cbrist's iproprtetorsbip, 
 
 dredth undoes the whole transaction; 
 because in that one piece of reserve the 
 whole of the self-life entrenches itself, 
 defying Him. It may seem impossible 
 to renounce that one thing; but in cling- 
 ing to it, you forego for ever all right 
 to His blessed fulness. The electrician 
 cannot charge your body with electrici- 
 ty, while a single thread connects you 
 with the ground, and breaks the com- 
 pleteness of your insulation. The phy- 
 sician cannot undertake your case whilst 
 you conceal one symptom, or yourself 
 seek to effect a cure in one particular. 
 The Lord Jesus cannot fully save you 
 whilst there is one point of controversy 
 between you and Him. Let Him have 
 that one last thing, the last barrier and 
 film to a life of blessedness; and glory 
 will come, filling your soul. 
 
 (7) What we give, Christ takes; and 
 at the moment of our giving it. There 
 may, perhaps, be no rush of emotion. 
 We may have no inward evidence of 
 
IReciprocal (3i\)ing» 39 
 
 the momentous change in our position. 
 The reckoning may have for many days 
 to be one, not of feeling, but of faith. 
 We can only say, "I am His; because I- 
 gave, and He took." But sooner or 
 later we become aware that the flames 
 of the heavenly fire have fallen on our 
 sacrifice; feeding on it; appropriating 
 it; cleansing it; and preparing it for 
 blessed, holy service. 
 
 It is very important to realize this 
 point. In consecration we make the 
 same mistake, as is so prevalent in con- 
 version; of trying to feel in ourselves 
 that Christ has taken us. We must be- 
 lieve He takes that which we commit 
 to Him; though no angel comes to as- 
 sure us that we are henceforth His own, 
 
 What we give, God takes; and He 
 takes it in fire. We do not always realize 
 all that is involved. But it is sublime 
 to tread the glowing embers of that fire, 
 with the Son of God at our side, know- 
 ing that the restraining bonds are shri- 
 
40 Cbrtst's proprietorsbip. 
 
 veiling at every step, and that not a 
 hair of our head can perish. 
 
 This is CONSECRATION. And from this 
 'glad hour the surrendered one dares to 
 begin appropriating Christ: a blessed 
 habit, which by the grace of the Holy 
 Spirit becomes the practice of the life. 
 Reader, be persuaded to take this step. 
 Seek some lonely spot, some still hour, 
 and give yourself to Him who gave 
 Himself for you on the Cross; and who 
 waits to give Himself continually to 
 you in response to the claims of your 
 appropriating faith. 
 
III. 
 
 IRectprocal 3nt)welllnG» 
 
 "Abide in Me, and I in you." — John xv. 4, 
 
 •'-^HAT I may dwell in the house of 
 ^^ the Lord all the days of my life" 
 was the aspiration of the man after God's 
 own heart. ( Psalm xxvii. 4. ) It became 
 his saintly soul, but it cannot be liter- 
 ally realized in these days, when there 
 is no longer a material earthly sanctu- 
 ary. And yet there is a sense in which 
 that wish may be verified in the history 
 of us all. What is "the house of the 
 Lord," but the conscious presence of 
 the Lord? And they who have ac- 
 quired the blessed habit of perpetually 
 recollecting the nearness of Jesus know 
 something, at least, of that "dwelling in 
 
42 IReciprocal 3n&welling, 
 
 the secret place of the Most High," and 
 "abidinof under the shadow of the Al- 
 mighty," of which the Psalmist sang. 
 (Psalm xci.) 
 
 If only we could acquire that blessed 
 habit, and maintain that hallowed atti- 
 tude of spirit, we should need few 
 exhortations beside. We should be per- 
 fectly satisfied with — Himself. We 
 should hold all things in Him. We 
 should fear no foe, fighting under the 
 Captain's eye. We should be set free 
 from the power of besetting sin, as the 
 fire in our grates is extinguished when 
 the sun shines brilliantly upon the glow- 
 ing embers. How strong — how sweet 
 — how happy — should we be, if only 
 we could dwell in the unbroken enjoy- 
 ment of the presence of the King! — so 
 that He should be first in every thought, 
 and act, and moment of life. 
 
 You say that this may be possible for 
 the priest, or the saint, but not for those 
 who are harassed with daily care: for 
 
**HbiDeln/IDe/' 43 
 
 the cloister, but not for the market: for 
 the holy day, but not for the working 
 day, with its dust and clamor. Yet, 
 surely, since the Master bids us all to 
 abide in Him, and stays not to limit His 
 meaning, or define the character of 
 those who are welcome to stand contin- 
 ually in His presence, we must infer 
 that He wishes to make no distinction, 
 but to admit all His servants to share in 
 the bright and blessed privilege. 
 
 But can the mind be occupied with 
 two thoughts at once? Perhaps not: 
 yet — though it may be impossible for 
 the mind to entertain at the same in- 
 stant more than one train of ideas — 
 beneath the mmd there is the heart, with 
 all its sensibilities and deep emotional 
 life, instantly and always alive to the 
 presence or absence of some beloved 
 object, even when the mind is most 
 busily engaged. 
 
 The orator is conscious of the pres- 
 ence and appreciation of his audience, 
 
44 IRecfprocal JnbweUtna. 
 
 even when his intellect is most busily en- 
 gaged in furnishing the thought which 
 he is uttering. The business man, ab- 
 sorbed in counting up his books, whilst 
 his wife is quietly occupied with her work 
 by his side, is aware of her sweet pres- 
 ence, at the very moment when he is 
 adding up the longest column of figures. 
 The young mother may be very busy 
 about the house, tidying the rooms in 
 the upper stories, but her heart is al- 
 ways on the alert for the cry of the 
 babe, whose crib is beside the kitchen 
 fire. So we may be fully occupied in 
 thought and act, and yet our heart may 
 be abiding in holy and blessed com- 
 munion with our Lord, as "a living 
 bright reality, 
 
 "More present to Faith's vision keen 
 Than any earthly object seen ; 
 More dear, more intimately nigh 
 Than e'en the closest earthly tie." 
 
 But before this blessed consciousness 
 of the presence of Christ can be ours, 
 we must know experimentally the mean- 
 
Cbrist In XDls* 45 
 
 ing of the Apostle's words, "Christ liv- 
 eth in me." (Gal. ii. 20.) In point of 
 fact, there is a lovely reciprocity in this 
 indwelling. We abide in Him, because 
 He abides in us. In the translucent 
 depths of southern seas, the voyager is 
 aware of the infinite variety of sponge- 
 growth, waving to and fro with the gentle 
 movement of the tide; and the ocean is 
 in the sponge, whilst the sponge is in 
 the ocean, illustrating the reciprocal in- 
 dwelling of the believer in Christ, and 
 Christ in the believer. Take the com- 
 mon iron poker from your fireside, and 
 place it amid the fiery bed of burning 
 coals, and soon it becomes red-hot, be- 
 cause the fire is in it whilst it is in the 
 fire. Shall the time not come when we 
 shall learn the secret of a life of ardent 
 devotion and glowing zeal, because we 
 have mastered the lesson of the recip- 
 rocal indwelling of the saint and the 
 Saviour? 
 This was the secret of the human life 
 
46 IRectprocal Jnbwellina* 
 
 of Christ. He dwelt in his Father's 
 love, whilst there rang through His 
 being the glad consciousness that He 
 did always those things which gave 
 pleasure to his Father's heart. And the 
 Father dwelt in Him, manifesting His 
 Divine presence by words of grace and 
 works of power. Have you ever truly 
 realized that Jesus Christ is literally 
 within you — the Divine tenant and oc- 
 cupant of the inner shrine? Do not feel 
 obliged to dilute or water down this 
 wondrous fact, as if it were too marvel- 
 lous to be accepted in its literal force. 
 We cannot understand it; we cannot 
 reason it out with our poor logic; we 
 cannot account for it; we can only sit 
 down in amazed wonder and exclaim, 
 ** Wherefore is this come to me, that I 
 should be a temple for the Lord God of 
 Hosts?" And when once we can realize 
 the literal force of "in you," we shall 
 enter upon the glorious and perpetual 
 enjoyment of "ye in Me." The two are 
 
Hs to If ellowsbtp* 47 
 
 reciprocal: and the measure of our ap- 
 preciation of the one is the measure 
 of our enjoyment of the other. 
 
 There are four texts in the New Tes- 
 tament in which the truth of this recip- 
 rocity of indwelling is taught, each time 
 with a specific purpose. 
 
 I. As TO Fellowship — "He that eat- 
 eth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, 
 dwelleth in me, and I in Him." (John 
 vi. 56.) Whatever else is meant by that 
 mystic feeding on Christ, this at least is 
 included — that, through the help of the 
 Holy Ghost, we are to set apart daily 
 periods of time for fellowship with the 
 living Saviour. The early morning 
 hour, when we go forth to gather manna, 
 while the day is young; the evening 
 twilight when men go forth to meditate; 
 the hour of solemn worship and gather- 
 ing with the people of God: all these, 
 and many other golden seasons, are op- 
 portunities of nourishing the inner life, 
 with His flesh, which is meat indeed. 
 
48 IReciprocal 5n^wellinG♦ 
 
 and His blood, which is drink indeed. 
 
 But how often, at such times, the 
 spirit seems to fail and faint! It cannot 
 disengage itself from the birdlime of 
 worldliness which fastens it down. 
 It cannot shake off the buzzing cloud of 
 teasing, wandering thoughts. It resem- 
 bles, as Jeremy Taylor says, a lark try- 
 ing in vain to rise against a strong east 
 wind. 
 
 What then should be our resource? 
 We may turn from personal supplication 
 to intercession on the behalf of others; 
 or we may open the Word of God, and 
 begin to study its pages, as men pour 
 water into a dry pump to make it draw; 
 or we may appropriate the prayers of 
 the saints of former days. But there is 
 a more excellent way. Let us sit quiet- 
 ly down to meditate. Let us remember 
 that the living Saviour, who ever liveth 
 to pray, is by the Holy Spirit, literally 
 within us. He who, in the days of His 
 flesh, climbed the mountains for fellow- 
 
Us to (S^beMence. 49 
 
 ship with His Father, while the towns 
 that bordered on the lake were still 
 swathed in morning mist, is now dwel- 
 ling in the heart. Stand aside, then, 
 cease your strivings and efforts; and let 
 Him pour forth in and through you the 
 mighty torrent of his strong cryings and 
 ceaseless prayers. 
 
 It will not be long before you find 
 your prayers mounting up with freedom 
 and conscious power to heaven; and in 
 a moment, by the reciprocity which we 
 are now considering, you shall become 
 aware of the literal presence around 
 you — as a Divine environment — of Him 
 who once lit up the lone isle of Patmos 
 by the irradiation of His manifested 
 glory. 
 
 n. As TO Obedience. — "He that 
 keepeth His commandments, dwelleth 
 in Him, and He in him." ( i John iii. 24.) 
 There are three things which must focus 
 in one point before we can be sure of 
 
50 IRectprocal Jn^vveUma* 
 
 the will of God: The prompting of the 
 Spirit within; the teaching of the Word 
 without; and the concurrence of Pro- 
 vidence around — in the events of daily 
 life. We should never take a step un- 
 less these three concur. If they do not 
 so concur, we may be sure that God's 
 hour is not yet come, and we must stand 
 still and see His salvation. 
 
 But there are times when we clearly 
 know the Lord's will, but seem unable 
 to do it. Our heart and flesh fail. We 
 cower before strong opposition. The 
 good we would, we do not: the evil we 
 would not, we do. 
 
 How shall we do then? Shall we 
 lash ourselves forward by reproaches 
 and remonstrances, as the galley-slaves 
 of old were urged to more frantic ex- 
 ertions by the strokes of the knout? 
 Not so! We are no longer under the 
 law, but under grace. God does not 
 leave us thus to cope with ourselves. 
 There is another and a better way. 
 
tTbe Son tbe Servant. 5 1 
 
 which lies within the text already cited, 
 if its identical propositions are reversed, 
 "He that dwelleth in Him, and He in 
 him, keepeth His commandments." 
 
 Remember, again, that the Lord 
 Jesus is in you as the very power of 
 God. During His earthly life He bore 
 the significant title of "Servant" of God, 
 who, when the Lord God opened His 
 ear, was not rebellious nor turned away 
 back, nor swerved a hair's-breadth from 
 the narrow path of implicit obedience. 
 (Psa. xvii. 1-6.) Why should not He 
 work in you and through you, as of old 
 He wrought through His mortal body? 
 Let Him have the opportunity! Cease 
 from your own works, as the Son did 
 from His, And as He emptied Himself, 
 so that the Father which dwelt in Him 
 was really the doer of His works, so 
 empty yourself of your own efforts and 
 strivings, and let Him work in you to 
 will and to do of His own good pleasure. 
 You will soon be delivered from impo- 
 
52 IReclprocal Jnbwelltng* 
 
 tence, and indolence, and failure, and 
 you will find yourself energised might- 
 ily in all manner of strenuous and noble 
 deeds. 
 
 And this will be the result by the law 
 of reciprocity, which we are elaborating 
 — that you will become aware of the 
 literal presence of Him who appeared 
 to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord's 
 host. You will be ready to kneel before 
 Him in lowly homage, and to await His 
 commands; and you will carry with you 
 a consciousness of the fact that you are 
 ever living in the very midst of the en- 
 compassing glory of the King of saints. 
 "In Him we live, and move, and have 
 our being." (Acts xvii. 28.) 
 
 HI. As TO Confession. — *• Whoso- 
 ever shall confess that Jesus is the Son 
 of God, God dwelleth in him, and He in 
 God." (i John iv. 15.) The days are 
 past in which every confessor was called 
 to be a martyr. And yet confession is 
 
Confess 1blm! 53 
 
 hard enough: it is not easy to stand up 
 for Christ in the commercial room, or 
 in the workshop, in the railway carriage, 
 or amid the frivolities of a drawing- 
 room. There is a natural proneness in 
 us all to a false shame, which gags our 
 mouths, and chokes our utterance, and 
 keeps us silent, when we know we ought 
 to speak. 
 
