prosperous events abound. Summer friends, like summer flies, swarm only in sunshine. But Jesus is the Brother born peculiarly for adversity. For though in reality His affection never varies, yet the precious effects appear most to our view when adversity surrounds us. Jesus's smiles are better seen when all things beside frown.

"Besides," continued Mr. Strangeways, "no other love but that of Jesus, is to be depended upon. The best of creature affection is but the affection of the creature; and what is that but changeable, fickle, and inconstant, one thing to-day, and another to-morrow. ? Love begets love; and the common interests and charities of life have their tie; but it is the distinguishing feature of His affections of whom I speak, that while we were enemies Christ died for us.'

"Moreover, let it be supposed for argument's sake, that it was possible for one man to love another even as his own soul; yet, when the power and ability of creatures, such as we are, is taken into consideration, the value of human regard must be put down to a small account. There are a thousand situations of distress into which you or I may fall, and yet where the kindest friend or the most affectionate brother, taken from men, can only pity, and not relieve. But here, in an eminent degree, the Brother born for adversity appears suited to our case and circumstances; for His power is equal to His love, and both incapable of being circumscribed.

"Neither is this all. Brotherly affection among men is, for the most part, shown to the deserving. Jesus is the Brother of the undeserving. It is His own love, not our merit, which is the standard of His mercy. And however we fall short in our regard to Him, yet never, never, doth He fail in His love to us.

"And lastly, to mention no more. If we estimate the affection of earthly brethren at ever so high a rate, yet what is the sum total, when the short and dying state of a world like the present draws around us the line for calculation? A little arithmetic will give the amount. But the affection of that Brother who is born for adversity hath no bounds in time, neither in eternity itself will it ever be concluded. For as He is in His own nature, so is He in the unchangeableness of His affection to His people-'the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.'"

Reader! I know not what your relations or connections in life may be; but I earnestly recommend you to seek grace from God, that you may know Jesus as your Brother born for adversity. In this present life, such a relationship will sweeten every other, and tend to heighten all the ties of nature. In that world which is to come, it will be found the one thing needful. And think only what rapture will break in upon the soul, when all the universe is gathered together before God, and the Lord Jesus shall "come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in them that believe," if in that hour you be acknowledged by Jesus as His brother, which will be a Brother indeed born for adversity. May it be the happy portion of him that writes, and of him that reads, and then the end of both will be everlastingly happy.

A BIT FOR THE OLD FOLK AT HOME.

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We learn from Eph. v. 28, that the Lord presents His Church spotless. The Lord uses the same language to His saints in Old Testament times as in New, and the Church of old had the same apprehension of herself as I hope some of you have. "I am black," said she, but could she say no more? O, yes, she could add, "I am comely." Full of spots-full of defilement-such is Nature in her best dress-filthy rags; ay, that is Nature's righteousness; and that is your best state before God. If your righteousnesses are only filthy rags, then what must your sins be? Do you know and feel that your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked? Wicked to the uttermost degree. You know what is meant by a man desperate; he is driven to his last shifts; he has no hope on that point; he has gone to the last refuge in vain. Is this your case? If so, it is your mercy, and the next mercy is to find a refuge in Jesus a covering for all sin; pardon in His blood; and so to stand without spot; therefore He said to His Church of old, to whom was opened up the same grace we enjoy in a Gospel day-"Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." Did He say this in Old Testament times to His Church? He says it now: Jesus knows no change. He is of one mind, nor can you alter it. But what you want to make you happy is to hear Him say it to you. O, my friends, it a great thing to be happy in God, and nothing can produce this but a sense of what we are to God, and what He is to us. Job, describing the natural man, says, "Will He delight himself in God ?" No, indeed he will not. He has got no faculty for enjoyment; he must first "be born again," or, as the word may be translated, "begotten from above;" he must be made alive, and have the faculty for spiritual enjoyment imparted to him; therefore, what do you know about this delight, and what is felt by those who are born again? The Lord presents His people "without spot," and yet in Rev. vii. 14, the Church is spoken of as having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Now, clearly, that cannot mean the robe of Christ's righteousness, for that never had a spot; you cannot defile that, therefore it can need no washing; then, what robes need washing? Robes that are spotted; and those are the conversation garments, or the believer's daily walk which is subject to defilement from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

