How to train a child, (Eph. vi. 4,) rule a servant. (Eph. vi. 9,) behave towards a bad master, (1 Pet. ii. 18,) or a contentious brother, (1 Pet. iii. 9.) With whom to keep company, (2 Tim. ii. 22,) and from whom to separate; with whom to have social or church fellowship and from whom to withdraw, have been all our Father's thought, and they are put there for our instruction and the "obedience of our faith". Such a "rest of faith" as lives in disobedience of these plain injunctions is false, and such a conscience as "does not accuse us of doing wrong" when these remain unobeyed, and even by some are deemed "unessential" is surely seared, for what is the mark of a "spiritual" or "heavenly minded man"? Is it not this? "If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you, are the commandments of the Lord," (1 Cor. xiv. 37) and, as such, are to be obeyed one and all,

"ALONE, YET NOT ALONE."

J. R.

Alone, yet not alone, how sweet the thought
To those who've by the precious blood been bought
The Master's presence ever near abides,
Whatever to His people here betides.

Alone, yet not alone, thus spake the Lord,
"Lo, I am with you always," was His word
O blessed truth, wherever I may be
His presence will be there to strengthen me.

Alone, yet not alone, His promise sure
To all His people ever shall endure,
Through all this changing life or suff'ring here,
He near me stays to comfort and to cheer.

Alone, yet not alone, then let us rest
Upon His faithfulness, for then we're blest,
He never will forsake or leave us here
Till we are gather'd home with Him up there.

Then not alone, but, 'Ever with the Lord,'
Shall our blest portion be who trust His word,
Before Him we shall rest in light and love
In yonder glory, with the saints above.

G. S. J.

SURE

THE SLOTHFUL MAN.

URELY he is to be pitied, and yet how many there are in the world. What numbers who seem to have no purpose in life. Whilst others are keenly running the race for riches, up early and late with one object ever before them, such men flit from place to place, and from one pleasure to another; listless, with no energy, the days pass and still they are doing little or nothing. Unhappy men, but is it only in the world that such are to be found? Are there none to be found in the Church? Christians, saved ones, and yet slothful-little or no energy, no godly determination to find work for Christ, and to stick to it. Sometimes they get stirred a little by the example of others, or by the earnest words of a fellow Christian, and then they will take a class in the Sunday School, or they will help in some gospel work, but soon their lack of energy manifests itself. They have undertaken something it is true, but so listlessly do they go about it that its painful to the worker who is in downright earnest, and but a drag on the progress of the work. What is needed in the present day? That which characterised the people in Nehemiah's day. "The people had a mind to work." (Neh. ii. 1.) A heart filled with love, the love of Christ to the perishing; compassion for souls that shews itself in unceasing, untiring effort to win souls for Christ.

"Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep." (Prov. xix. 15.) And is not this to be seen around us, many of God's children asleep, why is this? they were slothful, they lacked energy, others converted at the same time at once sought work for the Master. Their cry was "What wilt thou have me to do". (Acts ix. 6.) His answer was "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might". (Ecc. ix. 10.) And at once they sought to know their gift, to find out that which they were able for, then to perform it; but the slothful one excused himself. "I don't see what I can do, I don't think I have any gift." "Come down to our Sunday School," said one, "and help". "Oh you have helpers enough, I am sure I could'nt do anything." And what follows. He is soon asleep, he has life, but he is asleep. There is a fire raging, men are in the house and in imminent danger. Can the dead save them? Impossible. Can the sleeping ones who are not dead? Surely not, until they are aroused from

"The hands of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute." (Prov. xix. 15.)

Here is another phase of the slothful man's history. The diligent ruler. The slothful are under tribute, and in regard to Christians spiritually do we not see the slothful man has no energy, if he works a little he is ruled by another. He never plans out work for himself, he is indebted to his fellow Christian. It never occurs to him to rouse himself and seek out work for God, and be the means of guiding others in it. He is under tribute himself, and so with acquaintance of the Scriptures. Anything he does know, he owes it to the diligent one.

The diligent search the Word of God, and gain spiritual power by so doing, they bind it to their heart, they have it at their fingers' ends, but the slothful is under tribute. He could not understand some passage as he read, he passed it by too slothful to make diligent search, to compare Scripture with Scripture, to seek light from God as to it. If he learns its meaning it is from another, he is under tribute.