 Ah, how bitterly we reproach our- 
 selves then and afterwards; as we see 
 the opening gradually close, and feel 
 that the chance for quiet remonstrance, 
 or for words of entreaty and expostula- 
 tion, has gone never to return. (Rev. 
 ii. 13.) 
 
 And yet we have failed so often, we 
 have almost lost heart. Can it ever 
 be different, we being what we are? 
 Can we ever resemble Antipas, the faith- 
 ful confessor? Can we ever be bold as 
 a lion for Him who has never given us 
 just cause for shame? Indeed, matters 
 will never mend until we abandon our 
 
54 IReciprocal Subwelltn^. 
 
 own feeble attempts and draw heavily 
 on the glorious fact of His mighty in- 
 dwelling. We can do nothing; but all 
 things are possible to Him. Let us only 
 give Him the chance. Let us place our- 
 selves at His disposal to speak in us, and 
 through us, as He will. Let Him have 
 His blessed way with us. Before Pon- 
 tius Pilate He witnessed a good confes- 
 sion: why may we not expect Him to 
 repeat it, through us, the meanest of the 
 members of His body; who long to be 
 possessed of Him, even as of old men 
 were the mediums through which lost 
 spirits spoke and wrought. 
 
 And none can thus abandon them- 
 selves to Him without becoming aware, 
 through the law of reciprocal indwelling, 
 that Christ in the heart means the heart 
 in Christ; and that dependence on the 
 indwelling Saviour will invariably in- 
 duce a vivid consciousness of the in- 
 dwelling of the human spirit in the 
 light of His gracious presence. 
 
%ovc tbe XHnlovel^ ! 5 5 
 
 IV. As TO Love. — '*He that dwelleth 
 in love dwelleth in God, and God in 
 Him." (i John iv. i6.) We must love 
 people whom we cannot like; with whom 
 we have no natural sympathy; and who 
 seem made to irritate us. It is easy to 
 like nice people. No special grace is 
 required for this. Our affections natur- 
 ally entwine around the amiable and 
 gentle; and, if these alone filled our 
 homes, there would be no education in 
 the Divine art of loving. We only learn 
 what the love of God is when we have 
 to do with people who defy our own 
 powers of affection. The fairest powers 
 of nature are never so apparent as when 
 they are called in to drape the rents in 
 the earth's surface, or to clothe some un- 
 sightly rock, rearing its form amid a 
 paradise of beauty. 
 
 Is there such a person in your life, 
 the source of constant chafe, annoy- 
 ance, fret? You feel you cannot love, 
 
56 IReclprocal 5nt)welltng. 
 
 you cannot speak gently, or stroke that 
 fretful face, or find pleasure in that un- 
 congenial presence? Anything but that. 
 You could be lovely if only you were 
 thrown with a congenial temperament. 
 Yet how much you would miss of Divine 
 education! Do this. Fall back on the 
 memory of the Divine indwelling: and 
 since the strong Son of God, who is Im- 
 mortal Love, is in you, let Him love 
 that loveless one through you; let Him 
 pour a torrent of love through you, as 
 the channel and medium of blessing; 
 let His love speak through your voice, 
 and look through your eyes, and nerve 
 your fingers. Love with His love. You 
 can do all things through Christ that 
 strengtheneth you. 
 
 And, again, let us repeat it. You will 
 find that you cannot act thus without 
 bringing into operation that reciprocity 
 of indwelling which is our theme; and 
 you will know, as never before, what it 
 is to have Christ encompassing you be- 
 
Xox>e tbe xnnlo\>eIp ! 5 7 
 
 hind and before, and covering you with 
 the warm, safe protection of those 
 feathers, to which He called Jerusalem. 
 (Matt, xxiii. 37; Luke xiii. 34.) 
 
 What more need we say? The Spirit 
 can alone reveal the truth we try to 
 teach. But He will gladly perform this 
 His appointed office. And thus we 
 shall come, to understand what it is ever 
 "to dwell in the secret place of the 
 Most High, and to abide under the 
 shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 
 xci. 7.) 
 
IV. 
 
 "Sin" an^"Stns/' 
 
 'Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but 
 alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 
 — Rom. vi. II. 
 
 -HE nearer we live to God, the more 
 sensitive we become to the presence 
 of sin. Increasing light means increas- 
 ing self-judgment; and things which 
 were allowed in the twilight of the 
 dawn, become abhorrent as the noontide 
 light reveals their true character. You 
 may guage your growth in grace, and 
 your increasing reception of the Holy 
 Spirit, by the tenderness of your con- 
 science with respect to sins which you 
 once permitted without remorse, and 
 almost without remark. In proportion 
 as you comprehend the full beauty of 
 
Growtb In Grace. 59 
 
 Christ your Lord, you will find imper- 
 fections in your best moments, and dis- 
 cern blemishes in your holiest deeds. 
 When we hear of God, we are self-satis- 
 fied; but when we see Him, we abhor 
 ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes. 
 
 In view of these facts it is impossible 
 for any true child of God to be contented 
 with himself. He cannot speak of 
 himself as having attained, or as being 
 already perfect. He is ever following 
 after to apprehend or attain; and as he 
 does so, he, who once described himself 
 as the least of all saints, comes to call 
 himself the chief of sinners. He is con- 
 scious of forgiveness; he knows that he 
 is accepted in the Beloved; but, in pro- 
 portion as he walks in the growing light, 
 he feels his growing need of the precious 
 blood, which cleanseth from all sin. 
 
 It is true that many claim to have at- 
 tained to a condition of sinless perfect- 
 ness; but they surely fail to discriminate 
 between things which differ widely as 
 
6o ''Sin'' ant> ''Sine" 
 
 the poles. They do not distinguish be- 
 tween the believer's standing in Christ 
 Jesus, in the sight of God, and the 
 practical realization and appropriation 
 of that standing, which can only be in 
 proportion to his faith. According to 
 our faith, so it is to us; and, as faith is 
 ever growing towards perfect vision, is 
 it not clear that there must also be a 
 growth towards the perfect appreciation 
 and enjoyment of our standing in Christ 
 Jesus? 
 
 And is there not this also, that there 
 is a whole world of difference between 
 freedom from conscious sin and the 
 attainment of the perfect glory of the 
 stature of Christ? The one is negative; 
 the other is positive. The one is ac- 
 cording to the dim light of human con- 
 sciousness; the other is according to the 
 Divine standard of infinite excellence. 
 The one is within the reach of the young 
 disciple, and ranks among the elements 
 of Christ; the other is still in advance 
 
Orowtb in (Brace. 6i 
 
 of the holiest saint among the ranks of 
 the redeemed, and always will be. 
 When we come short, we sin. 
 As soon as we put ourselves in the 
 true relation to the Spirit of God, we 
 may expect to be kept from conscious 
 sin; but surely this is a very different 
 thing from the perfection of the New 
 Testament, which is the maturity of the 
 fully developed man. Even if we have 
 passed from the adolescence to the man- 
 hood of Christian development, there 
 is still an infinite chasm between our 
 uttermost attainment, and the surpass- 
 ing loveliness of the One Perfect Man. 
 Who of us has not also had some such 
 experience as this — that we condemn 
 thingswhichpassedmuster years ago? Is 
 not this the law of growing excellence in 
 all art, in all knowledge? Does not the 
 singer, the painter, the writer, the poet, 
 detect blemishes and flaws where once 
 the judgment rested with entire acqui- 
 escence and content? And must not 
 
62 ''Sin'' anb "Sins/* 
 
 this be always so, as long as there is 
 progress in any direction along which 
 the energies of the soul may work? And 
 if this be so, is it not almost certain that 
 we permit and harbor things to-day 
 which we shall be the first to condemn 
 when years have passed; just as we con- 
 demn things to-day which, for want of 
 fuller light, seemed harmless enough in 
 the days of our ignorance? But, under 
 such circumstances, how can we say 
 that we are perfect? How can we speak 
 of ourselves as sinless? How can we ever 
 get beyond the need of humbly confess- 
 ing that we are sinners? How can we 
 do without the constant washing in the 
 laver of priests? 
 
 There are three matters which must 
 be considered in connection with the 
 believer's inner experience of evil: — 
 
 I. The Tempter. 
 
 "Your adversary the devil, as a roar- 
 ing lion, walketh about, seeking whom 
 
Ube XTempter, 63 
 
 he may devour: whom resist." ( i Peter 
 V. 8, 9.) 
 
 It is not necessary to suppose that 
 the prince of the power of the air is the 
 author of temptation to every believer, 
 the world over; for that would go near 
 to investing him with the attributes of 
 omniscience and omnipresence. But he 
 is surrounded by legions of inferior 
 spirits, the wicked spirits in heavenly 
 places, as malignant in their hate as he 
 is; and who are ever waiting to carry out 
 his plans: and any one of these is suffi- 
 cient to master the soul that has not 
 learnt the secret of victory through faith 
 in the Stronger than the strong man 
 armed. 
 
 It is a commonplace in Christian 
 ethics — and yet it may not be realized by 
 every reader of these lines — that temp- 
 tation does not become sin to us, until 
 the will assents to the suggestion of the 
 Tempter. So long as the will is resolute, 
 exclaiming with Joseph, " How can I do 
 
64 'Sin" anb "Sins." 
 
 this great wickedness, and sin against 
 God?" there is no sin. Sin is the act 
 of the perverted will. That temptation 
 is not sin is proved by the fact that the 
 Lord Jesus was tempted in all points, 
 though without sin. Of course, there 
 is a vast difference between Him and us: 
 because there was nothing in Him, as 
 there is in us, responsive to the tempter's 
 suggestions. It is difficult for us to 
 listen to the suggestion of sin without 
 contracting any stain; but still it may 
 be accepted as broadly true that the 
 fact of our being tempted does not 
 necessarily involve us in sin. 
 
 There is only one way by which the 
 Tempter can be met. He laughs at our 
 good resolutions and ridicules the 
 pledges with which we fortify ourselves. 
 He has been dealing with these for 
 sixty centuries, and well knows how to 
 find their weakest point, and to sweep 
 them away, as the tide does the child's 
 barricade of sand. There is only One 
 
Ibow to Conquer, 65 
 
 whom he fears; One who in the hour of 
 greatest weakness conquered him; and 
 who has been raised far above all prin- 
 cipality and power, that He may succor 
 and deliver all frail and tempted souls. 
 He conquered the prince of this world 
 in the days of His flesh; and He is pre- 
 pared to do as much again, and yet 
 again, in each one of us, if only we will 
 truly surrender ourselves to His gracious 
 and mighty indwelling. 
 
 In the days of knightly chivalry it 
 was supposed to be enough for the true 
 soldier of the cross to make the sacred 
 sign upon his person; and instantly the 
 foul spirits that had gathered in the mur- 
 ky gloom to do him harm, fell back, and 
 let him through. It was not all legend 
 and myth. But there is a truth beneath 
 the mediaeval setting. And that truth is 
 ours to-day — that the best resource for 
 the hardly-beset soldier of Jesus is to 
 appeal, not to the cross, but to Him 
 who on that cross bruised the serpent's 
 
66 "Sin" an^ "Sins/* 
 
 head, not for Himself only, but for us. 
 
 There are many forms in which that 
 appeal may be made. Some utter the 
 name of the tempted — the succoring — 
 High Priest: "Jesus! Jesus!" Some cry 
 in the triumphant assurance of victory, 
 "Jesus saves me." Some do better still, 
 and claim that grace in Him, the lack 
 of which is hurrying them into sin; so 
 that temptation becomes a positive 
 means of grace to them, by showing 
 their deficiency, and leading them to 
 strengthen the things which remain, but 
 which may be languishing to death. 
 
 But whichever method you adopt, 
 reader, be sure you do it in one way or 
 another. Swift as the chick to the shel- 
 ter of the mother's wing, so do you 
 betake yourself to the ever-offered 
 protection of Jesus Christ whenever me- 
 naced by the Tempter. The Lord God 
 is not only a sun but a shield. "The 
 name of the Lord is a strong tower: the 
 righteous runneth into it and is safe." 
 
Ube Sptrtrs Ibelp, 67 
 
 He will "cover thy head in the day of 
 battle." (Ps. Ixxxiv. ii; Prov. xviii. lo; 
 Ps. cxl. 7.) 
 
 It may be that you have tried to do 
 this, and have failed. You have entered 
 upon the day's life, fully intending to 
 make Jesus your shield of faith, and 
 to hide in Him when threatened by the 
 Tempter. Yet you have found to your 
 dismay, that you have been overcome 
 before you have bethought yourself of 
 your refuge and deliverer. But there 
 is an easy remedy for this, in the aid of 
 the Holy Spirit. He is the Divine re- 
 membrancer. It is his office to main- 
 tain the spirit in a state of holy recol- 
 lectedness; and, if the attack be as a 
 thunderclap. He will be as the premon- 
 itory lightning flash, crying, " Beware ! 
 Beware! 'turn you to your stronghold, 
 O prisoner of hope.' " (Zech. x. 12.) 
 
 Be sure of this, that Satan cannot 
 tempt you beyond what you have power 
 to sustain or resist. Powerless in your- 
 
68 "Sin" an^ "Sins." 
 
 self, you can do all things in Christ that 
 strengtheneth you. The Lord Jesus 
 hath bought you; and you must trust 
 Him to keep you. "The Lord is thy 
 keeper." "He will not suffer thy foot 
 to be moved." "Surely He shall deliver 
 thee from the snare of the fowler." (Ps. 
 cxxi. 5, 3; xci. 3.) 
 
 n. The Sinful Tendency Within. 
 
 Regeneration is not the eradication of 
 the principle of the old life, but the in- 
 sertion beside it of the principle of a new 
 life — the Christ life. And these two 
 exist side by side; as the house of 
 Saul and the house of David in the 
 rent and distracted kingdom of Israel: 
 but the one is destined to get weaker 
 and weaker, wjiilst the other waxes 
 stronger and stronger. 
 
 "That which is born of the flesh is 
 flesh," and can never be anything else 
 than flesh. It can never be improved 
 into spirit. It can never be anything 
 
Ube SclU%iU. 69 
 
 but abhorrent in the eye of the Holy 
 God. So that "they that are in the flesh 
 cannot please God"; and the flesh 
 which is in us can never please God. The 
 only thing to be done is to deny it; and 
 to reckon it as a dead thing, which has 
 no place in the Home of Life. "Bury 
 thy dead out of thy sight." 
 