It is said in James "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Ah, friends, which of us can take this to ourselves? Never was there a saint of God but had to mourn under spots of daily walk, shortcomings, and misdoings; and some have gone so far in this respect, that though children of God, and wrapped in the robe of righteousness, yet they have gone with broken bones and an aching heart all their days because of these spotted garments. Some have never lifted up their head in the Church of God again, but have gone to the grave with the spot upon them, punished by God

as unfaithful servants, yet forgiven and saved as sons; therefore, a regards their justification, not a spot left. They have "Washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb." So that, at the last not one spot shall be found on them; nothing for the devil to point at in the dear children of God; not one charge laid to them, because washed—justified in Jesus. Ah, friends, your own hearts know there is abundance in you to make men accuse and Satan condemn; but none shall be able to prove a charge against you, for God hath taken satisfaction at the hands of His Son; justice is satisfied, and the revelation of this brings peace and blessedness to the soul, and the enjoyment of it will make you walk carefully, circumspectly, obediently, as the sons and daughters of the Lord. "Let thy head lack no ointment," is the true meaning of holiness. The Apostle, speaking of the manner in which the Church shall be presented says it is not only to be without spot, but without wrinkle; wrinkles are a defect, a deformity, being a token of age; but the Church of God is to be presented in beauty, in perfection, in youth. This was typified by the offerings under the Old Testament dispensation. They were to be in their prime, both as to age and beauty, neither too young nor too old. Here is the Church as in Christ presented to God, a proper partner for Jesus; suited to Him in every respect; there could be no better; therefore a fit participator of His bliss and His throne; a companion for Jesus throughout eternity; above angels in rank and equal with Christ.

What a wonder! that God should pass by angels, and lay hold of sinful man to be the partner of His Son; if so, then in order to be a suitable companion for Him, she must be holy; so the Apostle goes on to say, the Church is holy. Now, what is the amount of the highest kind of holiness of the best saint, as commensurate with that holy state which the Lord requires in His companion for eternity? Why, it is not fit to be named as holiness, and yet the Church must be holy. Yes, friends, and in Him she is holy, as you see in Ephes. i. 4, "Chosen in Him, that we should be holy;" and so viewed, despite her fall in Adam, and subsequent corruption, for God views His people in Christ; He never separates Christ and His Church. So, all Christ's holiness is viewed as theirs; in Him the saints have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; and the work of faith with power is to draw nigh to God, as accepted in the beloved; as one with Christ; as a child of God; that is the true ground of acceptance, both here and hereafter. Not your holiness; no, friends, that I again say is not fit to be named; yet I know a holiness you must have. Holiness is spirituality of mind, and that, in measure, must belong to all the children of God; all the called family; but even that is not the holiness which makes you accepted before God. The holiness in which God views His people is Christ's; and if you do not awake up after His likeness, you cannot dwell with Him in heaven; you would be unsuitable as a companion for Jesus. Take, for example, a man of the world and a man of God. What have they in unison? What enjoyment could they have of each other's company? Their minds and affections differently engaged, but not so God's people and the Lord; they shall be agreed, for they shall be like each other.

But, say you, this grieves me sorely; I am so unlike God, and so like the devil. My unholiness makes me wretched. Well, I hope you may never think better of yourself, but that these two views may be given you, what you are in yourself, and what you are in Christ. Lastly, they are to be without blemish. I could give you many passages to prove this, but time forbids me more than one-" without blame." If any blame is attached to you and to me, then Christ hath not died for us. Christ stood in the law-place of His people; so all the blame and shame were laid to His account. He suffered that His people might be proved unblameable in holiness; nothing proved against them; and a revelation of this will enable them to follow Him in all godliness, and direct the life and walk of the believers, so that it shall glorify the God they serve. There may be a vamping up of old nature, so as to walk in much obedience; but it will never be according to the mind of God till there be a revelation of these things to the soul; till the soul is taught to see God's great salvation, and till the soul is made to realize the power of the Gospel by the teachings of the Holy Spirit. J. A. W.