TRUTH HEARD, BUT NOT USED.

"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting." (Prov. xii. 27.)

And if he should now and again stir himself to search the Word of God, and gather something from it, he is like the man who having roused himself to go hunting, comes home with his prey only to fall back into his slothfulness, never to eat that which he took, for it's too much trouble to roast it.

So is the Christian who hears truth, but he goes home too slothful to look up for himself the lines of truth dwelt upon, and then feed upon it, and make it his own in quiet meditation. How many have heard truth. What numbers of meetings some Christians have been present at. Alas, how little they have profited by them. How small their real, experimental

knowledge of the Word of God. Christians, do not be content with mere hearing; feed upon that which you hear. Profit thereby.

WILL NOT ACT.

"The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing." (Prov. xiii. 4.)

The slothful one will say, "Well, I would like to hear God's Word," but he has no energy to go where it can be heard. A little thing is allowed to keep him. At one time it's too cold, or it's too hot, he is wearied, he is busy or thinks himself so, and the result is he is seldom at the Bible reading, or the meeting for teaching and expounding the Word.

Again, how many will say "If I only had the knowledge such an one has, I would like to know truth as he does ".

They desire, but they have nothing, they will not act. Say to them, "Diligently read God's word, and you will gain knowledge". The reply will be "But you see I have such a bad memory," or it may be, "I have so little time," whilst the fact is they are slothful, and therefore have no method. The moments are not counted precious, they are allowed to slip away by those who always seem in a hurry, yet are doing little or nothing, or are always lamenting their deficiencies, and desire, but the desire comes to nothing, they will

not act.

COLD, THEREFORE WILL NOT WORK.

"The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold." (Prov. xx. 4.)

Here we get another class of Christians portrayed. The love of many is waxing cold, and as the slothful one looks around and sees many cold and indifferent to the work of the Lord, he excuses himself from working, saying, “There is so much coldness its of no use my attemping anything alone".

Another, if you ask him why he does not preach more, “Oh, its of no use, the people have heard so much they are hardened," as the sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold, so is it with them. "I: is no use giving tracts or speaking to the people, they are so hardened." All may be true concerning the coldness and indifference, alas it often is true enough, but what then, shall Christians cease their efforts, nay let them redouble them in faith and prayer. Paul, when he writes his second Epistle to Timothy tells him, "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse," (ch. iii. 13); warns him that the time will come "when

they will not endure sound doctrine" (ch. iv. 3); but will be turned unto fables, yet does he add "Do the WORK of an Evangelist". (Ch. iv. 5.) Give up because of difficulties of false doctrine, or because many will turn a deaf ear! God forbid. Work on, and in the day of Christ reward shall follow.

TIME WASTED.

"He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster." (Prov. xviii. 9.)

By this we may see there are degrees in slothfulness. Some are too slothful to work at all. They do nothing, but others again will work, but being slothful in it they are great wasters of time. Not one quarter is done that might be. It becomes half hearted work. Time lost in lazily discussing whether work shall be attempted, and the time wasted, as it is gone about.

66

'Redeeming the time" should be our motto. Work done in power and with heart, that other work may be gone about, and that thus work may multiply on our hands.

TROUBLED ABOUT THE FUTURE.

“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." (Prov. xxii. 13.)

How many slothful ones thus speak. They are troubled, they are unhappy, they are constantly in fear because idle in the present, they are troubled about the future, and the lion in the distance hinders all effort.

Suggest to some that an open air meeting might be held. "The lion is without." They fear a disturbance or the Police will interfere, they would scarcely admit to themselves that slothfulness was really the cause of their thus speaking. It was not thus with Nehemiah, for when the enemy tried to turn him from his service and work by speaking of the lion without saying "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple; and let us shut the doors of the temple, for they will come to slay thee; yea in the night will they come to slay thee" (Neh. vi. 10.) What was the reply? "Should such a man as I flee? and who is there that being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in." (Ver. 11.)