 Self is the anagram of flesh. The 
 flesh- principle is the self- principle, 
 which so insidiously creeps into every- 
 thing from which it is not rigorously 
 excluded by the grace of God. Before 
 we are converted self is the sole motive- 
 power of our lives: our kindest and best 
 actions originate in this root. And after 
 we are converted, it strives to insinuate 
 itself into our religious life. Satan will 
 not prohibit us from being religious — if 
 only "self" is the mainspring of our de- 
 votion. Hence it is that Jesus Christ is 
 so unrelenting in His demand for self- 
 denial. And it has been the axiom of 
 saintship in all ages — "Wheresoever 
 
70 "Sin" anb "Sins." 
 
 thou findest thyself, deny thyself." 
 Sword in hand, we must pursue this 
 evil thing — this self-hood — through all 
 the disguises beneath which it hides 
 itself. We must allow it no quarter. 
 We must believe that it is never more 
 near or more dangerous than when it 
 causes a rumor to be set on foot that it 
 is no more. In the self-congratulation 
 which arises on the receipt of this happy 
 intelligence, there is a new and striking 
 evidence of its continued and vigorous 
 existence. 
 
 It is to this evil principle, which is 
 very susceptible to the least suggestion 
 from without, that the Tempter appeals. 
 His attacks would be less formidable if 
 it were not for this traitor within the 
 citadel of the soul. But, we may well 
 fear the bombshells thrown in from 
 without, when we remember the maga- 
 zines of gunpowder within, awaiting the 
 spark that shall hurry them into explo- 
 sion, and shatter the rest of the soul. 
 
"Be filleb witb tbe Spirit" 71 
 
 There is no evidence, then, that the 
 flesh shall ever be eradicated, because 
 it is ourselves; and the Apostle clearly 
 tells us that "the flesh lusteth against 
 the Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
 flesh." And in those who most earn- 
 estly asseverate its eradication in their 
 own experience, there are frequent indi- 
 cations of its presence still. ( Gal. v. 1 7. ) 
 
 But THIS is possible. The Holy Spirit 
 is the deadly antagonist of, and all- 
 sufficient antidote to, the self-life. When 
 He dwells in blessed fulness within the 
 surrendered heart. He sets it free from 
 the law of sin and death: He annihilates 
 the power of the self-life; as an anti- 
 septic cancels the death-dealing germs 
 which proceed from the body of a 
 patient who is stricken by an infectious 
 disease. 
 
 When the >Ioly Spirit resides in power 
 in the heart. He keeps the self-life so 
 utterly in the place of death that temp- 
 tation has no fascination, no power. The 
 
72 "Sin'* anb "Sins;' 
 
 appeals of hell are flung against the ear 
 of death: there is no response, no mo- 
 tion of obedience. Try it, reader: be 
 not content to have the Holy Spirit 
 within thee; see that He fills thee; and 
 thou wilt experience that blessed con- 
 dition in which the sparks of tempta- 
 tion shall seem to be quenched in an 
 ocean of water, as they touch thy heart. 
 But remember the evil thing is there 
 still; not eradicated, not destroyed, only 
 kept in the place of death by the Spirit 
 of life. And if ever thou shalt quench 
 or limit His gracious operation, so that 
 He relaxes His restraining power, that 
 accursed principle will arise with all its 
 pristine force, join hands with the 
 tempter, and hurry thee into sin. Watch 
 and pray, therefore; keep in with the 
 Holy Ghost; walk warily; that thou 
 mayest never have to retrace thy steps, 
 shedding tears of blood. 
 
Iftestoration, ;3 
 
 III. Sins. 
 
 Through neglect of watching and 
 prayer — or by reason of carelessness in 
 the walk and conversation — it is quite 
 possible to break that holy connection 
 between ourselves and heaven which is 
 the secret of deliverance, and the talis- 
 man of victory. There is always a 
 Delilah ready to shear off the locks of 
 our strength, if we allow ourselves to 
 sleep in her lap. And our strength may 
 be gone ere we know it. "He wist not 
 that the Lord had departed from him." 
 (Jud. xvi. 20.) 
 
 And when wc put ourselves outside 
 those sacred influences which are in- 
 tended to deliver us from the power of 
 evil, there is no alternative but that we 
 should break out again into acts of sin. 
 But there is a difference. They are not 
 now the normal state of the soul. They 
 are committed in opposition to the 
 judgment and the conscience. They 
 are the sins of a child for which it will 
 
74 'Sin" anb ''mnsr 
 
 be chastened, until it gets back into the 
 old blessedness again. An old divine 
 says: "A sheep and a sow may each 
 fall into the same quagmire; but the 
 sow will w^allow in it, whilst the sheep 
 will bleat piteously, until she is extri- 
 cated and cleansed." Such is the dif- 
 ference between the ungodly and the 
 children of God. "Whosoever abideth 
 in Him sinneth not"; that is, sin can 
 never become his normal and habitual 
 state. ( I John iii. 6. ) 
 
 If ever this should be your unhappy 
 lot, do not despair. The true test of 
 Christian character does not consist in 
 the inability to fall, but in the quick 
 agony of repentance, and in the im- 
 mediate restoration to the ways which 
 had been left. Directly you are con- 
 scious of sin, turn at once to your com- 
 passionate Lord. Do not wait for the 
 fever of passion to subside, or for the 
 agony of your shame to die down; but, 
 there and then, in the crowd or the 
 
TObe Great pbi^slclan* 75 
 
 street, lift up your heart, and ask Him to 
 touch you with that finger before which 
 uncleanness cannot abide: ask Him 
 to wash you as he did the feet of His 
 disciples, soiled by jealousy and strife 
 for mastery: ask Himtorestoreyoursoul 
 to the place it occupied before you fell. 
 You may not be able to forgive your- 
 self: but He will forgive you instantly; 
 the stain will be at once extracted from 
 the spirit's robes; the foulness will 
 immediately flee from the blemished 
 dress; and the forgiven one shall occupy 
 again the place which for a moment 
 had been vacated, the place in the 
 heavenlies, side by side with its Re- 
 deemer. Oh, do not doubt the Saviour's 
 willingness, or the Saviour's power, to 
 forgive; or the efficacy of His blood 
 to wash out each stain, as it may be- 
 come manifest to the quickened con- 
 science. Remember that His blood 
 ever cleanscth from all sin, as the stream 
 is ever flowing over the pebble, and as 
 
76 "Sin" ant) "Sins," 
 
 the tear-water is ever removing from the 
 eye the motes that alight for a moment 
 upon its surface. 
 
 It is not an easy world for any of us 
 to traverse; it is no friend to grace: but 
 it is possible to walk through it with 
 clean and stainless robes. Sin may 
 assail; but it will be as the waves that 
 beat outside the goodly ship without 
 finding admittance within its walls. 
 And out of the pure and guileless heart 
 shall spring all the loveliness of unself- 
 ish and helpful deeds, such as shall 
 make this sad world happier, and dark 
 hearts bright with the light of heaven. 
 
 O souls, weary and sin-sick, hand 
 yourselves over to the tender mercies 
 of the Good Physician, sure that He 
 will undertake the most desperate case; 
 and "give beauty for ashes, the oil of 
 joy for mourning, the garment of praise 
 for the spirit of heaviness." (Isaiah 
 Ixi. 3.) 
 
Ube Mill 
 
 ''If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the 
 
 land." — Isaiah i. iq. 
 
 "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power." 
 
 — Psalm ex. 3. 
 
 ^^HE one question which the Lord 
 ^^ Jesus puts to every one of us, is that 
 which He put, beside Bethesda's pool, 
 to the sufferer who wistfully scanned 
 His face for help: ''Wilt thou be made 
 whole?" The whole question turns on 
 the attitude of the will. And it is for 
 lack of realizing this, that many grope 
 for years in darkness, who might other- 
 wise walk in the light of life. 
 
 There are some who lay the chief 
 stress on Right Thi?iki?ig. They demand 
 that the mind should have a clear ap- 
 
78 XTbe mm. 
 
 prehension of the entire system of 
 Christian truth. Every i must have its 
 dot; every / must be strictly crossed. 
 Each doctrine must receive its just place 
 in the homage of the soul; and there 
 must be no uncertainty in the pronun- 
 ciation of the test-words of the Church. 
 Then, they argue, that the character and 
 experience will necessarily be right and 
 blessed. 
 
 But, in practice, it is not so. It is im- 
 possible to exaggerate the importance 
 of clear and accurate conceptions of 
 truth. For what a man believes, that 
 he is. At the same time, experience 
 and observation prove beyond a doubt, 
 that to think right is not enough to pro- 
 duce the fruits of the Spirit, or the 
 blessedness of the Beatitudes. Many 
 babes and sucklings in knowledge, whose 
 notions of truth, through no fault of 
 their own, are hazy and partial, have 
 entered the kingdom of heaven; the 
 doors of which are closed against the 
 
IRigbt Tlbinftlng, 79 
 
 wise and prudent who have no other 
 claim for entrance than that they could 
 pass muster in the strictest theological 
 examination. 
 
 Others lay the chief stress on Right 
 Feeling. Their test of rightness is joy- 
 ousness. When they feel bright and 
 happy, and their heart sings — and the 
 azure blue, unflecked by cloud, canopies 
 their path — they can sit in the heaven- 
 lies, and take their place among their 
 peers. But when their glad emotions 
 expend themselves as summer brooks; 
 and the birds cease their strains; and 
 the sky is overcast; they begin to ques- 
 tion even their acceptance. 
 
 Surely feeling is too unsatisfactory 
 for any of us to build upon it for peace 
 or power. Choose rather the shifting 
 quicksands as a foundation for your 
 house 1 We need something more re- 
 liable than an experience — which may 
 be disturbed by an east wind, a cloudy 
 day, or a fit of indigestion. 
 
8o Ube MilU 
 
 The true basis of religion is in Right- 
 williiig. And the reason for this is clear. 
 We are not what we know. We are not 
 what, in some special moment, we feel. 
 We are what we will. We must bore 
 down beneath the alluvial deposits of 
 emotion, and the formation of the intel- 
 lect, to the granite of the will ! There, 
 and there only, can we find a stable 
 basis on which to build the structure of 
 a blessed or useful life; because the will 
 is the true expression of ourselves. 
 
 We admit this in daily life. We judge 
 men, not by their intellectual capacity, 
 not by the sensibilities that quiver be- 
 neath the passing breath, as the chords 
 of an ^olian lyre; not by exceptional 
 and special deeds: but by their will — 
 which may be called the resolve and 
 intention of the soul, expressing itself 
 in the decisions and actions of the life. 
 
 We do not blame the maniac who 
 seeks to fire a cathedral: we simply con- 
 fine him; his will was impaired. But we 
 
IRigbt^Mtlltng. 8i 
 
 condemn the man who clearly meant to 
 take his brother's life, though the deed 
 itself was frustrated; his will was mur- 
 der. And what we are with respect to 
 one another, that we are also with re- 
 spect to the Almighty God. His one 
 complaint against us is not that we are 
 dull and stupid; or that w^e do not feel 
 more deeply; or that we are not swifter 
 and stronger in our obedience — but 
 that we are Jiot willi?ig. "Ye will not 
 come unto Me, that ye might have life." 
 "If any man will come after Me." "I 
 would . . . .but ye would noty " If ye be 
 willing and obedient, ye shall eat the 
 good of the land." 
 
 We need not now touch that mys- 
 terious province, hidden from mortal 
 ken, where the human will is influenced 
 by the Divine will. Doubtless, there 
 are avenues by which the will of God 
 reaches us, and touches us, of which we 
 know nothing. And there are number- 
 less methods by which God's will can 
 
82 Ube MilL 
 
 impress itself on ours without violating 
 the individuality of our willinghood. It 
 is enough to know that He does work 
 in us to will and to do of His own good 
 pleasure. And it is certain that we can- 
 not will aright except He prompt us. 
 More than this we do not know, and 
 cannot say. We cannot but think, how- 
 ever, that no soul of man is born outside 
 the range of the working of that loving 
 will, which is peace on earth and good 
 will to men. Alas, that it is so often 
 resisted, even unto death! 
 
 Now let us turn to the practical bear- 
 ing of this great truth — that our primary 
 concern must ever be with our will. 
 And we may sum up all we have to say 
 in this one sentence: Put your will on 
 God's side in everything, and leave to 
 Him the responsibility of fulfilling in 
 you, and through you, "all the good 
 pleasure of His goodness, and the work 
 of faith with power; that the name of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified 
 
Malting tor Ibealing* 83 
 
 in you, and ye in Him, according to the 
 grace of our God, and the Lord Jesus 
 Christ." (2 Thess. i. ii, 12.) 
 
 On the Threshold of Salvation. 
 
 How many there are around us like 
 the impotent man of Bethesda! They 
 are waiting for healing with eager desire. 
 To get it they linger for years in the 
 porches of Mercy's House. They wist- 
 fully see the gladness with which many 
 go healed away. They hope that their 
 turn will come at last. 
 
 But they are waiting for the wrong 
 thing -^ for some mysterious troubling 
 of the waters, rather than for the Healer. 
 For a ceremony, and not for Christ. For 
 an angel, and not for the Saviour. For 
 the help of men to put them into salva- 
 tion, or to their own lame efforts to 
 shuffle into the pool of healing. They 
 are always trying to get more correct 
 conceptions of Christianity, or to work 
 themselves up into a condition of earn- 
 
84 Ube MilL 
 
 est feeling. Oh, if they could only feel 
 more earnestness; or more adequate 
 sorrow for sin; or more assurance of 
 faith ! They wait year after year for 
 some angel to trouble the inner waters 
 of their souls, and send a ripple of sav- 
 ing feeling across them. But the angel 
 comes not. And they wait on till hope 
 almost dies. 
 
 To such the Saviour comes. " Wilt 
 thou be made whole?" He does not 
 send the soul to college to study a creed, 
 however Apostolic. Me does not wait 
 till it is fired with ardor or steeped in 
 tears. He cuts right through all sorrow- 
 ful confessions of deficient faith, utter 
 worthlessness, inability to shed pure 
 tears or think right thoughts. All this is 
 with Him secondary. It must be con- 
 sidered: but presently, not first. His one 
 prime concern is the will. What zvillesc 
 thou? f^^"// thou be saved ? The ques- 
 tion of salvation is a moral one; it 
 hinges on the will. 
 
