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| 1. | Christian Devotedness |
| If there be one thing of importance now, it is christian devotedness. I do not separate this from christian doctrine, but found it on it. I do not surely separate it from the presence and power of the Spirit, one of the most important of these doctrines, for it is |
| 2. | Church, the Body of Christ, The |
| If we do not understand our position as saints with Christ in heaven now, we can never understand the Church as to its constitution down here, or the nature of our membership with it. I therefore proceed with the consideration of this interesting subject; premising to my readers that I |
| 3. | Earthly Tabernacle, The: A Pattern |
| When God was pleased to dwell in the midst of Israel, Ile revealed the manner and order of worship which He could accept. In this He is unchangeable. Circumstances may and have altered the manner of worship; but it is God who has directed the change, and made known to |
| 4. | Erratum |
| Page 217, of last No., for " theogonies," read cosmogonies. |
| 5. | Fragment |
| Look at Christ's humiliation and at Paul's. In all his tribulation he could always say, Christ went lower down than this; and he could always commit himself to God, as to a faithful Creator. There were other things in which Christ's sympathy was expressed in a different way. Christ never |
| 6. | Fragment |
| In coming to the Church of Ephesus, the Lord was coveting fruit from them. It was a thing He desired to find. To Smyrna He says, " I know thy works." And what follows? There was what God saw in them, and what Satan could 'see in them: " Tribulation, |
| 7. | Fragment |
| The peculiarity of the church of Smyrna is, that it preserved its character before God. There is something very blessed in this state indicated. The end signifies that they would be able to go through death for Christ's sake and therefore the promise is, that they should not be hurt |
| 8. | Fragment |
| There is something deeply affecting in the plea which our Master put before us, in connection with this supper, in the appeal He makes to us-to do it " in remembrance of Him." It is a commemorative act; an act showing that our hearts have personal affection to |
| 9. | Fragment |
| The Church in the glory, that is to come, will have all the glories of Christ laid open to her. There will be no distinction between Christ and God, for it is " the throne of God and the Lamb." All the glories, all the relations between them, will be |
| 10. | Gilgal |
| If we take the Book of Joshua to be typical of the position of the Church as presented in the Epistle to the Ephesians, made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ," and consequently, in order to the practical enjoyment of the blessings of this position, brought into conflict |
| 11. | Jacob at Bethel, Peniel, and Beersheba |
| Much gracious illustration of the love of Christ towards us may be found in the story of the Patriarch at these three places, or on the three occasions which they furnish. And each of them has its own lesson and comfort for us. |
| 12. | John's Gospel, Notes of a Reading on |
| Chapter 1:1-5. These verses are abstract-not history. In verse 5 we have a very singular statement. The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Now, naturally, light cannot shine without putting aside the darkness. The light thus shining then is a very out-of-the-way, non-natural thing. As light, |
| 13. | John's Gospel, Notes of a Reading on |
| Before He rose from the dead, and ascended on high, Christ alone was anointed with the Holy Ghost. After He had died for us, He received it for us; but it could not be for us until He had atoned for sins; but it is important to |
| 14. | John's Gospel, Notes of a Reading on |
| When the Word came-Christ-He brought the truth about everything with Him-it was in Himself-He was the Truth, what He said thoroughly made known what He was. In Him I get the truth about God, about man, about myself, and about Satan. The error with which Professor Maurice set |
| 15. | Joshua 1 |
| In the Book of Joshua we read the history of the taking possession of the land of Canaan, so far as that was carried out; as in the Book of Numbers we follow the same people in their toilsome journey through the wilderness: a journey more toilsome through their own |
| 16. | Kingdom of God, The |
| There is nothing more striking in the word of God, as showing its divine authorship, than that, when rend with diligence and care, there should be constantly rising up to view some fresh proof, some new and striking feature, of its infinitely-diversified and infinitely-perfect character. |
| 17. | Luke 4 and 5 |
| MY DEAR BROTHER, |
| 18. | Luke 7 |
| I do not for the present make any remark on chapter vi. Only we may note that the Lord is gathering distinctly around Himself, apart from the nation, and that He addresses His disciples as thus separated-as those already called to possess the kingdom. But in chapter vii. we have |
| 19. | Minor Prophets, The |
| The question may sometimes have occurred, when reading the Minor Prophets, why are they arranged in the order we have them? Is it accidental, or is it designed? They are not chronologically arranged, excepting the last three, who prophesied after the return of the Jews from Babylon. Were they placed |
| 20. | Old and New Nature, The: Their Distinction and the Action of Each |
| Of all subjects affecting us as Christians, there is possibly none of which we are so ignorant in practice as in our ability to distinguish between the old and the new nature, and to ascribe each motive which passes through our minds, and each act performed by us to |
| 21. | Our Position and Calling |
| I have endeavored, in preceding numbers of this series, to trace our translation from a condition of death in sin to one of life and of nearness to God in Christ. I now desire to examine and set forth the nature of the place and position to which we have |
| 22. | Philippians 3 and 4 |
| I follow up a previous paper by sending you some remarks on the third chapter of Philippians, to which I will now add some on the fourth, which has occupied my mind a little since. |
| 23. | Practical Power of Faith, The |
| (Heb. 11) |
| 24. | Practical Sanctification |
| In considering the subject of sanctification, it is important for us to take into account the primary meaning of the word as used in Scripture. Sanctification in its principal and ordinary meaning signifies the actual conveyance by which anything on earth is devoted or passed over to God, of which |
| 25. | Rule of Life and the Use of the Law*, The |
| The condition of man is, as we have seen, one of enmity against God, not retaining God in his knowledge, and his foolish heart darkened, therefore he must of necessity be dependent on revelation for revival or certainty of any knowledge of that God who was, to all intents and |
| 26. | Salvation of God, The |
| " The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and they will hear it," (Acts 28) What a fact that is, that it is " the salvation of God;" nothing less than that great and blessed thing that has been now sent of God into this wide, wide |
| 27. | Sanctification by the Truth |
| When we look into the practical details of the Epistles, and the more carefully we do so, the more constantly, nay invariably, do we find, that it is " the truth" which is used in the cultivation of christian character, and as the sanction and spring of godly behavior. |
| 28. | Standing and Portion of a Believer, The |
| The first part of this chapter unfolds our present portion, and then the end of the chapter shows the ground on which we can boast of this standing. We have peace: we stand. in grace, and are rejoicing in hope of the glory. Peace as to what concerned the old |
| 29. | Testimony of the Church, The |
| Having considered the constitution of the Church, let us now examine the testimony committed to it, remembering in the first place that the Church is a unique body, singular and unconnected with any divine system preceding it, From not clearly apprehending this great fact, the door was opened to the |
| 30. | Thought on Jesus, A |
| It has just struck me that we may continually observe all absence in the Lord to merely please His disciples. He never did that; nay, I am sure that He passed by many little opportunities of gratifying them, as we speak, or of introducing Himself to their favor. I am |
| 31. | Watchman! What of the Night? |
| Here and there in Scripture we find different minds brought into contact with the same moral perplexity. For instance, the prosperity of the wicked; and we see the different way in which this perplexity was dealt with. |
| 32. | With All Thy Getting, Get Understanding |
| The great desire of God is that we should understand every act and leading of His grace toward us. Human parents do much for their children without ever making known to them their intent and pleasure, and therefore much of the lives of the children are spent in misunderstanding |
| 33. | Worship: Or, Our Place Before God |
| We have seen that being children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, we have been given the Spirit of the Son; that we are in Him a new creation, partakers of the divine nature, and that He is the rule and model of our life, because " the life |