Pages 1 - 288 -- "The Anointed Vessel". France, May, 1926 (Volume 87).

NOTE -- The initials of those taking part in the Readings recorded in this volume were not given in the French original, hence they are omitted here.

THE KING AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART

John 18:33; Genesis 14:18 - 20; Deuteronomy 33:4; 2 Samuel 23:1 - 4

My intention is to present kingship as it is seen in Christ, and I believe it is brought before us in these four scriptures. I think it is necessary to present this subject, on account of the general trend towards lawlessness in the world, and also on account of the negligence of the saints with regard to the commandments of the Lord. The apostle Paul said that he was "legitimately subject to Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21), and that the proof of spirituality is seen in that we recognise the things that he wrote to the Corinthians as being "the Lord's commandment", 1 Corinthians 14:37. "If any one thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognise the things that I write to you, that it is the Lord's commandment".

In the passage which we have read in John, Pilate asks the Lord: "Thou art the king of the Jews?" Jesus answers with another question: "Dost thou say this of thyself, or have others said it to thee concerning me?" This answer is in keeping with the character of John's gospel: "Dost thou say this of thyself?" Being developed spiritually, as the result of the work of God in us, we are able to form thoughts of Christ and to communicate them. Too often Christians repeat what others have said to them. It is true that we ought to learn from one another; but even in that case there is the result of the work of God in the believer. To quote an example, in chapter

9, the man born blind was "of age", and was able to speak concerning himself; he could express himself by himself. It is of all importance that we should learn to speak by ourselves. You will find other examples of it in the gospel, such as the words of Philip to Nathanael, and what the Samaritan woman said to the men of the city.

Pilate had no personal knowledge of Christ; he possessed nothing himself. This is true of professors, and even, alas! of many believers. The work of God in us results in our being able to speak by ourselves. On the objective side, there is that which God presents to us to be believed; afterwards, there is the intuition which the work of God produces in us. It is by the Holy Spirit that we say, "Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 12:3); and it is by the Spirit that we cry, "Abba, Father".

But I wish to speak of the King. Christ was born to be King: "I have been born for this", He said. The magi enquired concerning Him who was born King of the Jews, "Where is the king of the Jews that has been born", Matthew 2:2. Nimrod is the first king mentioned in Scripture, but he was not born king. It is said of him that he "began to be mighty on the earth", Genesis 10:8. He acquired power: it is the principle that supports every human king, while Jesus was born King of the Jews. "I have been born for this, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth". He was born King, and He showed that He was King by exercising the power which was His. All who were enlightened and had right instincts according to God, saw the King. Nathanael said, "Thou art the king of Israel" (John 1:49); and later on, even a brigand by His side upon the cross, discerned the King. Those who have right spiritual instincts will not be deceived by the king who is to come; he will come in his own name, claiming to do great things. But Jesus came in His Father's name; He came in meekness. "Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold

thy king cometh to thee, meek", Matthew 21:5. It is essentially important that Christians should have a right idea of the King who was born in order to bear witness to the truth. The magi had a true conception of Him they followed His star to the place where He was and they did Him homage. "Every one that is of the truth hears my voice", He said. Pilate was outside of all that, and he asks: "What is truth?" Such is the question that unbelievers present. Christ Himself is the truth; so that, from John's point of view, everything is expressed in His Person. He is the King; and the whole truth of the kingdom is manifested in Him.

In the Old Testament we have illustrations of what is presented in the New Testament. Kingship according to man is seen in Nimrod and in Saul. Nimrod made himself king; Saul was made king by the people. There are thus men who establish themselves kings, and others who are established kings by others.

In contrast with Nimrod, "a mighty hunter before Jehovah" (Genesis 10:9) we have Melchisedec, king of righteousness, king of Salem (that is to say, king of peace). Nimrod, a mighty hunter, had no scruple with regard to his neighbours; he was independent, a lawless man, using God's creatures solely for his personal pleasure. He went out towards Asshur and built Nineveh. He continually advanced to extend his empire, having only his personal greatness in view. He is a type of the great warriors and conquerors who appeared after him; he is also a type of him who is yet to appear, who comes in his own name. But Melchisedec is "king of righteousness"; and being king of righteousness he is "king of peace"; then he is "priest of the Most High God", "Possessor of heavens and earth". Nimrod and all whom he represents must disappear; but Melchisedec remains; he is the king whom God has established. In Melchisedec we see the thought of God concerning the king. He brings out bread

and wine; he represents the grace of Christ which meets the needs of our souls. The League of Nations would like to establish peace, but righteousness is necessary first; the rights of God and the rights of men must be recognised. David recognised the rights of all when he said to Araunah, "I will in any case buy them of thee at a price", (2 Samuel 24:24) and he bought Ornan's threshing-floor for the full price. That forms a striking contrast with Ahab and Jezebel who took possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jizreelite, after having killed its rightful owner.

The king according to flesh is presented to us in 1 Samuel 8:10 - 18. He gives nothing, but exacts this and that. Melchisedec gives; he brings out bread and wine; he encourages and refreshes. By such a king, men are helped; they are delivered from the power of Satan, protected and fed. They are secured for God; they glorify Him and worship Him. It is thus that having brought everything to pass for God, Christ delivers up the kingdom to God, that He may be all in all; 1 Corinthians 15:24 - 28.