XTbe initial Step* 85 
 
 And if the trembling soul can only 
 look up to Him and say; "I would, but 
 I cannot, feel; I would, but I cannot, 
 believe; I would, but I cannot, repent"; 
 then with great joy the Shepherd takes 
 the lost sheep upon His shoulders. He 
 says: "It is enough. I will work in 
 thee all thou lackest. I will enter 
 through the unlatched door of thine 
 heart, laden with gifts. I will cleanse 
 thee from all that grieves Me; and 
 I will produce in thee all those holy 
 things which thou seekest. They are 
 the gifts of God to the recipient spirit 
 through the agency of the Holy Spirit." 
 
 The initial step of salvation is our will- 
 ingness to be saved. If that is assured, 
 tell Christ so. Look to Him to begin 
 in thee His gracious work. And there 
 is already commenced in thee a trans- 
 formation, which starts with forgiveness, 
 and ends in perfect conformity tc the 
 Son of God, in heaven's dateless 
 glory. 
 
86 Ubc MtlL 
 
 In our Daily Religious Experience. 
 
 We give ourselves to God. Beneath 
 the spell of some stirring appeal, or un- 
 der the impression of written words, 
 burning as the carbon-points of the 
 electric light, we resolve that we will 
 live a more earnest, devoted, and whole- 
 hearted existence. For some few days 
 the momentum carries us on, and we 
 feel happy and satisfied. 
 
 But after awhile the blessing we have 
 received seems to expend itself. We are 
 troubled by violent temptation. We 
 lose all pleasure in private prayer. We 
 can get nothing from our Bibles. For 
 some deep and subtle reason, all our 
 feelings are suddenly overcast. The 
 heart, which was like a garden in sum- 
 mer, is as a barren moor, on which clouds 
 brood. At such a time, if we are simply 
 dependent on our feelings, we shall be 
 ready to despair. If, like Peter, we re- 
 gard the winds and waves, we, like him, 
 must begin to sink; and we shall doubt 
 
Hll for Cbrist. 87 
 
 the reality of the experience of God's 
 truth and grace, which had given us a 
 real lift heavenwards. 
 
 But if, my reader, you have ever 
 learnt the side of truth on which we are 
 laying stress, you will have an unbroken 
 confidence, and w^ll feel a handrail 
 ready to your touch, though you cannot 
 see your way through the murky night. 
 At such a time look up to Christ and 
 say: "I do not feel as I did; the joy of 
 song and rapture, all is gone: but I am 
 still Thine; I will to be only, ahvays, all 
 for Thee; I desire, in the very centre 
 and heart of my being, to abide in Thee; 
 I long for nothing so much as that Thou 
 shouldest hasten Thy work of conquest 
 within my soul, till every thought and 
 feeling are brought captive to Thine 
 obedience." 
 
 Even if you are conscious of having 
 swerved for a moment from the path of 
 perfect willinghood, by His grace put 
 your WILL back again on the side of 
 
88 XTbe Mill 
 
 Christ, with tears and confessions, and 
 ask Him to hold it, as a father holds the 
 hand of his child on a slippery day. 
 Forget your feelings. Entrench your- 
 self in your will. Ask Jesus to purify 
 and sanctify it by His Spirit, so that it 
 may be true to Himself. And believe 
 that He is as eager as you are to still 
 all the rebellion of the soul, and to make 
 you what you wish and will to be, in 
 your best and holiest hours. Your atti- 
 tude towards Christ is determined, not 
 by your feelings, but by your steadfast 
 desire and "will." 
 
 In Sorrow and Trial. 
 
 As sons we must endure the rod of 
 chastening, which is "not joyous but 
 grievous." The way to the Kingdom 
 lies through Gethsemane, with its deep 
 shadows and its tears, and sweat of 
 blood. All that can abide the fire must 
 be made to pass through the fire. 
 
**Ub^ wan be ^oncV 89 
 
 And when our hour comes we cannot 
 but suffer. We suffer as the little one 
 is torn from our embrace, not realizing 
 henceforth there will be always a child 
 in our home. We suffer, as we have to 
 leave cherished surroundings, and ven- 
 ture, as the eagle's nestlings, on the un- 
 tried air. We suffer, as we have to be 
 the means of inflicting pain upon those 
 who love us; at the call of God taking 
 the knife to slay their hopes. We suffer 
 as we see some creeping paralysis slowly 
 cut us off from the avenues of sense and 
 life; shutting us up in a living cell. And 
 let us not begrudge it all, since we learn 
 obedience by the things we suffer; and 
 discover the art of comforting others as 
 we have been comforted. 
 
 Yet sometimes how hard it is to be 
 submissive! And here it is that so many 
 mistake. They try to feel submissive and 
 resigned. But they try in vain. They 
 cannot bring themselves to feel, as they 
 know they ought: and so they write hard 
 
90 Ubc Mill 
 
 things against themselves; and go out 
 into the night in a self-imposed exile. 
 
 But it would be comparatively easy if 
 they would only begin with the will. 
 Will God's will. Tell Him that you are 
 willing to be made willing to have His 
 will. Bring your will to Him, as a piece 
 of cold iron; and ask Him to renew it, 
 and soften it, and mould it into perfect 
 oneness with His own. Say to Him as 
 Jesus did, "Father, Thy will, not mine, 
 be done!" And when thoughts of re- 
 bellion or mistrust surge upwards in 
 your soul, do not lose heart; trust God 
 to deal with them. You cannot master 
 them; but God can. Only be sure that 
 your will is true to Him as the needle 
 is to the pole. 
 
 Oh, is not this a sight on which angels 
 love to dwell? — when a human soul, 
 amid its keenest agony, still is able to 
 will the will of God; not swerving from 
 it to the right or to the left; sure it must 
 be good and wise, though all appear- 
 
Ubc Dolce of tbe Uempter. 91 
 
 ances are contrary; and daring to cry 
 out from the midst of its agony, whilst 
 all the nature beside is in revolt, "My 
 God, I trust Thee; I choose Thy will." 
 
 If thus we yield our will to God, in our 
 blindness, not because we feel it pleas- 
 ant, but because we dare to believe in 
 Him, we shall find that a wonderful 
 change will steal over us, winning over 
 our emotions and feelings to the self- 
 same side; so that we shall come to ac- 
 cept the will of God with our feelings, 
 as well as to will it with our will. 
 
 In Regard to Sin. 
 
 When temptation besets us, it will 
 sometimes so insinuate itself into our 
 hearts, that we may be at a loss to dis- 
 tinguish the voice of the tempter from 
 that of our own consciousness. 
 
 Bunyan tells us, that when the pilgrim 
 was come over against the mouth of the 
 pit, one of the wicked ones g^t behind 
 him and whisperingly suggested many 
 
92 Ube Mill 
 
 grievous blasphemies to him, which he 
 verily "hought had proceeded from his 
 own lind. This put poor Christian 
 more lo it than anything that he had 
 met \i ith before. 
 
 We all of us know something of this. 
 Such norrid thoughts! Such vain imag- 
 inations! Such vile suggestions! Noi- 
 some pestilence, indeed! But it is not 
 ours so long as the will remains stead- 
 fast in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 
 Nor can we be held chargeable of sin 
 so long as the spirit cleaves its way 
 through all, tossing the suggestions 
 aside as a ship the foam-crested waves. 
 
 Will to be free ! Will to walk with 
 God in stainless robes! ^^'// to refuse 
 the tempting bait! Will to deny flesh 
 and to crucify self ! Will because God 
 is working in you to will. And you will 
 find t'lat if the will is present with you, 
 the p wer to perform will also be forth- 
 comii g to your faith; and Jesus will 
 mak( haste to achieve your complete 
 
*^TKallttboubema^eTKIlbole?" 93 
 
 deliverance. Lift up your heads and 
 rejoice: your redemption draweth near. 
 Yes, and this will come to you — that 
 your will shall become more and more 
 one with the will of God: so much so, 
 that God will give you the keys of His 
 kingdom, saying, *'Ask what ye ivilL, 
 and it shall be done unto you." And in 
 proportion as the will of man is brought 
 into unison and harmony with the will 
 of God, there will be growing peace 
 and growing power. When the will of 
 God is done in the heart, even as it is 
 done in heaven, then the joy of heaven 
 enters it to abide. ''Eye hath not seen, 
 nor ear heard, nor hath the heart of man 
 conceived, what God hath prepared for 
 them that love Him." But these things 
 are unfolded to the man who has given 
 up his will to God; and who has re- 
 ceived it back again, magnetized by His 
 will; and who now lives in the citidel of 
 a sanctified and devoted will. For this 
 is the law of the kingdom of the Son of 
 
94 XTbe mtlL 
 
 God: "If any man wills to do His will, 
 he shall know." 
 
 Wilt thou be made whole ? Christ asks 
 that question of thee, my reader. Is not 
 the Holy Spirit producing in thee a holy 
 willingness? If so, tell thy Saviour so. 
 He wills; wilt thou? If thou dost, then 
 He undertakes to do all the rest; pro- 
 ducing in thee health and life, wholeness 
 and everlasting joy. 
 
VI. 
 
 (ButC)ance» 
 
 "I will guide tiiee with Mine Eye." — Psalm xxxii. 8. 
 
 ^^^ ANY children of God are so deeply 
 llj ^ exercised on the matter of guid- 
 ance that it maybe helpful to give a few 
 suggestions as to knowing the way in 
 which our Father would have us walk, 
 and the work He would have us do. 
 The importance of the subject cannot 
 be exaggerated; so much of our power 
 and peace consist in knowing where God 
 would have us be, and in being just there. 
 The manna only falls where the cloudy 
 pillar broods; but it is certain to be 
 found on the sands, which a few hours 
 ago were glistening in the flashing light 
 of the heavenly fire, and are now shad- 
 owed by the fleecy canopy of cloud. If 
 
96 Guidance. 
 
 we are precisely where our heavenly 
 Father would have us to be, we are per- 
 fectly sure that He will provide food and 
 raiment, and everything beside. When 
 He sends His servants to Cherith, He 
 will make even the ravens to bring 
 them food. 
 
 How much of our Christian work has 
 been abortive, because we have persisted 
 in initiating it for ourselves instead of 
 ascertaining what God was doing, and 
 where He required our presence. We 
 dream bright dreams of success. We 
 try and command it. We call to our aid 
 all kinds of expedients, questionable or 
 otherwise. And at last we turn back, dis- 
 heartened and ashamed, like children 
 who are torn and scratched by the bram- 
 bles, and soiled by the quagmire. None 
 of this had come about, if only we had 
 been, from the first, under God's uner- 
 ring guidance. He might test us, but 
 He could not allow us to mistake. 
 
 Naturally, the child of God, longing 
 
(^ontl^ence in (Bob. ^7 
 
 to know his Father's will, turns to the 
 sacred Book, and refreshes his confi- 
 dence by noticing how in all ages God 
 has guided those who dared to trust Him 
 up to the very hilt; but who, at the time, 
 must have been as perplexed as we are 
 often now. We know how Abraham 
 left kindred and country, and started, 
 vvith no other guide than God, across the 
 trackless desert, to a land which he knew 
 not. We know^ how for forty years the 
 Israelites were led through the peninsula 
 of Sinai, with its labyrinths of red sand- 
 stone, and its wastes of sand. We know 
 how Joshua, in entering the Land of Pro- 
 mise, was able to cope with the diffi culties 
 of an unknown region, and to overcome 
 great and warlike nations, because he 
 looked to the Captain of the Lord's Host, 
 who ever leads to victory. We know 
 how, in the early Church, the Apostles 
 were enabled to thread their way through 
 the most ditificult questions, and to solve 
 the most perplexing problems: laying 
 
98 Gut^ance. 
 
 down principles which guide the Church 
 to the end of time; and this because it 
 was revealed to them as to what they 
 should do and say, by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 The promises for guidafice are unmistak- 
 able. 
 
 Psa. xxxii. 8: ** I will instruct thee and 
 teach thee in the way which thou shalt 
 go." This is God's distinct assurance to 
 those whose transgressions are forgiven, 
 and whose sins are covered, and who are 
 more quick to notice the least symp- 
 tom of His will, than horse or mule to 
 feel the bit. 
 
 Prov. iii. 6: "In all thy ways acknowl- 
 edge Him, and He shall direct (or make 
 plain) thy paths." A sure word, on 
 which we may rest; if only we fulfil the 
 previous conditions, of trusting with all 
 our heart, and of not leaning to our own 
 understanding. 
 
 Isa. Iviii. ii: "The Lord shall guide 
 thee continually." It is impossible to 
 think that He could guide us at all, if 
 
XTbe promises of 6ot)» 99 
 
 He did not guide us always. For the 
 greatest events of life, like the huge 
 rocking-stones in the West of England, 
 revolve on the smallest points. A pebble 
 may alter the flow of a stream. The 
 growth of a grain of mustard seed may 
 determine the rainfall of a continent. 
 Thus we are bidden look for a Guidance 
 which shall embrace the whole of life 
 in all its myriad necessities. 
 
 John viii. 12: "I am the light of the 
 world; he that foUoweth Me shall not 
 walk in darkness, but shall have the 
 light of life." The reference here seems 
 to be to the wilderness wanderings; and 
 the Master promises to be to all faithful 
 souls, in their pilgrimage to the City of 
 God, all that the cloudy pillar was to the 
 children of Israel on their march to the 
 Land of Promise. 
 
 , These are but specimens. The vault 
 of Scripture is inlaid with thousands 
 such, that glisten in their measure, as the 
 stars which guide the wanderer across 
 
loo (Butbance, 
 
 the deep. Well may the prophet sum up 
 the heritage of the servants of the Lord, 
 by saying of the Holy City, "All thy 
 children shall be taught of the Lord, and 
 great shall be the peace of thy children." 
 
 And yet it may seem to some tried and 
 timid hearts, as if every one mentioned 
 in the Word of God was helped, but they 
 are left without help. They seem to 
 have stood before perplexing problems, 
 face to face with life's mysteries, eagerly 
 longing to know what to do — but no 
 angel has come to tell them, and no iron 
 gate has opened to them in the prison- 
 house of circumstances. 
 