The man filled with energy rising up early, or spending a whole night in the service of God for his downtrodden people, who had spent 52 days in the repair of the wall, weapon by his side, was not the man to flee, and as he pursued the work with vigour he soon found there was no lion. "I perceived that God had not sent him." "Therefore was he hired that I should be afraid."

is, and shall be, my wisdom. By Him I have received the salutary knowledge which leads me to the favour of God. He is my righteousness. By His atonement I have pardon of my sins; my sins will not appear in judgment against me-they are blotted out by the atoning blood of Jesus. He is likewise my sanctification. In His holy life I best learn the whole will of God, and by His spirit I shall daily be encouraged and strengthened to hate every sin, and walk in the way of the commandments of God. He is, and I hope He will be my redemption. By Him, I shall be delivered from all evil, and made eternally happy.

"Let others glory in what they please: I will glory in Christ Jesus, the only and perfect Author of all happiness. Should I presume to rely on my own virtue, I should despair. Though I heartily wish to obey God and follow the example of my Saviour, though I will endeavour by the grace of God to subdue my inclination to sin-yet in all this there is, and ever must be, imperfection; so that I dare not stand upon so rotten a ground. But to win Christ, and be found in Him, in life and death, and even in the day of judgment, was St. Paul's wish; this has been the wish of all genuine Christians; this shall be mine as long as I breathe. This was not a peculiarity in St. Paul's character. No; he admonishes all to follow him in this point. This close adherence to Christ will not make us indolent in the pursuit of holiness. It will rather impel, strengthen, and cheer us in the work of true and Christian holiness. St. Paul wished to be made like unto the death of Jesus, which is the summit of true holiness.-From the life of C. F. Swartz, missionary to India.

LEARNING GOD'S MIND IN COMMUNION.

AVID could not find out in God's Word whether

DAVID

he ought to go up against the Philistine or not. (2 Sam. xii.) In order to learn that, he had to go to the house of Obed-edom, to the ark, and there to inquire of God. Thus it is with us: we have to seek for the realisation of God's presence, and not to be satisfied with barely praying about a thing.

I do not think inquiring of God is merely praying about a thing, and then settling it; but the expression involves the going on asking God about it, and weighing it maturely before Him, so as to be able to lay aside the thoughts of duplicity that may be in our hearts with regard to it. The ark was a bright place. The ark was a bright place. A spot on a man's garment might be seen there, because the glory of God was there. And thus it is now. Any spot, any hidden motive, would be brought out by our coming before the Lord. Those things that we like and wish to come to pass, are the things that we try to persuade ourselves will come to pass; but supposing the flesh is at work in causing us to wish these things, in God's presence we shall find this out; and on the other hand, if my desire be a spiritual one, it will come out in this brightness as something that God can order; and if there be a mixture of flesh and spirit in my desire, the spiritual part of it will shine forth and the other will be discerned.

David, when wanting to know how to bring up the ark, inquired at God's Word. Often in conflict and trial we have to seek in God's presence the support and guidance that we need, and to lay bare our hearts before Him that we may be distinctly taught by Him. But supposing it were a question concerning Christ and His truth, I am not to pray only, but to consult God's Word. If God has given written direction in His Word as to our conduct in certain ways, &c., He will not teach us what to do, unless we attend to those directions. All that concerns worship, the truth of God, and our walk and service, must be learned in God's word. Our worship, our Church fellowship, our position, are those things that concern the Ark of the Covenant of our God; and He has given us written directions about them in His Word.

But with regard to many things, I shall not be able to discover the distinct right and wrong, so to speak, in God's Word; for a thing may be harmless and innocent in itself, and yet it may not be the right thing for me to do.

We read in 2 Sam. chap. xiv. that David built him a house for himself. Now, I believe it was rather a dangerous thing for David to build a house for himself at the very time that the Ark of God was in a tent; the consequence connected with his building the house was fearful sin in the case of Uriah.

Poor Uriah says to David, "the ark, and Israel, and Judah abide in tents" (2 Sam. xi. 11), reminding David thus of the condition in which he had left the ark; but David does not take the rebuke, and the consequence is, he has to learn what his own flesh is, in the deepest sorrow.

There are two ways in which God teaches us ourselves. David never learned what he was more than when he was before the ark, in God's presence. He was then filled with joy and strength, but he felt himself to be a poor, base sinner in himself. I believe pride comes in by comparing ourselves with something that we think beneath ourselves. I am higher and better than so and so, is the thought of pride. But supposing I compare myself with God, I see that all is higher than I am. The eye that looks and tries to find something above itself is not proud.