CONFLICT.

A poor woman was overheard praying, "Lord, speak to the devil, for he doesn't mind me."

Beset

How many and varied are the exercises of God's dear ones. with sore temptations within, and without by the Great Adversary, the wonder is they stand at all. Often the Lord's people are made to feel the truth of this expression, "The fiery darts of the wicked." Many and varied are the thrusts at the believer: sometimes through the experience, to question their reality; through the judgment, to cloud the truth; through error, to overset the Word; through trial, to doubt the love of God; and through some constitutional besetment, to defile the conscience and banish peace. At such times, what a mercy if we can pray, though it may be somewhat after the fashion of this poor woman, "Lord, speak to the devil, for he doesn't mind me." But sometimes the cup of trembling seems filled to the brim; for this mercy-a praying heart-is withheld; no prayer, nothing but an aching heart; plenty of trouble, and no access to God. The enemy pressing sore upon the believer, would gladly squeeze out his life if he could; but he cannot-it is a divine life-one with God-a life that can never die. At such times, it is great teaching to be able to say, "Lord, speak to the devil, for he doesn't mind me.” Such poor souls have been emptied out; have come to the end of their own wit and wisdom, and feel their nothingness before God. Job, David, Jeremiah are then suitable companions for a tried and tempted soul. Such poor tremblers may have very little prayer on the knees when "Satan stands at their right hand to resist them;" but such have a great deal of unsuspected communion with God, as they walk by the way, and dart up their petitions to the Most High. "I prayed to the

God of heaven," said Nehemiah, as he handed the cup to the king. "Yet will I look again to Thy holy temple," said the prophet Jonah in the whale's belly. "Save, Lord, or we perish," said the disciples when the waves seemed ready to engulph them. "Lord, remember me," said the thief as he was launching out of time into eternity. These, and many such prayers, come out of broken, exercised hearts, that are brought into such a bewildered state, that, like the poor woman, they are ready to say in their feelings, "Lord, speak to the devil, for he doesn't mind me." All the battling, and struggling, and praying, and groaning seem unheeded by God, and the enemy appears to have it all his own way. Lord, speak to him-Lord, rebuke him— so cries the exercised soul, as, weary with the conflict, all hope and help seem perished. But is all gone? Is there nothing left? Now confess, Is not this left—

"Other refuge have I none,

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee ?"

Poor child of God, thy case is not desperate nor hopeless if thou art here. If these two expressive lines meet the needs of thy soul, there is life, and the life given shall be preserved unto life eternal; and when the Lord speaks liberty, and gives peace, then "wilt thou set to thy seal that God is true." But the liberated children of God have their daily cross, whereby they learn their daily lesson. Often one hears poor bondaged souls declare, "If I did but know I was a child of God, nothing of this world would disturb me." Wait now, and when liberty arrives you will find out for yourself you have not done with sin, Satan, or the world. Sin within, striving for the mastery, is the most potent of all enemies, because it is continuous, and the material upon which Satan and the world act. When the God-man, Christ Jesus, was on earth, He declared, "The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me." The fierce temptations of Satan were powerless to affect the sinless Son of God. Not so poor fallen humanity. Temptations from without find ready access, and a resting place in the breast of the children of Adam, unconverted or renewed; the new man not ejecting the old nature, but, as grace is in exercise, contending with it; hence the language and spirit of the apostle suits all the living family-"I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." This is the ceaseless warfare that only ends with life, and is the proof of childship, whatever the poor child may think to the contrary.

Neither have God's liberated people exemption from the troubles of the world, whereby they are often distressed. The cares of this life, whether they be of atom or gigantic dimensions, alike try faith and patience. Where is the child of God who does not find something that daily masters him? A besetting sin-a small cross-a trifling carean infirmity of our own or other people's—no matter what, but it is used by Satan to vex and torment, and it does its work effectually. It may be so minute that the believer thinks he has grace enough to