 Some lay the blame on their own stu- 
 pidity. Their minds are blunt and dull. 
 They cannot catch God's meaning, which 
 would be clear to others. They are so 
 nervous of doing wrong, that they can- 
 not learn clearly what is right. '"Who 
 is blind, but My servant? or deaf, as my 
 messenger that I sent? Who is blind as 
 he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's 
 
H ffatber's Care* loi 
 
 servant?" Yet, how do we treat our 
 children? One child is so bright-witted 
 and so keen that a little hint is enough 
 to indicate the way; another was born 
 dull; it cannot take in your meaning 
 quickly. Do you only let the clever one 
 know what you want? Will you not 
 take the other upon your knee and make 
 clear to it the directions which baffle it? 
 Does not the distress of the tiny nurs- 
 ling, who longs to know that it may 
 immediately obey, weave an almost 
 stronger bond than that which binds you 
 to the rest? O weary, perplexed, and 
 stupid children, believe in the great love 
 of God, and cast yourselves upon it, sure 
 that He will come down to your igno- 
 rance, and suit Himself to your needs, 
 and will take "the lambs in His arms, 
 and carry them in His bosom, a.nd g-ent/j/ 
 lead those that are with young." 
 
 There are certain practical directions 
 which we must attend to in order that we 
 may be led into the mind of the Lord. 
 
102 (Buibance. 
 
 I. Our motives must be pure. 
 
 "When thine eye is single, thy whole 
 body also is full of light" ( Luke xi. 34). 
 You have been much in darkness lately; 
 and perhaps this passage will point the 
 reason. Your eye has not been single. 
 There has been some obliquity of vision. 
 A spiritual squint. And this has hin- 
 dered you from discerning indications 
 of God's will, which otherwise had been 
 as clear as noonday. 
 
 We must be very careful in judging 
 our motives: searching them as the de- 
 tectives at the doors of the House of 
 Commons search each stranger who en- 
 ters. When, by the grace of God, we 
 have been delivered from grosser forms 
 of sin, we are still liable to the subtle 
 working of self, in our holiest and loveliest 
 hours. It poisons our motive. It breathes 
 decay on our fairest fruit-bearing. It 
 whispers seductive flatteries into our 
 pleased ears. It turns the spirit from 
 its holy purpose, as the masses of iron 
 
Ube ^^ Still Small Voiced 103 
 
 on ocean steamers deflect the needle of 
 the compass from the pole. 
 
 So long as there is some thought of 
 personal advantage, some idea of acquir- 
 ing the praise and commendation of 
 men, some aim at self-aggrandisement, 
 it will be simply impossible to find out 
 God's purpose concerning us. The door 
 must be resolutely shut against all this, 
 if we would hear the still small voice. 
 All cross-lights must be excluded, if we 
 would see the Urim and Thummim stone 
 brighten with God's "Yes," or darken 
 with His "No." 
 
 Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the 
 single eye, and to inspire in your heart 
 one aim alone; that which animated our 
 Lord, and enabled Him to cry, as He 
 reviewed His life, "I have glorified 
 Thee on the earth." Let this be the 
 watchword of our lives, "Glory to God 
 in the highest." Then our "whole body 
 shall be full of light, having no part 
 dark, as when the bright shining of a 
 candle doth give light." 
 
104 Gutbance, 
 
 II. Our Will Must be Surrendered. 
 
 "My judgment is just; because I seek 
 not Mine own will, but the will of the 
 Father which hath sent Me" (John v. 
 30). This was the secret, which Jesus 
 not only practised, but taught. In one 
 form or another He was constantly in- 
 sisting on a surrendered will as the key 
 to perfect knowledge, "If any man will 
 do His will, he shall know." 
 
 There is all the difference between a 
 will which is extinguished and one 
 which is surrendered. God does not 
 demand that our wills shouldbe withered 
 up like the sinews of a fakir's unused 
 arm. He only asks that they should 
 say "Yes" to Him. Pliant to Him, as 
 the willow twig to the practised hand. 
 
 Many a time, as the steamer has 
 neared the quay, have I watched the 
 little lad take his place beneath the poop, 
 with eye and ear fixed on the captain, 
 and waiting to shout each word he utters 
 to the grimy engineers below; and often 
 
©ur limtll, arib (3ob'5, 105 
 
 have I longed that my will should re^ 
 peat as accurately and as promptly, the 
 words and will of God, that all the lower 
 nature might obey. 
 
 It is for lack of this subordination 
 that we so often miss the guidance we 
 seek. There is a secret controversy be- 
 tween our will and God's. And we shall 
 never be right till we have let Him take, 
 and break, and make. Oh, do seek for 
 that ! Never rest till that attitude be 
 yours. Hand yourself over to Him to 
 work in you to will and to do of His own 
 good pleasure. We must be as plastic 
 clay, ready to take any shape that the 
 great Potter may choose: so shall we be 
 able to detect His guidance. 
 
 ni. We must Seek Information for 
 OUR Mind. 
 This is certainly the next step. God 
 has given us these wonderful faculties 
 of brain power, and He will not ignore 
 them. In the days of the Reformation, 
 
io6 6utbance» 
 
 He did not destroy the Roman Catholic 
 churches or pulpits; He did better — 
 He preached in them. And in grace. 
 He does not cancel the action of any of 
 His marvellous bestowments; but He 
 uses them for the communication of His 
 purposes and thoughts. 
 
 It is of the greatest importance then 
 that we should feed our minds with facts; 
 with reliable information; with the re- 
 sults of human experience; and above 
 all with the teachings of the Word of 
 God. It is matter for the utmost admi- 
 ration to notice how full the Bible is of 
 biography and history: so that there is 
 hardly a single crisis in our lives that 
 may not be matched from these wond- 
 rous pages. There is no book like the 
 Bible for casting a light on the dark 
 landings of human life. 
 
 We have no need or right to run hither 
 and thither to ask our friends what we 
 ought to do; but there is no harm in our 
 taking pains to gather all reliable in- 
 
XTbe Ma^ mabe ipiafn* 107 
 
 formation, on which the flame of holy 
 thought, and consecrated purpose, may 
 feed, and grow strong. It is for us ulti- 
 mately to decide as God shall teach us; 
 but His voice may come to us through 
 the voice of sanctified common-sense, 
 acting on the materials we have col- 
 lected. Of course, at times God may 
 bid us act against our reason; but these 
 are very exceptional: and then our duty 
 will be so clear that there can be no mis- 
 take. But for the most part, God will 
 speak in the results of deliberate con- 
 sideration, weighing and balancing the 
 pros and cons. 
 
 When Peter was shut up in prison, and 
 could not possibly extricate himself, an 
 angel was sent to do for him what 
 he could not do for himself; but when 
 they had passed through a street or two 
 of the city, the angel left him to con- 
 sider the matter for himself. Thus God 
 treats us still. He will dictate a mirac- 
 ulous course by miraculous methods. 
 
io8 (5utbance» 
 
 But when the ordinary light of reason is 
 adequate to the task, He will leave us 
 to act as occasion may serve. 
 
 IV. We must be much in Prayer for 
 Guidance. 
 
 The Psalms are full of earnest pleads 
 ings for clear direction: " Teach me Thy 
 way, O Lord; lead me in a plain path, 
 because of mine enemies." It is the law 
 of our Father's house, that His children 
 shall ask for what they want. "If any 
 of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, 
 who giveth to all men liberally, and 
 upbraideth not." 
 
 In a time of change and crisis, we need 
 to Be much in prayer, not only on our 
 knees, but in that sweet form of inward 
 prayer, in which the spirit is constantly 
 offering itself up to God, asking to be 
 shown His will; soliciting that it may be 
 impressed upon its surface, as the heav- 
 enly bodies photograph themselves on 
 prepared paper. Wrapt in prayer like 
 this, the trustful believer may tread the 
 
Xlbe Xlbrce Witnesses. 109 
 
 deck of the ocean steamer night after , 
 night, sure that He who points the stars 
 their courses will not fail to direct the 
 soul which has no other aim than to do 
 His will. 
 
 One good form of prayer at such a 
 juncture is to ask that doors maybe shut, 
 that the way maybe closed, and that all 
 enterprises which are not according to 
 God's will may be arrested at their very 
 beginning. Put the matter absolutely 
 into God's hands from the outset, and 
 He will not fail to shatter the project; 
 and defeat the aim, which is not accord- 
 ing to His holy will. 
 
 V. We must wait the Gradual Unfold- 
 ing OF God's Plan in Providence. 
 
 God's impressions within, and His v 
 word without, are always corroborated by 
 His providence around; and we should 
 quietly wait until these three focus into 
 one point. 
 
 Sometimes it looks as if we are bound 
 to act. Everyone says we must do 
 
no Outdance* 
 
 something; and indeed things seem to 
 have reached so desperate a pitch that 
 we must. Behind are the Egyptians; 
 right and left are inaccessible precipices: 
 before is the sea. It is not easy at such 
 times to stand still and see the salvation 
 of God; but we must. When Saul com- 
 pelled himself, and offered sacrifice, be- 
 cause he thougth that Samuel was too 
 late in coming, he made one of the 
 greatest mistakes of his life. 
 
 God may delay to come in the guise 
 of His providence. There was delay ere 
 Sennacherib's host lay like withered 
 leaves around the Holy City. There was 
 delay ere Jesus came walking on the sea 
 in the early dawn, or hastened to raise 
 Lazarus. There was delay ere the angel 
 sped to Peter's side on the night before 
 his expected martyrdom. He stays 
 long enough to test patience of faith, 
 but not a moment behind the extreme 
 hour of need. "The vision is yet for an 
 appointed time, but at the end it shall 
 
XKDlaittng 6o^'9 XTtme. 
 
 speak, and shall not lie; though it tarry, 
 wait for it: because it will surely come; 
 it will not tarry." 
 
 It is very remarkable how God guides 
 us by circumstances. At one moment 
 the way may seem utterly blocked; and 
 then shortly afterwards some trivial in- 
 cident occurs, which might not seem 
 much to others, but which to the keen 
 eye of faith speaks volumes. Sometimes 
 these signs are repeated in different 
 ways, in answer to prayer. They are not 
 hap-hazard results of chance; but the 
 opening up of circumstances in the di- 
 rection in which we should walk. And 
 they begin to multiply as we advance 
 towards our goal; just as lights do as we 
 near a populous town, when darting 
 through the land by night express. 
 
 Sometimes men sigh for an angel to 
 come to point them their way: that sim- 
 ply indicates that as yet the time has not 
 come for them to move. If you do not 
 know what you ought to do, stand still 
 
112 Guidance. 
 
 until you do. And when the time comes 
 for action, circumstances will sparkle, 
 like glou^-worms, along your path; and 
 you will become so sure that you are 
 right, when God's three witnesses con- 
 cur, that you could not be surer though 
 and angel-hand beckoned you on. 
 
 The circumstances of our daily life are 
 to us an infallible indication of God's 
 will, when they concur with the inward 
 promptings of the Spirit, and with the 
 Word of God. So long as they are sta- 
 tionary, wait! When you must act, they 
 will open; and a way will be made 
 through oceans and rivers, wastes and 
 rocks. 
 
 We often make a great mistake, think- 
 ing that God is not guiding us at all, be- 
 cause we cannot see far ahead. But this 
 is not His method. He only undertakes 
 that the steps of a good man should be 
 ordered by the Lord. Not next year; 
 but to-morrow. Not the next mile; but 
 the next yard. Not the whole pattern; 
 
Hs ®ur TKIlts^om♦ 17 
 
 from the dead for many who read these 
 lines, and whose life has been a series 
 of disappointments. Let us work it out 
 in one or two directions, as suggested 
 by the Apostle when he says: "Of 
 Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God 
 is made unto us wisdom, and righteous- 
 ness, and sanctification, and redemp- 
 tion." (i Cor. i. 30.) Let us 
 
 I. Appropriate Christ as our Wisdom. 
 Many true Christains find it difficult 
 to know the will of God. They long to 
 do it, if only they knew it; but it is hid- 
 den from their eyes. "Should I move 
 to another town?" "Should I take such 
 a step in business?" "Should I enter 
 into such a partnership, or ally myself 
 with such an enterprise?" "Should I 
 embark in this new branch of Christian 
 activity?" Such questions are con- 
 stantly arising and pressing for an an- 
 swer in all our lives; and as they do so 
 they excite the instant inquiry, " Lord, 
 
1 8 TLbc Hppropr tatton ot (Tbrlst 
 
 what wilt Thou have me to do?" 
 
 But how may we know God's will? 
 That is not always easy. Yet the diffi- 
 culty is not in Him. He does not wish 
 us to grope painfully in the dark. Nay, 
 He is ever giving us many signs and 
 hints as to the way we should take, too 
 delicate to be perceived by the coarse 
 eye of sense, but clear enough to those 
 who are divested of self-will and pride, 
 and only anxious to know and do the 
 holy and acceptable and perfect will of 
 God. 
 
 It is a mistake to seek a sign from 
 heaven; to run from counsellor to coun- 
 sellor; to cast a lot; or to trust to some 
 chance coincidence. Not that God may 
 not reveal His will thus; but because it 
 is hardly the behaviour of a child with 
 its Father. There is a more excellent 
 way. Let the heart be quieted and 
 stilled in the presence of God; weaned 
 from all earthly distractions and world- 
 ly ambitions. Let the voice of the Son 
 
Hs Qxxv IRigbteousness. 19 
 
 of God hush into perfect rest the storms 
 that sweep the lake of the inner life, 
 and ruffle its calm surface. Let the 
 whole being be centred on God Him- 
 self. And then, remembering that all 
 who lack wisdom are to ask it of God, 
 and that Jesus Christ is already made 
 unto us wisdom, let us quietly appro- 
 priate Him, in that capacity, by faith; 
 and then go forward, perhaps not con- 
 scious of any increase of wisdom, or 
 able to see far in front; but sure that 
 we shall be guided, as each new step 
 must be taken, or word spoken, or de- 
 cision made. It is an immense help in 
 any difficulty to say, " I take thee. Lord 
 Jesus, as my wisdom," and to do the 
 next thing, nothing doubting; assured 
 that He will not permit those who trust 
 in Him to be ashamed. 
 