David, when dancing before the ark, had the proper joy of a saint; the joy which we shall have in heaven by and bye, which will be produced by looking back at the vileness out of which we have been delivered, and seeing the height of glory unto which we have been redeemed through the blood of the Lamb.

But David afterwards gets the bitter experience of what he himself is by falling into grievous sin. When Shimei cursed, how base was David in his own eyes, in the eye of God, and in the eyes of men !

I believe that both these paths are before us, and that the grace of God was with David in them both. But it is a sorrowful thing for one, who might have walked on in the path of blessing, to go out and be pelted by a scoffer, in chastisement on account of sin.

We may learn the truth of what we are either in God's 's presence, or in the presence of the men of Belial. The former is the joy of faith; this will make us base in the eyes of the flesh, which can see no joy in intercourse with God. The eye of Saul's daughter, the type of the flesh, could see no comeliness in Christ, and just in proportion as we are walking on in the path which He trod will it see no comeliness in us. If we walk as "before the Lord," we shall get knowledge of ourselves that will humble us, but knowledge also of God that will gladden us.

H. W. S.

us that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." (John xvii. 11, 20, 21.)

This prayer had a remarkable fulfilment on the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost; for then the waiting disciples, and the thousands that believed on Jesus through their word, immediately displayed the oneness with Christ and with one another, which the Holy Ghost, by His baptism, had produced.

It was oneness in their knowiedge of, and fellowship with, the Father and the Son, for they gladly received the word concerning both, and continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.

It was oneness in spirit, each one having the spirit of adoption, and having the Son's joy fulfilled in them, "they did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God".

It was such a oneness in this newborn and influential joy of sonship, that they were naturally brought together as members of one body; and it showed itself in their being now led in love, and without any compulsion of law or rule on the subject, to reckon all the possessions they held, as, together with themselves, belonging to the Lord, for the benefit of the whole body. "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." (Acts ii. 44, 45.)

It was also such a oneness as made them continue in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in fellowship one with another, for united worship, "breaking of bread, and prayer". It was such a oneness in the power of the Holy Ghost, that the world believed that the Father had sent Jesus, as was manifested by the conversion of thousands, and by fear coming upon every soul.

This was all very different from restoring the kingdom to Israel, and from man's attempts to bring about an universal ecclesiastical unity. It was "the church of the living God," baptized by the Holy Ghost, and existing as the unity of the Spirit, in fellowship with the Father and with the Son, ONE BODY, though composed of "many members," being pervaded throughout by the ONE LIFE, in love and power of the risen Son of God.

The Holy Ghost makes the UNITY, and we have nothing to do in the matter. Our simple duty is not to try to make any "unity of the Spirit,"-for that were blasphemy against the Holy Ghost,-but "to keep the unity of the Spirit," already made; the oneness of universal sonship in the Son of God; and by acknowledging each other in the love of the Spirit as members of Christ and sons of God, to be "endeavouring to keep THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT in the bond of peace".

THE Book of God is a store of manna for God's pilgrim children, and we ought to see to it that the soul get not sick and loathe the manua. The great cause of our neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time, but want of heart, some idol taking the place of Christ. Satan has been marvellously wise to entice away God's people from the Scriptures. A child who neglects the Scriptures cannot make it his business to please the Lord of glory, cannot make Him Lord of the conscience, ruler of the heart, joy, portion, and treasure of the soul.

A SPECIAL MEETING for the Ministry of the Word of God will be held D.V. in the COAL EXCHANGE, 11 West Regent Street, Glasgow, on the evening of FRIDAY, 6th December, at 7 o'clock. All who love the Lord Jesus are Invited.

CONFERENCE AT HAMILTON, ONTARIO,
CANADA.

It is proposed that a Conference of Believers in Christ Jesus shall be held in this city, on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th days of January, 1879, when it is expected that many brethren from Canada and the United States will be present.

Further particulars as to the above meetings may be obtained by any of the Lord's servants who think of going to Canada, at George Turner & Co., 40 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

A CONFERENCE FOR BELIEVERS