IT

September 14.

TRUE CLEANSING.

T has often been said that the whitest thing in nature is snow just dropped from heaven. Yet there is one thing that can be made whiter still, as it were, and that is the sinner's heart washed in the blood of the Lamb; for the Psalmist says, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." And it is not merely for one here or there it can do this, and in slow succession. No; it can do it for the many as well as for the few, and do it at once, as on the memorable day of Pentecost, when three thousand souls were savingly added to the Lord. Nor is its efficacy confined to one age or century. Bethesda healed and cleansed many in apostolic times; but it heals none now, and never will heal again. It is not so with the blood of the Lamb. Hence, when referring to it, John did not use the past tense and say, "It cleansed;" for then the fear might arise that though it had efficacy at an early era, it might have no efficacy now. Neither did he use the future tense and say, "It will cleanse ;" for there might be the fear that the time for cleansing had not yet come. What the apostle says is, "It cleanseth;" as if to intimate that it has continuous efficacy, to the very end of time.

"Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransomed church of God

Be saved, to sin no more."

Verily, then, there is salvation for all who will but look

where the dying thief looked, and trust as he trusted. When Mr. Balfour said to Brownlow North, "I have

often thought that the verse on which I would like to die is, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin," he replied," That is the very verse on which I am now dying. One wants no more." He then added, “ I have now peace-perfect peace." Precious possession; may it be ours.

Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.REV. i. 5.

These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.—REV. vii. 14.

September 15.

WE SHOULD FEAR DISSENSIONS, AND TRY TO HEAL THEM.

THE strife that arose between the herdmen of Abram's

cattle and the herdmen of Lot's was a grief of mind to the patriarch for two reasons; namely, the unsafety of it, on the one hand, for "the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land;" and the unseemliness of it, on the other, from the closeness of the relationship between himself and Lot. This led him with gracious forbearance to say, and his words will ever be memorable, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."

Even in apostolic times like differences arose where least we might have expected them. Paul and Barnabas, than whom two better and nobler men never existed, had yet on one occasion their hot contention. Euodias and Syn

tyche, too, were both excellent Christians, and eminently helpful to the apostles in the service of the Lord, yet, through some unhappy misunderstanding, their friendship for a time seems to have been cooled. We are not told what led to this. Probably, indeed, it may have been nothing more, as one suggests, than some little question about priority, or privilege, in carrying on the good work in which both were so heartily engaged; nevertheless it necessitated the apostle to say, "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."

In all such cases, when opportunity is given, it is ever a blessed and Christ-like thing kindly and prudently to interpose our good offices, and pour oil on the troubled waters. There are always peace-disturbers enough, but peace-makers are often rare, and it should ever be our aim, therefore, to add to their number.

"In most quarrels," says one, "there is fault on both sides. A quarrel may be compared to a spark which cannot be produced without a flint as well as a steel; either of them may hammer on wood for ever, no fire will follow."

Be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.-2 COR. xiii. 11.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.— ROM. xii. 18.

September 16.

WHEN WE STAND NEAR THE LORD, WE ARE

BEST ABLE TO STAND FAST.

10 stand fast in the Lord, is neither to wander nor

To

waver in our relationship to him; or, as one puts it, it is "to love him without rival, and serve him without

compromise." Few may reach an attainment like this, but it is the duty of all resolutely to aim at it.

Steadfastness is constantly enjoined in the Word: "Stand fast in the faith, my dearly beloved "—" Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel "-"Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." And, finally, "Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord."

So to stand fast is no easy thing; nevertheless it is not impossible, as many in every age, through grace, have cheeringly evidenced. The time has been when both the many and the mighty have been against the saints, and they had to face both; yet, as this did not alter their duty, neither did it change their practice. Daniel stood fast in the Lord, though the lions' den was before him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego stood fast, though the fiery furnace, seven times heated, awaited them. The Protestant Reformers stood fast, though priests and rulers alike poured forth their threatenings and thirsted for their blood.

Fidelity like this is difficult at any time, but never so much so as when desertion and failure begin to be witnessed on every side. Yet even in such circumstances faithful witnesses have not been wanting. Christopher Chober, when about to suffer, said to his fellow-martyrs, "We are God's corn sown in the field of the Church; and that we may be for our Master's use, we are now to suffer death. But be of good cheer, God is able to raise up a thousand worshippers of himself out of every drop of our blood; for though truth now suffers violence, yet Christ reigns, and no man shall cast him down from his throne."

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.-2 PETER iii. 17.

Little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.-1 JOHN ii. 28.

September 17.

WE MUST PUT ON CHARITY.

S no grace of the Spirit is more highly commended than charity, for it is expressly said, "Now abideth faith, hope,charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity," so no grace is more earnestly enjoined. "Above all these things," says the apostle, "put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

In so speaking, he, as it were, represents it as an outer robe to be thrown over the rest of the attire, and to be girded closely about us: and of all the adornments of Christian character, it is the fairest and most attractive; for "it suffereth long, and is kind; it envieth not; it vaunteth not itself; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil."

a

But charity is not a garment only, but a girdlebond of perfectness," by which the other graces, as it were, are held together for gracious ends. Indeed, unless through the Spirit we possess this love in some fulness, we can neither rightly bear testimony to Christ as the Saviour, nor rightly evidence that we are his disciples.

"It is a great mistake," said John Owen, "to believe that grace subdues only our carnal corruption, and doth not change our natural temper. It does both: it makes the leopard to lie down with the kid, and the bear to eat