 H. Let us appropriate Christ as our 
 Righteousness. 
 It is not necessary to convince the 
 readers of these lines that they need a 
 
20 Ubc Hppropriatton of Cbdst 
 
 righteousness, in whose stainless white 
 they may stand accepted before the 
 Holy Father. That, alas! is but too ap- 
 parent. Conscious of our nakedness 
 and sin, we once sought to establish 
 our ownrighteousness, stitching together 
 the fig-leaves, which died as we plucked 
 them, and became sere and shrivelled. 
 But since then we have submitted our- 
 selves to the righteousness of God, 
 which is by faith. There is often, how- 
 ever, an apparent doubt in Christian 
 hearts as to their relation to that right- 
 eousness; and they do not realize that, 
 whether the}^ feel it not, it is, neverthe- 
 less, covering them, in all its radiant 
 beauty; for in the thought of God, 
 every believer is arrayed in the beaute- 
 ous dress of the Saviour's finished work. 
 "It is UPON all them that believe." 
 (Rom. iii. 22.) There is only one kind 
 of faith, and directly it is exercised, 
 though amid many doubt's and fears, 
 the believer is justified, accepted in the 
 
Bs ©ur iRigbteousness. 21 
 
 Beloved, and accounted not only as for- 
 given, but as righteous in the sight of 
 God. This is so, whether it be realized 
 
 or not. . , . 
 
 The f^rst moment of faith is the time 
 when we begin to appropriate the right- 
 eousness of Christ. At first it is with 
 trembling hands that we gird ourselves 
 in the dress that cost our Lord so much. 
 We fear, as we enter the most holy 
 place, and stand where angels worship; 
 but, as the days pass on, and we learn 
 more of its efficiency, its adaptation to 
 our need, and its preciousness in the 
 sight of God, we become more assured 
 of our position, and notwithstanding re- 
 peated failures in the past, the misgiv- 
 ings of nature, and the taunts of Hell, 
 we have boldness to enter into that 
 which is within the vail. 
 
 Jesus Christ has been made to us 
 righteousness by God; but He needs to 
 be appropriated by faith when we are 
 first convinced of sin, and ever after, 
 
22 ^be Hppropriatton of Cbrist 
 
 when conscious of our worthlessness 
 and guilt. How triumphant the ejacu- 
 lation, "Jesus, I flee unto Thee to hide 
 me; I appropriate Thee as my right- 
 eousness before God!" 
 
 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 
 my soul shall be joyful in my God: for 
 He hath clothed me with the garments 
 of salvation. He hath covered me with 
 the robe of righteousness." 
 
 ni. Let us APPROPRIATE Christ AS OUR 
 Sanctification. 
 
 Sanctification is separation — separa- 
 tion from sin; separation to God, to the 
 point of devotion. There often arises 
 before us the vision of a devoted life; 
 such a life as Jesus lived, whose only 
 thought was to do the will of God. To 
 recognize God as the sole source of holi- 
 ness. To lean on Him, and to listen for 
 His voice within the heart as the sole 
 and sufficient guide. To live apart from 
 the restless aims and fretting ambitions 
 
Hs ®ur Sancttticatlon. 23 
 
 of men. To be separate from sin — holy, 
 harmless, and without rebuke. To keep 
 ever in touch with God and His thoughts 
 and aims. To obey him at all hazards 
 and costs. To be the channel through 
 which the river of God may flow down 
 into earths desert places, making them 
 rejoice and blossom — ah, what an ideal 
 is here ! 
 
 Yet at first this ideal mocks us sore- 
 ly. It is high, we cannot attain unto it. 
 And we shall be beaten by repeated 
 failures until we learn the secret, which 
 is just now our chosen theme. Apart 
 from that, there is nothing for us, but 
 sadly to renounce the bright vision 
 as impossible; though perhaps reserved 
 for saintly hearts which spend their 
 time in cloistered piety. 
 
 But it is brought within the range of 
 the humblest and weakest disciple, who 
 renounces all hope of realizingit through 
 nature's efforts, and who appropriates 
 Christ in his all-sufficiency. Trust the 
 
24 Ubc Hpproprtatton ot Cbrtst 
 
 Holy Spirit to work in you a perpetual 
 remembrance of the Lord Jesus; and 
 then avail yourself of Him in all His 
 offices and work. And amongst other 
 aspects, be sure to appropriate Him as 
 your sanctification. When tempted to 
 cross the line of separation, or to relax 
 the energy of your devotion, look up- 
 ward, and say, "Be thou to me in fact 
 that which the Father has already made 
 Thee, in possibility and by right, my 
 Sanctification." 
 
 IV. Let us appropriate Christ as our 
 Redemption. 
 
 We have been redeemed from the 
 curse of the law, because He was made 
 a curse for us. But we long to be re- 
 deemed from the power of sin. "The 
 good we would, we do not; the evil we 
 would not, we do." And this longing 
 shall be met; because it would not be 
 like our God to leave us to the mercy 
 of the strong Pharaoh-like foes, which 
 
Bs Qnv IReDemptton, 25 
 
 have made us serve under cruel bondage 
 for so long. He must come down to 
 deliver us. Ah, what joyful news it is 
 that He has done so, and has provided 
 a sufficient deliverance in Jesus. 
 
 But this redemption waits our appro- 
 priation, as the flowers of spring await 
 the hand of the flower-girl; or as the 
 deliverance wrought for the Jews by 
 Mordecai awaited their personal action, 
 which made it their own. From this 
 moment give up your strivings and en- 
 deavors, and take Christ as your deliv- 
 erance from all the sins which have 
 broken your peace, and cursed your 
 joy. When the oppressor approaches 
 you; when the old habit seeks to assert 
 itself; when easily besetting sin begins 
 to weave its snare about you, or sudden- 
 ly to assail — then look up to the Saviour, 
 and say, '* I appropriate Thee as my re- 
 demption in this my hour of need ! " 
 
 A lady travelling in the Southern 
 States, after President Lincoln had pro- 
 
26 Ube Bppropriatton ot Cbrist 
 
 claimed the freedom of the slaves, found 
 a black woman, who was acting as a 
 slave, because she did not know that 
 her race was free. She had heard ru- 
 mors, which her owner and others had 
 denounced as lies. But as soon as she 
 knew that she was free, see appropri- 
 ated her freedom, and went forth into 
 liberty. Let it be clearly understood 
 that the Son has made us free, who 
 bear His name; let us avail ourselves of 
 our right; and go forth into the glorious 
 liberty of the sons of God. 
 
 This is the secret, then, of a glad and 
 victorious life, unshadowed by cloud or 
 defeat: Jesus Christ for all who believe; 
 awaiting only the appropriation of the 
 most trembling hand stretched out to- 
 wards Him in expectation of faith. 
 
 It is a goodly land which the Lord 
 our god giveth us in which scarceness 
 and penury are unknown. Let us not 
 linger on the threshold, but go in to 
 possess it with songs of thanksgiving. 
 
II. 
 
 Cbrtst^s iproprletorsbtp^ 
 
 "V/hose I am. and Whom I ^^xs^r-AcU xxvii. 23. 
 
 |N the "Song of Songs, which is Solo- 
 it raon's," there is a beautiful gradation 
 of expression, which significantly illus- 
 trates the successive steps in the expe- 
 rience of the soul. Thrice does the 
 bride speak of the Bridegroom in similar 
 terms; but in each case there is a slight 
 alteration in the phraseology, which 
 speaks volumes of her deepening char- 
 acter, and truer attitude towards Him.^^ 
 ♦'My Beloved is mine, and I am His." 
 (Song of Solomon ii. i6.) "I am my 
 Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." 
 (vi. 3.) "I am my Beloved's, and His 
 desire is toward me." (vii. lo.) 
 
28 Cbrt9t'5 Iproprtetorsbip* 
 
 At first she lays the chief stress on the 
 thought that all her Beloved was hers, 
 and that she had a right to employ con- 
 cerning Him the appropriating pronoun 
 My ; it was only a secondary consider- 
 ation that she was also His. 
 
 But as her thought ran on, she 
 changed the relative place of the two 
 clauses of the sentence, and laid her pri- 
 mal emphasis not on her appropriation 
 of Him, but on his proprietorship of 
 her: *'I am His." 
 
 And, lastly, this conception so filled 
 her mind that she had no thought of 
 her side of the matter, and was alto- 
 gether absorbed in the happy conscious- 
 ness that she belonged utterly, and for 
 ever, to the object of her supreme and 
 adoring love. 
 
 This is also the history of each scholar 
 in the school of grace. We begin by 
 calculating how much there is in Christ 
 for us. We appropriate His fulness, 
 and count ourselves millionaires in His 
 
XTbe IRunawap Slaw, 29 
 
 wealth. And there is no wrong or harm 
 in this. But, as the days pass on, we 
 realize that there is a yet prof ounder truth 
 on which this rests; and to have that is 
 to have in addition all that Christ can 
 be and do for the soul which clings to 
 Him — as the limpet to the rock on 
 which the long line of waves breaks, 
 with boom of thunder and clouds of 
 spray, without detaching it from its 
 hold. We begin by saying, Christ is 
 miiie: we go on to say, I am His. We pass 
 from the appropriation of Christ by us 
 to the proprietorship of us by Christ. 
 And this is surely a happier and better 
 standing- ground: because the hand, 
 which appropriates only, may become 
 numbed and tired; but that which is 
 locked in the hand of Christ, in the 
 tight grasp of ownership, can never be 
 withdrawn. 
 
 Did you, my Christian reader, ever 
 realize the conception that you are ab- 
 solutely Christ's? You may not own it: 
 
30 Cbrtst's proprtetorsbtp, 
 
 you may not live beneath its power: 
 nay, you may seek to cast the thought 
 aside; as Onesimus, who, when he fled 
 from Ephesus to hide himself, truant that 
 he was, in the slums of Rome, tried to 
 forget the claims which Philemon, his 
 master, had over him, by right of pur- 
 chase. All this you may do: and yet, 
 in spite of all, you are as much Christ's 
 property as any slave would be the 
 chattel of the man who had paid down 
 his price in the market, or who had 
 received him as part of the family 
 estate by right of inheritance. 
 
 And not only are yoti the property of 
 Christ; but all you are and have is His 
 also. The master owns not only the 
 slave, but all the proceeds of his toils; 
 and all the personal or other property 
 which he may acquire. The hapless 
 serf can point to nothing as his; all is 
 his master's. He is but a steward, 
 bound to account for the way in which 
 every coin is expended; at the best per- 
 
IRests on /IDanp (BrouuDs. 31 
 
 mitted to deduct from the general pro- . 
 ceeds of the estate only a bare sufficiency 
 for his personal maintenance; but ex- 
 pected to forward all the rest to his 
 master, or expend it on such interests as 
 he may direct. This is our rightful 
 position with respect to Christ. Paul , 
 was proud to call himself the bond-slave 
 of Jesus Christ. He chose as his motto 
 the immortal words (badge of a slavery 
 which does not degrade, but enobles all 
 who bend beneath its yoke), ** Whose I 
 am, and whom I serve." 
 
 I. Christ's Proprietorship rests on 
 MANY Grounds. 
 
 We are His ^j Creation: His image 
 and superscription have been stamped 
 upon every lineament of our face, though 
 almost obliterated as the effigy of the 
 sovereign from a well-worn coin. " It is 
 He that hath made us, and His we are." 
 
 We are His by Purchase: for never 
 was slave more certainly acquired by 
 
32 Cbrist'0 iproprtetorsbip^ 
 
 silver and gold than we have been 
 bought by His precious blood. "Ye are 
 not your own, ye are bought with a 
 price, wherefore glorify God in your 
 body and in your spirit, which are His." 
 
 We are His by Deed of Gift: for the 
 Father has given to Him all who shall 
 come to Him; and it is impossible to 
 believe that donation could be of any- 
 thing less than our whole being. When 
 God gave us. He gave all of us. 
 
 We are His by Conquest: for the Man- 
 soul of our inner nature has opened to 
 Him her gates, unable longer to resist; 
 and, even though He be not as yet re- 
 cognized in all her environs, there is 
 no doubt that He is her rightful Lord 
 and King. 
 
 Ah! it is impossible to escape the 
 fact, that in the thought of God, and 
 according to the rights of the case, we 
 are the absolute property of Jesus Christ, 
 our Lord: and that he thinks much of 
 that fact, is evident in the frequent re- 
 
Xlbe Spirit ant) tbe TKIiorD. 129 
 
 of the inner meaning of the Word, shall 
 be soon aware that they have received 
 the filling that they seek. 
 
 IV. Be prepared to let the Holy 
 Ghost do as He will with you. 
 
 The Holy Ghost is in us, and by this 
 means Christ is in us; for j-fe dwells in 
 us by the Spirit, as the sun dwells in the 
 world by means of the atmosphere vi- 
 brating with waves of light. But we must 
 perpetually yield to Him, as water to the 
 containing vessel. This is not easy; in- 
 deed it can only be accomplished by 
 incessant self-judgment, and the per- 
 petual mortification of our own self-life. 
 
 What is our position before God in this 
 respect? We have chosen Jesus as our 
 substitute; but have we also chosen 
 Him, by the Holy Spirit, as our Life? 
 Can we say, like the Apostle: "Not 
 I, but Christ liveth in me"? If so, we 
 must be prepared for all that it involves. 
 We must be w^illing for the principle of 
 
130 TTbe ffulness of tbe Spirit 
 
 the new life to grow at the expense of 
 the self-life. We must consent for the 
 one to increase, whilst the other de- 
 creases, through processes which are 
 painful enough to the flesh. Nay, we 
 must ourselves be ever on the alert, 
 hastening the processes of judgment, 
 condemnation, and crucifixion. We 
 must keep true in our allegiance to the 
 least behest of the Holy Spirit, though 
 it cost tears of blood. 
 