In the first book of Samuel, we have first of all the desires of Hannah, and the answer to those desires in Samuel; in the second place we have the desires of the people, and the answer in Saul; in the third place, we have the desires of the heart of God, who brings in His King. God brings in His King according to His eternal thought. In the book of Ruth (which immediately precedes that of Samuel), we find the royal line, the genealogy of David, his ancestors, before he himself comes on the scene. So, in creating Adam God had Christ before Him. In the first book of Samuel, God is occupied with David, who is the man after His own heart, the king according to His counsels. At the outset, Samuel was not ready to discern the king: Samuel would have chosen Eliab, looking on the outward appearance; in that case, he was not at the height of divine thoughts, so that

Jehovah reproved him. When David appeared, ruddy and of a lovely countenance, then Jehovah said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he", (1 Samuel 16:12).

I pass now to chapter 33 of Deuteronomy. Moses "was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together". Moses had commanded a law to Israel; it was not a law of irritation. Someone has said that the world is a mutual irritation society; but the law of God did not produce that effect. Never was there such a law commanded. The law commanded by Moses was "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob". It was based on love."Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". There is nothing there which could irritate. In Deuteronomy 6:5, where we find this quotation, the law is presented in its spiritual import; even a bird's nest was not to be disturbed (see Deuteronomy 22:6,7). In chapter 11, it speaks of days of heaven on earth, "as the days of the heavens which are above the earth"; we enjoy them in so far as we are subject to our Moses -- Christ -- and understand the kingdom of God exercised by Him. Men speak of making the earth habitable, while the opposite is taking place. The law of Moses made provision for all; it was concerned even with a bird, as I have said. It was the "inheritance of the congregation of Jacob". Those who understood the law and appreciated it regarded it as an inheritance.

The law-giver was "king in Jeshurun". Jeshurun means "Uprightness". Moses was king in the affections of the people of God; he was accepted as such by those who were upright in heart. If one had asked the people: What do you think of Moses? the answer would have been: Moses has given us such a law as there had never been, a law which has

had no equal, and we love the law-giver; we love Moses. Nothing was passing: all was solidly established. When the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together, Moses was recognised as king: "he was king in Jeshurun".

In Psalm 119, we see how the law was loved. If the law was so precious, what feelings of affection it must produce towards him through whom it was given, towards God who gave it! By the power of the Spirit, the law is fulfilled in us. "His commandments are not grievous", 1 John 5:3.

In 2 Samuel 23, we have the description of the true king, the impression which David received of the king. "The ruler among men shall be just, ruling in the fear of God; and he shall be as the light of the morning, like the rising of the sun, a morning without clouds; when from the sunshine, after rain, the green grass springeth from the earth". David himself did not answer to that. In Christ alone do we see perfectly David's conception as to the king. He is the King after God's own heart, and He will sit as Priest upon His throne; Zechariah 6:13.

May God lead us all to know Him thus, and bless His word to us!

Substance of a Reading with J.T. at St. Etienne, 1st May, 1926, morning.

HOW WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE THE WEAK

Proverbs 30:29 - 31; Romans 15:1 - 7

-- Our subject this morning was the kingdom as it is presented to us in Christ, when He said to Pilate that He was born to be King. We considered Melchisedec, Moses and David, as illustrations of what the king is and of the kingly office which is presented to us perfectly in Christ. In virtue of the position of Christians with relation to the King, the kingly features seen in Christ ought to be reproduced in us. It is not merely a question of the position and office which they involve, but of moral power which accompanies the one and the other, so that we learn to act in a manner suitable to the King. In the book of Proverbs, we see how this moral power is developed in the kingdom. The four things that have a stately step are presented to us in the order in which they are reproduced in the Christian. The lion represents the believer who has been made courageous, so that he confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord. The smallest believer in Christ does not fear opposition. The lion "turneth not away for any". It is in this way that kingly features begin to show themselves by this courage in face of opposition. Then there is the war-horse. The lion does not fear opposition, but a war-horse goes forward to attack. "He goeth forth to meet the armed host ... neither turneth he back from before the sword ... . He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, and cannot contain himself at the sound of the trumpet: At the noise of the trumpets he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting" Job 39.

-- Was Mordecai an illustration of the lion, when it is said that he bowed not, nor did reverence before Haman?

-- Yes, just so. It is said that the righteous is bold as a lion. The lion, in the presence of opposition, gathers fresh forces which support him to go further; and then, he can attack as a war-horse. The lion becomes the war-horse. He discerns where the enemy is attacking, where the brethren would be inclined to let the truth go, and he attacks. The war-horse does not act independently, but he acts in connection with the line of battle; he is controlled. He receives the command of the captains, all the orders given; he learns to be controlled; he takes his place under control and not in independence. Like the men of war who came to David, to Hebron, they know how to keep rank in battle array.

-- In Colossians it says, "Seeing your order, and the firmness of your faith in Christ" Colossians 2:5.

-- That is what is seen in the epistle to the Philippians: "In order that ... I may hear of what concerns you, that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul, labouring together in the same conflict with the faith of the glad tidings; and not frightened in anything by the opposers" Philippians 1:27,28.

