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| 1. | 1 Chronicles |
| The Books of Kings have given us the general and public history of God's government in Israel; and, from Rehoboam to Hezekiah, the history of the kings of Israel-a history in which the result of the fall of the kingly power is manifested in the presence of God's long-suffering. |
| 2. | 2 Chronicles |
| This Second Book of Chronicles unfolds the reign of the son of David, and of the family of David. It does not commence with the faith of David at the ark, but with the tabernacle that Moses, the servant of the Lord, had set up, and the brazen altar, |
| 3. | 2 Timothy |
| This Epistle especially commends itself to us as the utterance of the Spirit through the Apostle, not only in the midst of nothing but failure around, and of greater, as about to occur, but as instructing the servant of Christ in circumstances not then known in the church, namely, in |
| 4. | Acrostic Psalms |
| Each of the verses from 25-32 begins with ר Daleth. |
| 5. | Apostasy: "Thou Hast Left Thy First Love" |
| There can be no doubt, that there is a particular work, which the Lord has in view, at any particular period of the Church's -history, when He is acting in any power. It becomes, therefore, a matter of particular interest, to know what is the particular truth, which the |
| 6. | Apparently Discrepant Passages |
| (1) 2 Kings 25:8, 9 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. (2 Kings 25:8-9). |
| 7. | Change of the Heavens and of the Earth Which Now Are, The |
| There is a difficulty, to my own mind, at least, as one inquiring into prophetic subjects, upon this, viz., as to the time of the change taking place. |
| 8. | Colossians 1:12-19. |
| 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (Colossians 1:12-19)Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, |
| 9. | Consecration to God |
| We stand in all that Christ was to the Father, when he said, "Therefore doth my Father love me." We stand in divine acceptableness in Him. Whatever there is of sweetness and excellency in Christ is upon us. Every act of Christ's was in the power of the blood |
| 10. | Ecclesiastes |
| The Book of Ecclesiastes is up to a certain point, the inverse of the Book of Proverbs. It is the experience of a man who-retaining wisdom, that he may judge of all-makes trial of everything under the sun that could be supposed capable of rendering men happy. That is, by |
| 11. | End and Purpose of God in the Church, The |
| We have often the question, What is the Church and what its testimony? put before us; and very necessary considerations are these. They should be recalled to our minds, for we are apt to forget what the Church is, and what its testimony is; but we do not see as |
| 12. | Ephesians 5:1-8 |
| 1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:1-8)Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named |
| 13. | Esther |
| The Book of Nehemiah has shown us the people reinstated in the land, but deprived of the presence of God, except as to general blessing, and unacknowledged by God as His people; so that, whatever time may elapse, this condition leads us morally up to the moment when the Messiah |
| 14. | Ezra |
| The events which we have been considering were deeply significant. The throne of God was no longer at Jerusalem. God had fulfilled His threat of casting off the city which He had chosen. He had bestowed the throne of the earth upon the Gentiles (Dan. 2:37 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. (Daniel 2:37)). Not only |
| 15. | Fragment: Prayer |
| "Prayer is prayer, let it come from the weak or from the strong. It is not the heart or the lip from which it comes, as the Ear that it goes to, which is the great thing." |
| 16. | Fragment: Scripture a Great Reality |
| How many neglected texts, texts hid away in corners, so to speak, half-sentences, may I say, parts of verses, obscure pieces or fragments of the word, were realized in the days of the New Testament. Generations had scarcely heeded them, but they were in the oracles of God, |
| 17. | Fragment: The Church |
| If it be impossible to find anywhere the primitive position and pristine glory of the Church, if one seeks it in form as the dissenters have done; it is not impossible, if we seek it in principle, according to the obedience of faith, to withdraw from all the evil; |
| 18. | Fragment: The Church on Earth |
| The system which denies the existence of a responsible church, even from the Day of Pentecost, upon earth, because, according to the Divine counsels, the Church will not in truth be gathered together in one, safe in the heavens, at the end, is false and absurd. 'Tis false; because Timothy |
| 19. | Fragment: The Perfectness of Christ |
| The proper and immediate trial of Gethsemane was the power of Satan-" This is your hour, and the power of darkness." The great point was, to get between his soul and the Father (as before with desirable things of this life); but he could not. Christ hence pleading with His |
| 20. | Fragment: The State of the Church |
| What is the state of things around us (called the Church), when it is compared with that which was displayed at first at Jerusalem; and what will be the result of it all in the day of the Lord's coming? |
| 21. | Fragments |
| There are two ways in which we learn the knowledge of God -by enjoying Him-or by our needs, to which He ministers. At present it is chiefly the latter: by and bye it will be the former. |
| 22. | Fragments |
| It is the saint or the church rather, which gives Christ His character before the world-the epistle of Christ to the world. We may know how to distinguish and understand how inadequate the representation; but the world, the infidel, judges of what Christianity is, by what |
| 23. | Fragments |
| There is no fear when we see Christ in the glory above, because every ray of this glory says to me, no condemnation. I is because the sin is put away that He is up there. |
| 24. | Fragments |
| The Christian has got a nature which all the motives in the world can never touch: which knows and is constrained by the love of Christ; but we are apt to let a quantity of little earthly motives creep in again. Hence the charge, "Thou hast left thy first |
| 25. | Fragments |
| The worship of the Heathen amounted to this-bribing their gods to countenance sin. All their offerings had this character upon them. |
| 26. | Fragments |
| The saints have often very imperfect thoughts about the blessing of Christ Himself being theirs. When God tells Abraham, "I am thine exceeding great reward," Abraham asks, "What wilt thou give me?" |
| 27. | Fragments |
| Faith is faith in the person of Christ—not faith that I am forgiven. |
| 28. | Fragments |
| Who is to judge of the word of God? Nobody: the word is to judge you and me. When this is felt, God takes His proper place in the matter. |
| 29. | Grace |
| How refreshing it is to our souls to think of the grace of God; for what do we not owe to that grace? May the God of all grace guide us, whilst for a little we dwell upon this blessed aspect of His character towards, us poor sinners! |