 The perpetual filling of the Holy Spirit 
 is only possible to those who obey Him; 
 and who obey Him in all things. There 
 is nothing trivial in this life. By the 
 neglect of slight commands, a soul may 
 speedily get out of the sunlit circle, 
 and lose the gracious plenitude of Spirit- 
 power. A look, a word, a refusal, may 
 suffice to grieve Him in ourselves, and 
 to quench Him in others. Count the 
 cost; yet do not shrink back afraid of 
 what He may demand. He is the Spirit 
 of love; and He loves us too well to 
 
Uo be recetv>e& bp ffattb. 1 3 1 
 
 cause grief, unless there is a reason, 
 which we should approve, if we kne\\ 
 as much as He. 
 
 V. Receive Him by Faith. 
 
 "As ye have received Christ Jesus the 
 Lord, so walk ye in Him." Faith is the 
 one law of the Divine household. And 
 as once you obtained forgiveness and 
 salvation by faith, so now claim and re- 
 ceive the Holy Spirit's fulness. 
 
 Fulfil the conditions already named; 
 wait quietly but definitely before God in 
 prayer, for He gives His Holy Spirit to 
 them that ask Him: then reverently ap- 
 propriate this glorious gift; and rise 
 from your knees, and go on your way, 
 reckoning that God has kept His word, 
 and that you are filled with the Spirit. 
 Trust Him day by day to fill you and 
 keep you filled. According to your 
 faith, so shall it be done to you. 
 
 There may not be, at first, the sound 
 of rushing wind, or the coronet of fire. 
 
132 XTbe jfulnesB of tbe S^ptrtt 
 
 or the sensible feeling of Hi: presence. 
 Do not look for these, any n\ore than 
 the young convert should looi< :o feeling 
 as an evidence of acceptance But be- 
 lieve, in spite of feeling, thht you are 
 filled. Say over and over, " I thank Thee, 
 O my God, that Thou hast kept Thy 
 word with me. I opened my mouth, and 
 Thou hast filled it; though, as yet, I am 
 not aware of any special change." And 
 the feeling will sooner or later bre.^k in 
 upon your consciousness, and you will 
 rejoice with exceeding great joy; and all 
 the fruits of the Spirit will begin to show 
 themselves. 
 
 There is, of course, more in the doctrine 
 of the Holy Spirit than is at all realized 
 by the writer of these feeble lines. The 
 fiery baptism of the Holy Spirit maybe 
 something far beyond. Let us not then 
 be content to miss anything possible to 
 redeemed men; but, leaving the things 
 that are behind, let us press on to those 
 before, striving to apprehend all for 
 
'^Creater IMorF^s/* 133 
 
 which we have been apprehended by 
 Christ Jesus. And if we persevere, we 
 shall realize possibilities in our lives that 
 shall recall the days of the Apostles, and 
 enable us to understand what Jesus 
 meant when He spoke of those greater 
 works which should be wrought by them 
 that shouH believe in Him after He had 
 gone to P 1^ Father. 
 
VIII. 
 ®ur Mor?? tor Cbrlst 
 
 "To every man his work." — Mark xiii. 34. 
 
 ^^HE Christian life is sure to manifest 
 ^^ itself in holy activity; as certainly as 
 the life of a vegetable or plant manifests 
 itself in flower and fruit. It is perfectly 
 true to speak of such activities as work 
 — "to every man his work." But to 
 describe them as y^?«V, brings out another 
 shade of meaning, and indicates our en- 
 tire dependence for all successful work, 
 on our living connection with our glori- 
 ous Lord. 
 
 The Lord Jesus is Himself the great 
 Worker. He came to finish the work 
 which His Father gave Him to do. St. 
 Mark fitly describes Him during His 
 earthly career as the swift and incessant 
 v/orker, whose days were crowded with 
 incident from early dawn far on into the 
 
Cbrist, tbe Great MorF^er, 135 
 
 night. "I must work the works of Him 
 that sent Me, while it is day." 
 
 It is a great mistake to suppose that 
 His work has ceased. The Gospels tell 
 us only of what He begmi to do and teach. 
 But the book of the Acts of the Apostles, 
 which might be better called the Book 
 of the Acts of the living and ascended 
 Lord, takes up the wondrous story, and 
 tells us of what He continued to do and 
 teach, after He had passed through the 
 heavens to the right hand of God. He 
 is still the great Worker throughout all 
 the ages, both in the universe, and in 
 the Church. And the sacred record al- 
 ready mentioned closes abruptly with 
 great fitness; because the wondrous 
 story of the Acts of the Lord did not 
 finish when Paul in his hired house, for 
 two whole years, had preached unhin- 
 dered the things concerning the King- 
 dom of God, in the metropolis of the 
 world-kingdom. It runs on throughout 
 the centuries, and is still being written by 
 
136 ©ur Ximork for Cbrtst 
 
 angel fingers in the chronicles of eternity. 
 But is it not true that the ascended 
 Lord requires organs and instruments 
 for the expression and working out of 
 His mighty thoughts and purposes? He 
 is the Head of the body, the Church; 
 and He needs members, as the medium 
 through which He may convey His pur- 
 poses of grace and power towards the 
 world. As of old He passed the blessings 
 that throbbed in His heart through the 
 hands, and lips, and presence of His mor- 
 tal body; so now He must employ His 
 own beloved ones to be His hands. His 
 lips. His feet. His body — by which 
 men may receive healing virtue. St. Paul 
 was therefore consistent with the deep- 
 est truth, when "he declared particularly 
 what things God had wroicght ?imong the 
 Gentiles by his ministry." And we shall 
 work effectively when we understand 
 that we are not required to originate or 
 execute work for Christ, so much as to 
 work out His schemes, in His own 
 strength. 
 
Cbrlst lKIlorf?mg tlbrougb tils, 1 37 
 
 Who amongst the readers of these lines 
 does not long to be as useful as possible 
 in this brief life; to fulfil all the possi- 
 bilities of usefulness; and to apprehend 
 that for which Christ has apprehended 
 him ? But this can never be, until all the 
 powers of nature, which Christ has re- 
 deemed, are placed absolutely at His 
 disposal, with this prayer, " Do with me, 
 in me, to me, by me, as Thou wilt; only 
 make as much of me as can be made on 
 this side of the gates of pearl. Work 
 out Thine own ideal. Fulfil in me all 
 the good pleasure of Thy will. Perfect 
 that which concerneth me." 
 
 The maker of the organ can best de- 
 velop the sweet and mighty tones which 
 sleep within its compass. The inventor 
 of an ingenious machine can best unfold 
 its varied appliances. And surely it 
 stands to reason that He who knows 
 what is in us can best call forth our fac- 
 ulties, and use them, and manipulate 
 them for His glory, and to our joy. Oh, 
 
1 38 Qxw mork tor Cbrtst 
 
 what could not the Lord Jesus do by us, 
 if only we were wholly yielded to Him! 
 Let us note a few hints which maybe 
 of assistance to Christian workers. 
 
 L Work from Pure Motives. 
 
 Legends tell that when the Emperor 
 Justinian had built the Byzantine Church 
 with a view to his own aggrandisement 
 and glory, on the day of dedication he 
 looked in vain for his own name on the 
 memorial stone. Angel hands had ob- 
 literated it, and substituted for it that of 
 the widow, Euphrasia — whose only merit 
 was, that out of pure devotion she had 
 strewn a little straw in front of the beasts 
 that drew the heavily-laden trucks of 
 marble from the quarry to the sacred 
 pile. His motive was so ignoble that 
 heaven ignored his gift; hers was so pure 
 and lovely that she received credit for 
 the whole. 
 
 Alas! how much of our work vanishes, 
 without note in heaven, because it 
 springs from no motive that can pass 
 
pure /IDottws, 139 
 
 muster there. Earth rings with its fame, 
 and therein we find our only and suffi- 
 cient recompense; but the tidings never 
 travel further, whilst other deeds, 
 which arrest no notice here, stir all heaven 
 with interest and wonder, because of the 
 mighty motives that gave them birth. 
 
 With what shame do many of us re- 
 view the ignoble and worthless motives 
 by which we have been prompted. To 
 gain a livelihood; to win a name; to ex- 
 cite applause; to outvie some neighbor; 
 to win a victory; to accomplish a difficult 
 and almost impossible task; these have 
 inspired us in many deeds of Christian 
 service, which have received the com- 
 mendation of those who judge by ap- 
 pearance, and not by heart. How could 
 our God be pleased with us, or accept 
 our service ! Our most splendid deeds 
 have been irreparably spoilt by the mean- 
 ness of the motives that prompted them. 
 
 Our motives must be pure. The root 
 will affect all the fruit. The stream can> 
 
140 Qnv Morf; tor Cbnst, 
 
 not rise higher than its source. We must 
 get rid of the constant thought of self. 
 We must become oblivious to the praise 
 or blame of man. We must let the sun 
 of Divine love burn out the fires of self- 
 ish ambition and personal aims. We 
 must bring our weak and weary hearts 
 to the Heart-physician, asking Him to 
 cleanse them by the inspiration of His 
 Holy Spirit, disentwining the clinging 
 evil of self, and filling us with His own 
 sweet, ingenuous, and perfect love. May 
 our hearts burn with the pure flame of 
 devotion that trembles in the hearts of 
 seraphs! This our cry in life and death: 
 "Glory to God in the Highest!" 
 
 H. Work on God's Plan. 
 
 One of the most suggestive texts in 
 the Bible, far-reaching in its many ap- 
 plications, is that in which God says to 
 Moses, "See that thou make all things 
 according to the pattern showed thee in 
 the Mount." Not a stake, or a curtain, 
 or an atom of fragrant spice was left to 
 
XTbe Cause of jfallure, 141 
 
 the genius of the artificer, or the fancy 
 of the lawgiver. All was unfolded to 
 Moses in elaborate detail; and all he had 
 to do was to produce that plan in care- 
 ful and exact obedience, until at last it 
 stood complete before the wondering 
 host of Israel. And God provided the 
 material in abundance, out of which the 
 plan was to be elaborated. If we will 
 execute His plans, we need have no 
 anxiety about the stuff; He will make 
 Himself responsible for that. 
 
 Does not this touch the secret of much 
 of our failure? We reason thus: "This 
 seems a feasible thing; it promises well; 
 other men are doing it; success seems 
 within grasp, and would be very sweet : 
 I shall certainly go in for it." We do not 
 stay to ask whether it is one of those 
 good works which God has before pre- 
 pared for us to walk in. We do not 
 seek to know, by prayer and waiting, 
 whether it is in God's plan for us. We 
 do not humbly wait to be taught if God 
 
142 ©ur TKHorft tor Cbrtst. 
 
 wants our help in this special direction. 
 And it is only when we have plunged 
 deeply into our course, and have met 
 with all manner of discouragement, that 
 we begin to question whether we should 
 have adopted it at all. Then we run to 
 ask God to extricate us; to help us out; 
 and to forgive us for having built, and 
 launched, and chartered our ships, with- 
 out asking Him if we were acting in ac- 
 cordance with His will. 
 
 The fact is, we start an enterprise, and 
 presently ask God to help us; instead of 
 first asking what He was doing, and 
 whether we could help Him. 
 
 Do not think that this mode of life will 
 lead to listless dreaming. None are so en- 
 ergetic, so swift, so mighty in their holy 
 activities as those who know that they 
 are on God's lines; doing their little bit 
 in the mighty scheme of tesselated pave- 
 ment; sure that His accomplished plan 
 will amply justify them; and casting all 
 responsibilities on His perfect wisdom. 
 
Clean IDessels. 143 
 
 Do not run hither and thither, asking 
 for work. How can any one tell you 
 what the Master wants you to do? We 
 can but guess at the best. Go straight to 
 the Lord Jesus for yourselves. Tell Him 
 you cannot bear to be shut out of His 
 glorious fellowship. Entreat Him to in- 
 dicate your place. And never rest con- 
 tent until, like Peter, you turn from the 
 vision to the task; and, in the knock of 
 the far-travelled messengers, you are 
 summoned to the w^ork which needs you. 
 
 HI. Work AS those FreshlyCleansed. 
 
 The priests must w^ash in the laver be- 
 fore they perform the 'service of the 
 Sanctuary. They must be clean who 
 bear the vessels of the Lord. A man must 
 purge himself from iniquity, if he shall 
 be "a vessel unto honor, sanctified and 
 meeu for the Master's use, and prepared 
 unto every good work." (2 Tim. ii. 21.) 
 
 If, in haste, we would give a draught 
 of refreshing water to a traveller, we take 
 from our shelf the first vessel which is 
 
144 ©ur MorJ^ tor Cbrtst. 
 
 cleaji. We pass over the elegant and 
 richly-chased cup for the earthenware 
 mug, if the latter has a cleanliness which 
 the former lacks. And our Lord Jesus 
 will gladly use us for His service, though 
 we be of but common ware, if only we 
 are clean and ready for use. 
 
 In our hospitals, the instruments used 
 in operations are constantly kept in 
 carbolic acid, that they may not carry the 
 slightest contagion to the open wound; 
 and we cannot touch the open and fester- 
 ing wounds which sin has caused without 
 injury to ourselves and others, unless we 
 are. ever in the flow of the blood and 
 water of which St. John speaks. 
 
 IV. Work in God's Strength. 
 
 No man is sent to the warfare on his 
 own charges; and yet many Christians 
 argue as if that were one of heaven's 
 standing orders. None, however, are 
 ever called to a work which God does 
 not know is within the limits of the 
 strength which He has given, or which 
 
Qnv Meanness; Go^'s Strengtb. 145 
 
 He is ready to give, to the opened, up- 
 turned heart. He does not want our 
 strength — it is often a hindrance to 
 Him; because we are so apt to rely on 
 it, to the exclusion of Himself. He wants 
 our weakness, our infirmities, our noth- 
 ingness — "that the excellency of the 
 power may be of God, and not of us." 
 So far from your consciousness of power- 
 lessness being a barrier to your efficient 
 work, it will be one of the strongest ele- 
 ments in your success — if only you are 
 driven to lay hold on His strength, and 
 be at peace. "My grace is sufficient for 
 thee: for my strength is made perfect in 
 weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will 
 I rather glory in my infirmities, that the 
 power of Christ may rest upon me." 
 