-- We have then the he-goat which represents one who learns to withdraw to be alone with God. The he-goat represents someone who has become fully developed in withdrawing to be with God, as Moses was with God on the mountain. Then, in result, we have kingly power; none can rise up against the king: when Moses came down from the mountain, he had against him all the thousands of Israel, who were in the wrong; and he resisted the whole camp. There is the lion, the war-horse, the he-goat and the king against whom none can rise up! He was a man characterised by great moral power.

-- All this is developed in the book of Numbers, in chapter 21, after the brazen serpent, that is to say after the reception of the Holy Spirit typically.

-- It is always in the power of the Spirit alone that we can realise these things.

-- After the reception of the Spirit, presented typically in chapter 21, where it is said, "Rise up, well!" the people begin to move, take cities, overcome difficulties. Then comes Balaam, who wanted to curse the people, but he is obliged, in spite of himself, to express the thoughts of God towards the people. The principal subject of Balaam's first discourse is separation: "It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations" Numbers 23:9. Then, in the second discourse, it is said, "Jehovah his God is with him, and the shout of a king is in his midst" Numbers 23:21. That is what results from separation. In order to hear the shout of a king, separation must be accepted and maintained. In Balaam's third discourse it is said, "His King shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted" Numbers 24:7. The King of Israel, Christ, is higher than the greatest man according to flesh. The believer, viewed in his position in relation to the King, is greater than the greatest of this world. A man who has the Spirit of God, and leaves Him free to act, is greater than the most intelligent of this world. None can rise up against the king. "The shout of a king" -- a song of royal triumph is heard among the people of Israel; this shout comes from a people who have typically received the Spirit.

The Lord Jesus was not only down here as the King after God's own heart, but all the features of the king have been manifested in Him. All the features characteristic of the kingdom have been manifested in Him as Man. He went about doing good, delivering all who were under the power of the enemy, and His disciples, after His departure, had the same power and acted likewise.

-- "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,

but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" Romans 14:17.

-- In the epistle to the Romans, the truth of the kingdom is presented in connection with us, and is developed. In chapter 13 it is the kingdom of men, magistrates, rulers, the authorities that exist and whom we respect; but in chapters 14 and 15 it is a question of the kingdom of God. So we find in chapter 14 the truth of the kingdom which is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy. If the features of the kingdom are in some little measure developed with the believer, the result will not be his own exaltation. We read that those who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please themselves. The more the features of the kingdom are developed in us, the more we shall be characterised by humility. Without that, one would be disposed to think oneself of some importance. Like Christ, I ought to be meek and lowly in heart, "for the Christ also did not please himself". In chapter 15 it is a question of displaying this kingly power by the way in which we receive those who come to us. At the beginning of chapter 14 it says, "Now him that is weak in the faith receive" (Romans 14:1), which means that if kingly power is developed in me, I ought to use it for the encouragement of the weak. David shone in the way in which he received those who came to him. In chapter 12 of the first book of Chronicles, it speaks of those who came to David in three different positions: first at Ziklag, secondly in the stronghold in the wilderness, thirdly at Hebron.

Ziklag answers to the epistle to the Romans, where the truth is developed that everything has been lost by sin, but that everything has been recovered. Those who understand that will never be discouraged. Ziklag was the darkest day in David's history. He wept until he had no more power to weep (1 Samuel 30:4), yet David had a great deal of power to weep.

Then it says that David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God (verse 6). He recovered all. That is Ziklag. One who has come to Christ at Ziklag will never be discouraged.

Those who came to David in the stronghold in the wilderness were not discouraged either. There was nothing for them according to flesh, in the wilderness; but they had the protection of the stronghold. That is the first epistle to the Corinthians, the fellowship.

-- We enter into the kingdom, and by that means we are prepared to enjoy the fellowship.

-- The stronghold means protection. Salvation is in the stronghold. The name of Jehovah is there. "The name of Jehovah is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" Proverbs 18:10.

Hebron suggests what is outside the world. It says that Hebron was built seven years before the greatest city of the world, Zoan in Egypt; Numbers 13:22. At Hebron we breathe an atmosphere in which all that is of the world, of Egypt, has no place. That is the epistle to the Colossians.

-- With regard to David, who was at Ziklag and wept, would there be a similarity to Gethsemane? "His sweat became as great drops of blood".

-- Yes, there is a great analogy. All was indeed lost at Gethsemane, but the true David has recovered all; where everything appeared to be lost, in reality everything was gained.

There are the features which mark those who are really gathered around Christ! These features mark those who are specially named in connection with Hebron. There were only priests: prayer is a characteristic feature of the epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians. All that is before us in Colossians and Ephesians is so great, so high, so wonderful, that one feels that only the power of God can hold us up. It is so great that only prayer can maintain us in the presence of it all. When we arrive at Hebron, we

fall on our face to the earth; we are in the presence of what is wonderful, outside the world, far above the world and its glory. We fall on our knees to worship: we take off our shoes. "For this reason", says Paul, "I bow my knees to the Father" Ephesians 3:14. Jehoiada and Zadok (1 Chronicles 12:27,28) are the two priests named as having come to David to Hebron. In all the various positions that he filled, David received those who came to him. It is a matter of our learning to receive in kingly dignity. We have to discern whether those who come and wish to be received have faith. It is a question of him that is weak, but in faith. And he that has faith, even if it may be small, has no place outside the circle; his place is within and not without, although his faith may be weak. David had captains of hundreds. He that is weak cannot be a captain; nevertheless, his place is within.