| 30. | Habitation of God, The |
| So thoroughly corrupt are the springs of human thought, that every true knowledge of God must reach and abide in the soul as a revelation. It is not a conception; it is light-the disclosure and teaching of the life of Him who is the light of men. The word of |
| 31. | Hebrews 6:19 |
| 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (Hebrews 6:19) |
| 32. | It Is Well |
| The following original hymn is one of a selection now forming for children; and it is kindly communicated by the Editors of the selection. Its appearance in the Present Testimony will not be understood to affect its claim to be an original hymn in the collection referred to. |
| 33. | Job |
| The Book of Job will not require a long examination-not that it fails in interest, but because, when the general idea is once laid hold of, it is the detail which is interesting, and detail, is not our present object. |
| 34. | Job 35:5-11 |
| 5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. 6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? 7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? 8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man. 9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty. 10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; 11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? (Job 35:5-11)Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of |
| 35. | Job, Some Thoughts on the Book of |
| I have no idea that the uprightness of Job was mere natural uprightness. It was surely an uprightness which grace had wrought in Job's heart. It was an uprightness to which God Himself bore witness; first, by the pen of the historian in chap. 1:1; and then, in the most |
| 36. | John 4 |
| "With Thee is the fountain of life." |
| 37. | Kingdom of God and of Heaven, The: The Church and the Dispensation |
| The expression the "kingdom of Heaven" is only found in St. Matthew; and when the Spirit of God would speak of what was already come to pass when Christ was on earth, He always changes the expression, and says "Kingdom of God;" thus in 12:28. Never, on the other hand, |
| 38. | Lord's Table and the Pulpit, The |
| That the pulpit commands the Lord's table amongst Christians of nearly every persuasion is obvious to all, or in other words, that the minister, or acknowledged teacher in modern churches, assumes the prerogative of presiding at the Lord's table, and dispensing the eucharist as a matter of right. The sanction |
| 39. | Luke 14 and 15, Connecting |
| While all who have tasted Grace, as set forth in the green pastures of the Scriptures, know and own the fifteenth of Luke as indeed affording; a bright expression of that Grace,-I have thought that the fullness of the contents of this blessed portion can be little understood if |
| 40. | Nehemiah |
| The Book of Nehemiah will require but few remarks; but it is important to establish its import. It is a necessary link in the history of God's dealings, in the recital of His patience and loving-kindness towards Jerusalem, which He had chosen. |
| 41. | One Thing I Do |
| The life of Christ in the soul, and the presence of a rejected and glorified Christ before the soul, are the elements by which God associates us with His own objects, and sustains a testimony to these objects, in the world. |
| 42. | Paradox |
| The Gentiles were received as a body-but not as a body were the Gentiles received. Both these statements are in a sense true. The house of Stephanas, or any other such, was not grafted as if it were the body of the Gentiles; yet, at the same time, God represents |
| 43. | Prophets, Introduction to the |
| We enter now, dear reader, into the field of prophecy; a vast and important field-whether in view of the moral instruction that it contains, or on account of the great events that are announced in it, or through its development of God's government, and by this means, its revelation of |
| 44. | Proverbs |
| The book of Proverbs gives us the application of that wisdom which created the heavens and the earth, to the details of life in this world of confusion and evil. This thought brings out the immensity of grace unfolded here. God deigns to apply His wisdom to the circumstances of |
| 45. | Responsibility to God Resulting From Revelation |
| "The vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not |
| 46. | Resurrection of Christ, Thoughts on the |
| Each distinct truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and His work has its peculiar blessing for the Church of God. It is by rightly dividing the truth that the servant of God shows himself approved to God-" a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." In the path of humiliation |
| 47. | Romans 11 and the Responsibility of the Church, Thoughts on |
| There are several subjects of general interest to Christians, which it might be well to examine carefully. Two more especially present themselves at this time; the one is the existence of the Church on earth, and the sense in which it may be said to be responsible for the state |
| 48. | Sermon on the Mount* |
| John the Baptist having announced the kingdom of heaven as at hand, a kingdom which every Jew expected and knew was to be ushered in with judgment on the wicked and deliverance to the righteous-Jesus, upon the imprisonment of John, began to preach this " Gospel of the kingdom," and |
| 49. | Son of God, The |
| "I will put my trust in Him."-Heb. 2:13 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:13). |
| 50. | Son of God, The |
| "Received up into glory."-1 Tim. 3:16 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16) |
| 51. | Son of God, The |
| "Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet."-Heb. 11:8 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8). |
| 52. | Son of God, The |
| " Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under him."- 1 Cor. 15:28 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28). |
| 53. | Song of Solomon, The |
| This book takes up the Jew, or at least the remnant in quite another aspect. It tells of the affections that the King can create in their heart, and by which He draws them to Himself. However strong these affections may be, they are not developed according to the position |
| 54. | The Potter's Broken Vessel |
| 55. | Things as They Are |
| Men are dealt with in Scripture as God sees them to be-circumstances detailed as they are. God and realities are identified on the one hand, vanity and the creature on the other. Sin has hidden from man the reality of his condition, and, ignorant of his disease, he cannot find |
| 56. | True Grace of God, The |
| There is not a single doctrine of Scripture that is met by so much repugnance in the human mind as the doctrine of divine grace. This repugnance is not confined to unconverted persons only; for the very same disposition, if watched, will be found to operate in the minds of |
| 57. | Zechariah 13 |
| In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out |