 When asking Christians to undertake 
 certain branches of Christian work, one 
 is so often met with the excuse, "I can- 
 not do it; I am not fitted for it. I have 
 no power to speak." Such have much 
 need to get back to the desert and learn 
 
146 ©ur Wiovli tor Cbvist 
 
 the significant lesson of the rod which 
 Moses held in his hand. He was ques- 
 tioning his sufficiency to take up the 
 work which was being thrust upon him; 
 but he learnt that if only a rod is cast 
 down before God, it becomes endowed 
 with new powers; it can be and do what 
 would be impossible by nature: and 
 through the power of God it may become 
 invested with such might as to carve a 
 way through the waves; roll back the 
 hosts of Amalek; and bring water from 
 the flinty rock. Why should not we be 
 as that rod in the hands of Christ? 
 Without Him we cannot be other than 
 broken reeds; but in and with Him we 
 become pillars in the temple from which 
 we shall go no more out. "I can do all 
 things in Him which strengtheneth me." 
 And there is no way so good of getting 
 God's strength as being diligent students 
 of His precious Word. This is the me- 
 dium of conveying strength to our inmost 
 souls; as the grain conveys the strength 
 
Success lEnsure^. 147 
 
 of the earth to the nutriment of our nat- 
 ural life. Read your Bibles, Christian 
 workers, if you would be strong. And 
 it also stands to reason that the Holy 
 Ghost is much more likely to use mar- 
 v^ellously the man whose mind is steeped 
 and saturated with the thoughts and 
 phraseology of Scripture, which has 
 been indited by Him as the medium of 
 eternal truths to human hearts. 
 
 V. Work in Believing Expectancy. 
 
 How often and how truly it has been 
 said that God never uses a discouraged 
 man. No great measure of success will 
 ever come to him who does not believe 
 in it, and expect it. In this, as in all other 
 spiritual work, we are governed by one 
 unchanging law: According to your 
 faith be it done unto you. "Only be 
 thou strong and very courageous." 
 
 And why should we not go forth with 
 the elastic tread of those who know that 
 they shall doubtless come again with 
 rejoicing, bringing with them their 
 
148 Qnv Wiovf^ tor Cbrist 
 
 sheaves? We go on God's errands; 
 we are provided with His seed, we are 
 directed by His unerring wisdom to our 
 plot in the field; we are sure of His co- 
 operation in giving sun and shower, dew 
 and rain. We may have to wait, as all 
 true husbandmen must; but there can 
 be no doubt as to the ultimate issue. 
 
 Oh, what a glorious work is ours ! To 
 give effect to the yearnings of Divine 
 love; to be the organs and instruments 
 of the redemptive purpose of God; to 
 be associated with Christ in the salva- 
 tion of the lost; to pluck men as brands 
 from the burning, and to hold them aloft 
 as torches for the progress of the King; 
 to hasten the glad day of His second 
 coming; to be His heralds and ambas- 
 sadors — these were enough to lure an 
 archangel from his seat. Well is it to 
 have been summoned to do it; and a 
 thousand times better to know that it is 
 to be the employment of eternal ages, 
 of which it is written, "His servants 
 shall serve Him. 
 
IX. 
 
 ConcluMnG Mor^s* 
 
 "Keep yourselves in the love of God." — Jude 21. 
 
 ^^HE longer we live, the less we care 
 ^^ to speak of our love to God, and the 
 more we dwell on God's love to us. As 
 we climb the hill of Christian experience, 
 we see the ever-growing horizon of the 
 ocean of divine tenderness; and we be- 
 come ashamed even to mention the pool 
 of our love that lies far away in the vale 
 beneath. Besides, we come to see that 
 all true love to God is only a reflected 
 gleam of His great love towards us. "We 
 love Him because He first loved us." 
 
 There is no sweeter atmosphere in 
 which to live than the perpetual con- 
 sciousness that God loves us. Like the 
 steady heat of the hot-house producing 
 flowers and fruits amid the frosts of De- 
 cember: so, in this icy world, the genial 
 
ISO ConcluMno Mor^s. 
 
 glow of the love of God experienced per- 
 ennially by the believer will produce 
 those results which are exotics to this 
 World, though they are native to the 
 soil of the New Jerusalem. 
 
 When the Apostle bids us keep our- 
 selves in the love of God, he surely does 
 not mean that we need to exert ourselves 
 to prevent the cessation of God's love to- 
 ward us. The love of God is without 
 variableness, or shadow of turning. Hav- 
 ing loved His own which are in the world, 
 He loves them unto the end. We may 
 rest satisfied that nothing can separate 
 us from the love of God, which is in Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. If we are faithless, He 
 remaineth faithful. If we wander away 
 into backsliding and coldness. He con- 
 tinues immutably the same. If we, like 
 Peter, deny Him, yet He still looks on 
 us with yearning affection, enough to 
 break our hearts. Oh, clasp fhis blessed 
 thought to your inner consciousness! — 
 that the love of God is more tenacious 
 
Gob's 3f aitbtulnesB. 1 5 1 
 
 than a mother's— "she may forget"— 
 and more lasting than hills or moun- 
 tains, which "may depart." 
 
 But the love of God to us is one thing; 
 and our appreciation and enjoyment of 
 that love is quite another. The one is 
 unalterably the same; while the other 
 is fitful and intermittent. Sometimes 
 we are very sensible of the warm beam 
 of God's love shining blessedly into our 
 souls; at other times we have no such 
 joyous consciousness of His love: but 
 we must remember that God's love to 
 us does not in any way depend on our 
 consciousness of it. It is not most, be- 
 cause we happen to feel it most; or least, 
 because we have almost ceased to feel it 
 at all. The one is no guage of the amount 
 of the other. God's love to us is ever 
 constant, however much our apprecia- 
 tion of it may vary. When the sunlight 
 beams seem to touch only a rim of the 
 moon's surface, we do not argue that the 
 sun is growmg cold and dark. When a 
 
152 ConcluMng Mor^s, 
 
 child wanders far afield from home and 
 mother, we do not suppose that the love 
 has necessarily died out in that mother's 
 heart. 
 
 Nevertheless, though our conscious- 
 ness of God's love, does not determine 
 its amount or constancy, yet it is very de- 
 lightful and helpful to realize it always. 
 Thus we become most sensitive to sin. 
 Thus we acquire purity of heart. Thus we 
 become strong and fearless. Thus, too, 
 we become magnetic, attracting others 
 to Him who has made us what we are. 
 This then is the question with which we 
 opened, and with which we close, these 
 thoughts on Christian Living — " May we 
 not live in the hourly consciousness of 
 the love of God toward us. 
 
 Is not this what Jesus meant when He 
 said, "I have kept My Father's com- 
 mandments, 2ind abide in His love?" Is 
 not this what He meant, when He bade 
 us keep His commandments and abide 
 in His own love ? And what else did Jude 
 
XTbe alWmportant diuestton. 153 
 
 mean by bidding his fellow-Christians to 
 keep themselves "in the love of God"? 
 
 We may not always or exclusively be 
 dwelling on it; but continually looking 
 up from our work, and finding that that 
 benignant face is still smiling on us; and 
 that that over-arching heaven of love is 
 still above and around; not able to speak 
 much of our love to God, but always able 
 to speak of His love to us — like a child 
 who plays about the house without ques- 
 tioning for a moment, because it feels 
 instinctively that all around it is shining 
 the love of the mother. 
 
 There are three or four brief hints 
 that may be of service : — 
 
 /. Take time to cofisider God's love to you. 
 God loves the world, because He loves 
 each unit in the great sum of human life. 
 We see the parterres of spring; to Him 
 each flower is distinct. To us the spar- 
 rows are so similar that we cannot dis- 
 tinguish one from the rest; but He marks 
 each sparrow's fall. We stand in wonder 
 
154 ConcluMng TOlor^s, 
 
 beneath the arch of the starry sky, and 
 are bewildered by the multitudinousness 
 of the star-dust. He calls each atom by 
 its separate name. And so when we think 
 of God's love to us, we must not think 
 He loves us as part of the race; but with 
 a special individualizing love, which 
 singles us out of the crowd, as a father 
 loves each child with a love in which no 
 other can share. 
 
 "Thou art as much His care, as if beside 
 Nor man, nor angel lived in heaven and earth." 
 
 This belief in God's personal love is 
 very helpful. It prevents us from feeling 
 lost in a crowd. But it is not natural or 
 easy at first. We must be patient, and 
 take time to allow the thought to possess 
 us, in its mighty grasp. We must get 
 alone, and shut the door upon the busy 
 world, and set ourselves to comprehend 
 the meaning of those three small words, 
 God loves me. We must learn that it is 
 of the very nature of an Infinite Being to 
 be as much in one place as though He 
 were in no other place; and to love one 
 
**6o^ Xoves/lC)e/' 155 
 
 lonely heart as if there were none other 
 to share His love in all the wide universe. 
 In the morning, before you enter on the 
 calls of daily duty, take time — five min- 
 utes—quietly to realize that you are 
 the object of the deep personal love of 
 the Infinite God. 
 
 //. Accept all the i?icide?its of the day as 
 coming from His love. I do not see how we 
 can make distinctions between God's or- 
 daining and His permissive providence, 
 any more than we can between His spe- 
 cial and general providence. All life, and 
 its many incidents; what comes to us di- 
 rectly from His hand, equally with what 
 is permitted to happen to us through 
 the means of others— must be traced 
 back to Himself as the ultimate final 
 cause. Our Lord was delivered by the 
 determinate counsel and fore-knowledge 
 of God; though this did not lessen the 
 wickedness of the hands by which He 
 was crucified and slain. Here is the mys- 
 tery of the ages; but let not the mystery 
 
156 ConcluMng Mor^9♦ 
 
 rob us of the undoubted truth, that God 
 is behind all events. 
 
 And God is love. All events, there- 
 fore, must be consistent with His love. 
 And we must recognize this, if we would 
 keep ourselves in its glad and constant 
 enjoyment. When any bright thing be- 
 falls you; when any one says anything 
 kind of you; when an unexpected gift 
 falls at your feet; when a new friendship 
 enters your life; when the sun shines 
 brightly on your path — look up, and 
 know that all lovely and helpful things 
 are the children of the love of God. Do 
 not be so occupied with the gift, or the 
 channel through which it comes, as to 
 ignore the Giver Himself. 
 
 And when unkind things are said or 
 done; when robber bands steal your 
 goods, as Job's; when friends disappoint 
 you, and Shimeis curse — then look up, 
 and be sure that all is permitted by a love 
 that cares for you none the less tenderly 
 when it withholds its help. "Jesus loved 
 
XTbe Givcv an^ tbe (3it\'3. 157 
 
 Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus: 
 wher He heard, therefore, that he was 
 sick. He abode two days still in the same 
 place where He was." 
 
 Thus every event that comes to you 
 will link you, by a golden clasp, with 
 the love of God. 
 
 ///. Be chaimels of God's love to others. 
 Inthe spring, the vine-root, bursting with 
 life-power, longs for branches through 
 which it may pour its tides of life forth 
 to refresh thirsty souls; and surely the 
 love of God is ever seeking for kindred 
 hearts, who shall be channels of 
 communication with the world. The 
 world, too, needs love. There is nothing 
 which can slake its thirst, but the love 
 of God. It will ever thirst again till it 
 drinks of that stream. 
 
 Why should not you, my reader, be one 
 of the channels through which God's 
 love may pour itself out to refresh him 
 that is weary ? If you are willing, you will 
 find yourself beginning to care for men 
 as never before; and there will be a new 
 
rss ConcluMng Morbs. 
 
 power of affection opened within you, 
 which shall betray its Divine origin. 
 
 And what, think you, shall be the ef- 
 fect of this upon yourself, except to teach 
 you the meaning of God's love to yoii'^ 
 For the water which flows along a chan- 
 nel can refresh the flowerets that grow 
 upon its banks. Those that live in love 
 to others know the love of God to them- 
 selves; and to keep other men in our love 
 is to keep ourselves in the love of God. 
 Forsake wrath, jealousy, and envy, in 
 the power of God's grace, and learn the 
 new, glad lesson of love. 
 
 IV. Associate luith those who love God. 
 No one of us can know the fulness of 
 God's love in the loneliness of our own 
 communings. We need to associate with 
 all saints to learn its height and depth, 
 and length and breadth. It is a mistake to 
 isolate ourselves from communion with 
 Christians, or from corporate Church- 
 life; and it is my earnest advice to al/ 
 young Christians, as to all secret dis-= 
 
©ur Hssoctations, 1 59 
 
 ciples, to find some happy centre of 
 Christian fellowship, and join it. 
 
 We see the love of God from different 
 angles. It shines on us with different 
 hues. And no one can fully appreciate 
 it, and its full extent, who has not spoken 
 with other Christians about it, and tried 
 to catch some new beauty in their con- 
 ceptions. Talk much of the love of God 
 to those around you. Hear them, and ask 
 them questions. So shall your heart burn 
 within you, and Jesus will make Himself 
 known in some deeper, sweeter guise. 
 Christian converse is a great help towards 
 theabidingrealization of the love of God. 
 
 V. Live i?i obedience to every k?io'wn com- 
 mand. "If ye keep My commandments, 
 ye shall abide in My love; as I have kept 
 My Father's commandments, and abide 
 in His love." This is the secret - to 
 search the Word to see if you are keep- 
 ing all His commands; to seek and keep 
 His laws; to put the government upon 
 His shoulders; to do His will, at what- 
 
i6o ConcluMna Mor^s♦ 
 
 ever cost to self-will; to obey, not to win 
 aught from His hand, but just to please 
 Him; to ask forgiveness and restoration 
 if you have erred or gone astray. Here 
 is the essential condition of walking in 
 the light of His love. 
 
 Who has not been conscious of a sweet 
 manifestation of love, when some diffi- 
 cult duty has been done for His dear sake 
 alone? As when Jesus was baptized, the 
 heavens were opened, and the voice of 
 God declared Him to be His beloved 
 Son. 
 
 Let us "walk in the light, as He is in 
 tne light" : so shall we be conscious 
 not of light only, but of love. 
 
 There is no need for us to live in a cold 
 and arctic zone, if only we fulfil the con- 
 ditions here set down. We may not al- 
 ways be equally buoyant, or equally ex- 
 uberant; or equally responsi\'e; but we 
 shall never lose the bright glad con- 
 sciousness that we are loved by the Love 
 that spared not the only-begotten Son. 
 

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