-- It says, "Receive (him), not to the determining of questions of reasoning" Romans 14:1.

-- It is a matter of our reflecting heaven in the way in which we receive those who draw near. It says, "Receive ye one another, according as the Christ also has received you to the glory of God" Romans 15:7. It is according to the dignity of the anointing: "the Christ" is the Anointed.

-- It is very important not merely to receive, but to receive "as the Christ".

-- What is the difference between the kingdom and the assembly?

-- In the kingdom we have protection, salvation. The assembly receives into its bosom those who come. The assembly ought to be down here as a reflection of heaven. When Saul of Tarsus was to be received the heart of Christ was willing to receive him and He received him royally. He prepared Ananias to receive him in a heavenly manner. Christ teaches

us how we can and ought to receive the weakest who has faith, and who consequently acknowledges the authority of the Lord. Although weak, he is a brother. All that calls for spiritual discernment. If the moral features of the kingdom are developed in us, we shall have discernment. The object of the book of Proverbs is to produce in us what we have at the end of the book, as to the woman in whom her husband can confide -- the woman of worth. "The heart of her husband confideth in her" without reserve. The Lord expects us to know how to receive those whom He has Himself received. They must not be left out in the cold, but received into the assembly, if they have faith. All the faith and intelligence one has should be available to the one who wishes to be received. The children of Benjamin and the children of Judah came to David. "And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see it and rebuke it" 1 Chronicles 12:17. Those who came here -- Benjamin and Judah -- were David's kinsmen. They were outwardly in relation with David. But they must be examined. It is very serious, for there is a risk of danger: those who, by birth and education, have been amongst Christians all their life, might take their place without there having been a work in their heart.

-- The great question is: Have they received the Holy Spirit?

-- "And the spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace be to thy helpers! For thy God helps thee. And David received them, and made them chiefs of bands", 1 Chronicles 12:18.

-- That answers to Romans 10:9: "If thou shalt

confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God has raised him from among the dead, thou shalt be saved".

-- No one can say, "Lord Jesus", except by the Holy Spirit.

-- That is of all importance. The great question there, is: "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?" Acts 19:2.

-- Are there some who might have faith, without having received the Holy Spirit?

-- If there is really faith in Christ, there is the Holy Spirit; but that is a matter to be looked into. It is said of Simon the magician that he believed Philip when he preached; but when Peter and John went down from Jerusalem, they discerned that there was nothing at all in him: "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not upright before God" Acts 8:21. His intelligence alone had been affected.

-- One who has received the Holy Spirit opens his mouth to praise.

-- He cries, "Abba, Father".

-- When we have received the Spirit and are under His control, we are not satisfied only to be Christ's, but we desire to be with Him and with those who are faithful, who wish to serve Him and are subject to Him. We read that the men of war "came with a perfect heart to Hebron" 1 Chronicles 12:38.

-- It says that the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains. The demons believe and tremble, but the question is: Have you the true faith, and have you received the Holy Spirit? David tested them, for fear there was a traitor among them: "But if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see it and rebuke it" 1 Chronicles 12:17. And the Spirit answered by Amasai: "Thine are we, David, and with thee, thou

son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace, be to thy helpers! For thy God helps thee" 1 Chronicles 12:18. They do not seek to have importance and to take a place, but they recognise those who help David, so that David cannot do other than say to them: Come in! He could not leave them outside.

-- That shows the seriousness of the thing. That is why it says in Romans 15:7, "to the glory of God".

-- "According as the Christ also has received you to the glory of God".

-- That is the reason why faithful doorkeepers are necessary.

-- Peter and John, at Samaria, are typically doorkeepers. They find that Simon the magician has no part in this matter; and they will not have his money. On the other hand, Ananias, knowing who Saul of Tarsus was, would have left him outside. If one is not in this spirit of the kingdom, in a kingly spirit, one may leave outside someone who might be very useful. A person who has faith and who acknowledges the lordship of Christ ought to be admitted into the circle; but it would be good to ask him: Why do you wish to be received? Mr. Stoney, when quite young, came to some old brethren, saying to them: I must be among you. But they were afraid, like Ananias, and said to him, Do you know what you wish to do? Have you faith, to take such a decision? He answered them, Faith or no faith, I must be among you! Then they said to him, Come in! He was evidently with them at heart.

-- When the two disciples came to the Lord Jesus, He did not receive them without asking them, "What seek ye?" "And they said to him, Rabbi, where abidest thou?" John 1:38.

-- It is very blessed to see that the Lord has shown the way in which we are to receive others, to Peter in connection with Cornelius, to Ananias in connection

with Saul. If there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, there ought to be joy in the assembly for the same reason, glad as we are to be able to appreciate the work of God in a heart, and to receive the one in whom it is manifested.

Reading at St. Etienne, 1st May, 1926, afternoon.

