The ultimate prevalence of wrong is impossible. Over the tortuous policy of wickedness may be heard the majestic and terrible utterance-"It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation, anguish, and wrath upon every soul that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile."

And it is at this momentous point that I would say to every man, Take heed what you do, and mind that your course of action is dictated by that which is right. The eternal distinction which exists between right and wrong is the impassable gulf that widens every day between power abused and right refused. Halt, ye thoughtless apologists of license and lawlessness! Freedom is not lawlessness but truth on the wing, liberty is not license but right in exercise. Liberty is not a lawless term; her true definition is the right to do that which accords with the will of God and harmonizes with the welfare

of men ; her range trenches not on others' good, nor trespasses the enclosures of everlasting rectitude.

Abiding in Christ.-Christ Jesus our Lord is the home of His people. They dwell in Him as in a residence whose stability, fitness, position, comfort, and resources are adequate to all their need. It is said that "an Englishman's house is his castle." In a far higher sense, the Lord is our habitation. Well is it written, "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and he is safe." The adaptation of Christ to the needs of His people is simply wonderful. There is no department of Christian manhood that His life in its energy and variety cannot furnish, enrich, utilize, and employ. The spirit, by which mainly is meant the renewed will and the conscience, He indwells, renews, cleanses, and gives keen sensibilities to. The soul, with its intellectual faculties, passions, desires, and powers, He restrains, and gives His own direction and impetus to. The body is to be yielded unto Him in order to the permeation of the human temple by His life and light. His truth and glory are to be seen and illustrated even at the doors and windows of the redeemed body. Well

may our Divine Lord say, "Abide in Me, and I in you." These words give the two sides of "the abiding." We dwell ¡n Him; He dwells in us. Though the Son of God, He became the Son of Man, that through Him the sons of men might become the sons of God.

Well does John write, "Behold

what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John iii. 1).

"Divine or Human Righteousness-Which?"— Righteousness must either be of man or of God. Can this condition, quality, possession-call it what you please be said to belong to man? The Divine testimony concerning man is thus given: "The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside; they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, 'none righteous;' no, not one" (Psalm xiv. 1-3). This testimony accords with human experience everywhere. Such is man's condition; he is destitute of good character; he neither possesses righteousness nor can he fashion it. Indeed it is worthy of notice that the word character does not occur in the Scripture at all. Man is a poor guilty sinner; his character therefore is bad and evil. It is well to remember the joy of Paul, who, having found Christ, said, of all that in which formerly he gloried, "What things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ." And this also, "That I may be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. iii. 9). Blessed possession! The righteousness of God! Here, then, is the Divine provision for man's destitution. Well may we rejoice with exceeding joy as we know and apprehend that now "the righteousness of God without the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being

justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. iii. 21-24).

An Important Distinction.-I believe that the lack of discernment which exists concerning the work of Christ for the believer on the cross, and the subsequent work of the Holy Spirit in the believer, is the chief cause of the unrest and doubt which exist in the minds of thousands in reference to their knowledge of the certainty of their salvation. What is the difference? Christ's work as the substitute and Saviour is past, completed, and finished. That work is never to be repeated. By His sacrifice for sin, sin has been put away and atoned for, its demerit and penalty expiated and paid. Through His death the salvation of all who believe and obey Him is as certain as the fixed stars. The work of the Holy Spirit, unlike the work of Christ, is unfinished, is always going on in every believer; His work as the Holy Sanctifier will not be finished until we are 66 presented faultless in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." The believer is painfully conscious that there is very much both in his life and personal experience which is contrary to the mind of the Holy Spirit. Often when His ministry should be known as that of the Comforter, He is known as the Reprover. Now, in the midst of such an experience, let the mind of the child of God turn in upon itself. Let him seek to ascertain his relationship to the Holy Father by appeal to personal meetness of character, and doubt must ensue. It is not said in the Scriptures that we have been saved by the Holy Spirit's work in us, but by Christ's work for us. "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. v. 10). For peace with God let the believer rest in the accomplished redemption of Christ. Let it be remembered that peace with God is not a quiet feeling of the mind but the condition of friendship with God into which He Himself has brought us through the death of His Son. In order to the testimony of the Spirit of

God with the believer's spirit that he is a child of God, let the saved follow their Lord in knowledge, obedience, and constant surrender of heart and life.

A Wide and Wonderful Difference." Herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and man." Such was the Apostle's habit, such the practicable duty of every believer. This is not sinlessness, neither the assertion of perfectionism. To have a clear conscience in regard to the non-commission of overt acts of sin ought to be the constant aim of every Christian. It is not the commission of sin only which causes us to come before God in humble confession, but that with all the grace and knowledge that we possess there is so little positive fruit unto God. Righteousness and true holiness cannot be represented by the negative expression sinlessness. To come short of God's glory is sin, as really as the commission of iniquity or transgression. It is one thing to have a conscience void of offence concerning such commands as "Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill!" It is another thing to be clear where the Word declares "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength." Whose conscience is void of offence in the light of this Word? Where is the Christian man who ever kept this far-reaching command one single day in his whole life? Verily in the light of these words, the law is our schoolmaster unto Christ.

saved!"

Misleading Expressions. "I do not feel that I am How constantly these words are used. Their expression gives the state of mind which is common to thousands! They indicate a process of self-examination which must yield an unsatisfactory result. How can it be otherwise? All true knowledge of ourselves does lead, and ought to lead, to the conviction that we are corrupt and worthless sinners.

A sinner cannot feel that he is either justified or saved any more than a man who is drowning can feel that he is saved. A sinner ought not to feel that he is saved any more than a man who is in debt ought to feel that he is out of debt. The drowning man should feel that he is perishing. The man in debt ought to feel that he is in danger of being sued. The sinner ought to feel that he is condemned. Let me suppose, however, that a strong swimmer rescues the drowning man; so soon as he is brought to land he will feel that he is saved. His feeling, observe, is a result of knowledge which has its ground in the actual deliverance wrought for him by the swimmer. Again, suppose the man in debt has a wealthy friend whose heart and pocket have been opened on his behalf. He pays every creditor. It is evident that the man saved from debt may feel that he is out of debt, but in this case also the feeling is produced by the knowledge of the payment. So in regard to the salvation made known by the Gospel, "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In due time Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. v. 6-8). The death of Christ for the sinner is an accomplished fact. So far as the sacrifice for sin is concerned, the work of Christ is finished, and never to be repeated. The debt is paid. Upon the ground of Christ's death the Divine forgiveness of sin is preached. Paul, speaking to the Gentiles, said: "Be it known unto you, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts xiii. 38). Accept the testimony of the Word of God concerning Divine forgiveness through the death of Christ, and you may know that you have been reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Rom. v. 10). Fear not to say, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." How well the Apostle makes known the truth of God, "I declare unto you the Gospel wherein ye stand by which also ye are saved... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures " (1 Cor. xv. 2-4).