INTELLIGENCE IN THE ASSEMBLY

1 Corinthians 11:17 - 26; Acts 1:1 - 5

-- The apostle addresses Christians, in the epistle to the Corinthians, as intelligent persons, in connection with the subject of the assembly. "I speak", he says, "as to intelligent persons: do ye judge what I say" 1 Corinthians 10:15. So that we see it is a matter of spiritual intelligence to understand the truth regarding the assembly. The Corinthians were lacking in spiritual intelligence -- the intelligence that accompanies spiritual growth. The apostle is obliged to address himself to these Corinthians "as to babes in Christ". Being in that defective state, they were not capable of laying hold of the depths and hidden wisdom of God. Consequently, the apostle laboured to lead them forward in their spiritual intelligence. He says to them, "In malice be babes; but in your minds be grown men" 1 Corinthians 14:20. And again, "Quit yourselves like men" (1 Corinthians 16:13), that is to say, persons who have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil.

It is said of Samuel that he "grew before Jehovah" 1 Samuel 2:21. His mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year. The coat of the past year could not serve for the following year. The child had developed. The first epistle to the Corinthians is like this little coat. It was made for them. They were very small, undeveloped; the apostle could not address them as grown men. In the second epistle, we see, so to speak, a larger coat. They had made progress, and they are clothed with more spiritual and deeper thoughts. It is said of Samuel that he "grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men" (1 Samuel 2:26); he continued to increase in stature. Then, when later

he began to speak for Jehovah, it is said that Jehovah "let none of his words fall to the ground" 1 Samuel 3:19. The words of grown men, fully developed, are to be kept; they are of value. On the other hand, the words of a Christian who is not developed fall to the ground and remain there. Many things which we say are quickly forgotten, even by us who say them; but when it is a question of a grown man, like Samuel, the Holy Spirit notes that none of his words fall to the ground.

With regard to the assembly, the Corinthians could not be praised. They did not assemble together as they should have done. They were no doubt accustomed to come together regularly in the same place; but it is not sufficient to come together. It is a matter of coming together "in assembly", and as thus coming together "in assembly" of knowing how the Lord's supper is to be taken with dignity.

-- What is the difference between coming together and coming together in assembly?

-- Coming together into one place does not necessarily mean coming together in assembly. To come together is one thing; to come together in assembly is another. To come together in assembly means that each one of those who come together thus is intelligent as to what the assembly means. For example, we have come together this evening, but we have not come together in assembly. In the gospel of Matthew, the disciples were taught of the Lord to discern what the assembly means. The Lord taught them that it was necessary to refuse carefully the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees came up and asked the Lord for a sign, but He answered them: "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be give to it save the sign of Jonas" (Matthew 16:4), that is to say, that of death and resurrection. Then it is added that "He left them and went away".

Not merely that He left them, but He put a distance between Him and them. "He ... went away". Thus, there is a distance, a clean separation, between the Lord on the one hand, and the Pharisees and Sadducees on the other. But the Lord went away with His own to the other side. This voyage tested the disciples. They had forgotten to take bread with them. In the assembly what is suitable must not be forgotten. It is the place of spiritual activity and intelligence. The Lord said to them, "See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Matthew 16:6. That is to say that it is possible for us to leave them and to carry away their leaven with us. We may carry away the religious leaven of the flesh and of that fleshly intellect, that is to say, of infidels and of religious persons. It is perhaps in that that the brethren have suffered most from those who brought with them the leaven of associations. The disciples thought the Lord was speaking of bread; but in reality the Lord was speaking of what is spiritual. We have to learn and to speak spiritually in connection with the assembly. Then it says that "they comprehended" finally that He was not speaking to them of leaven in connection with bread, but in connection with the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The word comprehend is important; it is a matter of looking around to measure and take in the things relating to the assembly. There are two words: 'understand' (verse 11) and 'comprehend' (verse 12). "How do ye not understand that it was not concerning bread I said to you, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then they comprehended that he did not speak of being beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Matthew 16:11. As an illustration, I can understand the thought of the universe, but I cannot comprehend it; for that is beyond my capacity. In approaching what concerns the assembly we must

examine everything, measure everything, weigh everything, in order to arrive at comprehending. When it is a question of a case of discipline, it is necessary to take account of all that characterises the man and what are his circumstances: it is necessary to understand and to comprehend.

In chapter 15 of the Acts, there was a conference concerning the nations; it was a question of knowing whether they must be put under the law. There were many discussions. The apostles and elders were gathered together to consider and examine the situation, and it was examined from all sides. Then, the apostles, the elders, and the whole assembly, arrived at a decision, and finally it says, "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28). We are therefore to be divinely instructed to take our place intelligently in the assembly and to act there in a suitable manner, according to the Lord. The assembly is something very great and nothing can be compared to it in the whole universe of God.

Now, in Matthew 16:15, after having spoken of the leaven, the Lord puts this question to the disciples: "But ye, who do ye say that I am?" The question is not, What have you read and heard from the fathers? But, "Who do ye say that I am?". And Peter answers, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" Matthew 16:16. Peter did not learn that from the books he had read; he did not learn it from meetings; but it was a direct revelation from the Father. Thus, my place in the assembly means that I am in relation with God and that I profit by the revelation that He has made to me of His thoughts. And the Lord said to him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and Hades' gates shall not prevail against it" Matthew 16:17,18. Thus, Peter was like a

sample of the material that the Lord would use to build the assembly. "I ... on this rock, I will build"; the thought of the rock is expressed in Peter's confession, and it was the expression of the measure in which he had perceived and understood the Person of Christ.

In the first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle labours to lead the Corinthians into these truths. They were "as babes" who were coming together in a human way. It is true that they came together regularly into one place, but there were sects among them, and the way they acted, their behaviour, caused the assembly to be despised. That is why he said, "When ye come therefore together into one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper". They were not approaching this sacred memorial in an intelligent way, and the apostle recalls to them what he had received from the Lord Jesus and had communicated to them. He explains and unfolds to them the features and spiritual meaning of the Lord's supper. It is a question of approaching it with spiritual intelligence, as a spiritual memorial. It is the Lord's supper that opens the way by which the Lord can come in and take His place with His own. It is not merely coming together; it is much more. By means of the Supper, we recall the Lord in a living way to our remembrance.

-- In instituting it, the Lord Himself would maintain His place in the heart of His own.

-- So that these passages in 1 Corinthians 11 link up completely with the beginning of the Acts. We read in the Acts: "Being assembled with them, commanded them" (Acts 1:4) -- Jesus "commanded them". The four evangelists do not use such expressions in their gospels. They do not say that the Lord assembled with His own. Luke, at the end of his gospel, relates that when the disciples were gathered together, the Lord stood in their midst. But he does not say in

the gospel, as he does in the Acts, that the Lord assembled with them: that is reserved for the Acts of which the object is to lead us into the assembly. The Lord would make His disciples understand how they could assemble after His resurrection. So it says, "Being assembled with them, (he) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem" Acts 1:4. He assembled with them in order to command. That is to give us to understand that He comes into the midst of His own to direct everything.

-- When it is a question of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He indicates the sign that will take place, and leaves them there. The death of Christ separates us from this world. Between His own on the one hand, and the Pharisees and Sadducees on the other, there is the death of Christ.

-- He assembled with them; that is very important because, if the Lord acted thus, He did it in order that His disciples might understand it, and come together, and act later in assembly.

-- The Lord assembles with His disciples during those forty days before leaving them. They depart the same day that they had seen Him go up into heaven, and gather in the upper chamber; Peter stands up with intelligence as to the Lord's commandments, and says, An apostle is missing; an apostle must be found; that apostle must have characteristic features. "It is necessary therefore, that of the men who have assembled with us all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken up from us, one of these should be a witness with us of his resurrection" Acts 1:21,22. These verses show that Peter had laid hold intelligently of what the Lord had wished to teach them in assembling with them after His resurrection. Peter had acquired intelligence to know what needed to be done after the ascension of Christ while awaiting

the descent of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples were alone. When we are left alone, the test shows whether we have learnt what should be done at the moment when there is something to do. Peter answered to the test and said, There must be an apostle who has been among the witnesses from the beginning. Since the day of Pentecost the assembly is the great interest of God upon this earth; and He is working by His Spirit so that His children may be led into the understanding of what the assembly means, and that all may take and fill out their place in the assembly.

-- The Lord did not name the twelfth apostle, but left the care of doing this to His own.

-- Why was another necessary?

-- Because the number twelve speaks of administration according to the thought of God. You have twelve tribes, twelve apostles, twelve foundations.

God never gives up any of His thoughts. The Lord would have in each locality a vessel at His disposal, a local assembly which can function in testimony in a manner worthy of Him: "My assembly". He has here, at St. Etienne, His assembly, and He desires that His assembly may be in evidence, composed of all those who are intelligent so that He may use them in testimony as a vessel at His disposal. Thus, the epistle to the Corinthians is addressed "to the assembly of God which is in Corinth" 1 Corinthians 1:2.

-- To learn the mind of God, one must be in the assembly. It is impossible to know it if one is outside.

Reading with J.T. at St. Etienne, 1st May, 1926, evening.

THE GOSPEL: ITS PRESENTATION AND ITS BENEFITS

2 Kings 5:1 - 4; 2 Kings 7:3 - 11

The second book of Kings presents to us typically the day in which we are found at present. In the first book, it is a question of men's responsibility. Elijah the prophet brings in the light of God with regard to the responsibility of King Ahab; that king had completely failed in his responsibility. Ahab allowed himself to be influenced by his wife Jezebel; 1 Kings 21:25. At the beginning of the second book of the Kings of Israel, Ahaziah falls down. All that is connected with man according to flesh cannot stand, but falls. There had been a great light in the house of Ahab, but Ahaziah, who had succeeded him, had not profited by the light that was found in his father's house. He fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber. Instead of turning to the God of Israel by whom the light had come into the house of his father, he turned to Baal-zebub. All that reminds us of the public history of the professing church. At the time of the Reformation, for example, God caused a great light to shine. But instead of profiting by the light that God had caused to shine, those who were at the head turned to deeper darkness than ever. So Ahaziah, instead of profiting by the light that had shone, turned to Baal-zebub. But then, if Ahaziah falls down and dies, the prophet by whose means the light of God had come to him, is translated and received into heaven. Elijah is received into the glory. The light which is presented to us, to us and to you, this afternoon, comes from heaven. It is not something that has come out of darkness, out of the minds of men; quite the contrary, it is the full light of heaven. Christ has

ascended; He has entered into the very heavens. Having entered into heaven, He has sent the Holy Spirit. Elisha typically represents the Holy Spirit. Sometimes he typifies the individual believer, sometimes he is a type of the Lord Himself; but, in general, he represents the service of grace of the Holy Spirit come down from heaven. So it was necessary that he should be in the company of Elijah before his translation. No one can rightly present Christ in glory without having been in His company. Elisha went with Elijah from Gilgal as far as the Jordan. He accompanied him to Bethel, to Jericho, and as far as the Jordan. The Lord, before sending His apostles, chose them that they might be with Him and accompany Him, and that at length He might send them to preach; but they were only sent after having been with Him. Consequently, the capacity for preaching is found in the fact that we have been in the company of Jesus. Elisha therefore, having accompanied Elijah from Gilgal as far as the Jordan, sees him go up into heaven and receives a double portion of his Spirit.

The gospel of God is presented to men in our day in the full power of the Holy Spirit. But, if it is a question of the blessing of men, there must be an entirely new beginning, as in the case of Elisha who returned thence to Jericho. The men of the city say to him, "Behold now, the situation of the city is good, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is barren", 2 Kings 2:19. The world indeed may have a very pleasant outward appearance, but the springs of refreshment are corrupted. In the world there is barrenness everywhere as regards the knowledge of God. So for each one of us, if it is a matter of receiving a blessing from God, there must be an absolutely new beginning. There must be a new cruse, and salt. "Bring me a new cruse", says Elisha, "and put salt in it" 2 Kings 2:20. The salt having been

thrown into the waters, they are purified. So that now, thanks to the death of Christ and the gift of the Spirit, there is a fresh and pure spring down here.

I wish to bring out, from the two passages I have read, what kind of vessel God uses for His gospel. It is not a question of persons who have importance or prestige in the religious world. First it speaks of a little captive maid. She is a lady's maid-servant; she has no religious position; she is of no account in human society; there is nothing to commend her to the natural man. However, it is this little maid whom God is going to use to announce the gospel to Naaman. She is typically the result of the teaching of the previous chapter. In chapter 4 we find a woman who was in debt. The prophet asks what she had in the house: she had only a pot of oil. She represents believers who do not understand the value of the Holy Spirit. The prophet tells her to sell the oil, pay her debts and live "on the rest".

Then, we find "a wealthy woman". We are really wealthy or great, only in so far as we recognise the Holy Spirit. The greatest power that exists in the universe dwells in the Christian, and the wealth of heaven is in our souls. This woman, this Shunammite, is called "a wealthy woman". There was, with her, consideration for Christ. She prepared in her house a chamber for the prophet. Chapter 4 contains many other things that we have not time to consider. Typically, the teaching of chapter 4 involves the epistles to the Romans, Colossians and Ephesians. The believer is established in all the light and wealth of heaven. Such a believer has no need of any importance in the religious world; he does not need permission to preach the gospel. He is infinitely richer inwardly than he is outwardly. He does not seek public reputation. He is content to be nothing, as the apostle Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 4:13, "As the offscouring of the world, the refuse

of all". In the light of the epistle to the Ephesians which shines in his soul, he is content to be nothing and to bear reproach. The soul of such a believer is filled with the consciousness of the wealth of heaven. Knowing Christ in heaven, his thought is to make known what he knows, as Paul says, "We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake" 2 Corinthians 4:5. So, this little maid is a captive, but she has more light in her soul than all the Syrians, and this light marks her peculiarly. She speaks with conviction and emotion. She says to her mistress, "Oh, would that my lord were before the prophet that is in Samaria! then he would cure him of his leprosy". She had no doubt in her mind. And we who believe in the Lord and know Him, know what we are saying. We have experienced His power to heal, and thus we present Him to you. "Neither is there another name under heaven which is given among men by which we must be saved", Acts 4:12. The gospel presented by this little maid is the Person of Christ. The four lepers in chapter 7 present rather the benefits resulting from the gospel. It speaks of them in detail in the epistle to the Romans. It is the gospel concerning a Person, "His Son". In Ephesians, it is a question of the unsearchable riches of the Christ, but the little maid preached the Person Himself. And then, let us observe well that this little maid was completely delivered from all national feeling. The Syrians ruled over Israel. Indeed they had brought this little maid away captive. She was a captive in the country of the Syrians; but she bore them no malice. And the Christian has no ill-will against those who may belong to other nations. There is only one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. So that the Christian is not concerned with national or international questions; he is only concerned about the souls of men. He sees that God

desires at all cost to reach the souls of men. It is God who "desires that all men should be saved" 1 Timothy 2:4. So that the believer, of whom this little maid is a type, is completely delivered from all national and international feelings. The little maid was occupied with the state in which her master was found, although he was the Syrian captain. It is precious and interesting to see that, in the end, Naaman had to act according to the word of this little maid. The king of Syria had sent this captain to the king of Israel. The little maid had nothing to say about the king of Israel, who had no power and could do nothing. So Naaman had to go to the house of the man whom the little maid had presented. He had to go to Elisha's house. As he arrives at Elisha's door, the prophet sends him a message, "Go, and wash in the Jordan seven times" 2 Kings 5:10. There is no salvation unless we submit ourselves to the word. Men may make all kinds of suggestions, but they are only hindrances; the king of Syria only delayed the healing of Naaman, in sending him to the king of Israel. There is no salvation, save in Christ alone; outside of Him, it is absolutely impossible to be saved. It is absolutely necessary to be subject to His word. The message from the prophet to Naaman was: "Go, and wash in the Jordan seven times". In other words, it is faith in the Lord Jesus, faith in the efficacy of His precious work. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin" 1 John 1:7.

Now the four lepers of chapter 7 represent other features of the gospel. These four lepers are chosen very particularly to give us to see and understand the kind of instrument God uses in our days. "Four leprous men". They had no place at all within the city, neither had they any at all among the Syrians. They had nothing before them but death. Therefore, driven by deep necessity, they went into the camp of the Syrians and they found themselves in a place of

abundance. Are they not types of us, Christians? We were without hope and without God in the world, so that in the dusk and in deep need, we turned toward the place where there is abundance. At first we had no idea of the wealth of that place. When we turned our eyes in the right direction, then God acted on our behalf; He made a great fear fall upon the Syrians. They fled, leaving everything behind them. The poor lepers, entering the camp of the Syrians, found abundance and appropriated that abundance; that is just what we believers have done. We appropriated the abundant riches; then our hearts have been won and secured. That is what we feel we must tell you! It is not a question of official dignity; but being loaded with the abounding wealth of the place where we are, and knowing your needs, since you have not yet come in, we have the privilege this afternoon of drawing near to you to testify to the place where abundance is found.

The city was besieged; the population were in deep need of food, and they had nothing. The people were dying of hunger. But perhaps you have not a deep need. What is your outlook? Nothing but death, and after death, judgment. Will you not then receive with joy this precious provision of the grace of God which is for you also? We have the privilege of being able to speak of it to you. We have appropriated these precious realities. We have visited the camp of the Syrians, and we can speak with certainty. What are you going to do with these glad tidings? Are there any here of whom it can be said that they receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved? The captain of the army of Israel on whom the king leaned did not believe these tidings. He said that God would have to open the windows of the heavens; but why should He not open them? It is exactly what He has done, for at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and brought with

Him all the wealth of heaven for men. You must not do as this unbelieving captain who reasoned. Do you not believe that God has given His beloved Son men and that He has also given His Holy Spirit?

If you do not accept what God presents to you, you will be in the category of those who "have not received the love of the truth that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10) and then you will only meet judgment. It says, "For this reason God sends to them a working of error, that they should believe what is false, that all might be judged who have not believed the truth" 2 Thessalonians 2:11. To-day, it is the moment to receive the truth, to learn to love it. We have this double testimony that of the little maid who presented the person of Elisha, and that of the four leprous men who bore witness of the abundant wealth that there is for all men. The number 'four' indicates what is general, that is to say that their testimony can be found in all believers. The testimony that characterises all believers is that they enjoy this great abundance; they know it; it is at the disposal of all men in the power of the Holy Spirit who is upon earth.

God grant that those who have not availed themselves of this rich grace may do so today!

The Lord's word is this: "Repent and believe in the glad tidings" Mark 1:15. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, "Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:38.

Preaching by J.T. at St. Etienne, 2nd May, 1926, afternoon.

THE CIRCLE OF THE BRETHREN

Malachi 1:1 - 5; 1 John 3:13 - 16

-- How God loves those in whom the brotherly spirit is found! Malachi speaks right at the end of a dispensation. He looks back and alludes to what was past. He draws Israel's attention to the love that God had for Jacob, for it is in the family of Jacob that the brotherly spirit manifested itself. He alludes to Esau with whom the brotherly spirit was not seen. He was Jacob's brother, but what had characterised him was hatred for his brother. Therefore God says, "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau". The Old Testament is full of examples showing how Esau failed with regard to this brotherly spirit, and this prophetic testimony which is presented to us right at the end of the dispensation, shows us how God hates those who are marked by the lack of this brotherly spirit.

We are likewise at the end of a dispensation. We also are allowed to look back, to take account and discern where this brotherly spirit has manifested itself and where it has not manifested itself. Many Christians who bear the name of brethren do not manifest this brotherly spirit; there are even some in whom it is lacking. John speaks of these two categories: one shows itself in the case of Abel; the other, in the case of Cain. And John puts us on our guard against hating the brethren. He expresses himself most severely and says to us that "Every one that hates his brother is a murderer"; while those who are truly brethren are known as those who love one another. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren". Esau and Jacob started off, so to speak, together as brethren, and in the days that followed God carefully preserved the rights of Esau as the brother of Jacob.

But Esau failed completely as to the manifestation of the brotherly spirit. He would not allow his brother Jacob to place the sole of his foot on his territory. Israel said to him, "Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass through fields, or through vineyards, neither will we drink water out of the wells: we will go by the king's road; we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border ... . We will go by the high way; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then I will pay for it", Numbers 20:17 - 19. But Esau did not allow his brother to pass through his territory. Where then is the love of God in Esau? We are at the end of a dispensation, as Malachi was at the end of another dispensation, and that which is particularly pleasing to God at the end is love amongst brethren. Malachi warns us that if this spirit of brotherly love is lacking with us, we shall be the objects of the hatred of Jehovah: "I hated Esau", He says.

It is very striking that that is said with regard to Esau at the end of a dispensation, as it is again spoken of for us who are at the end of the present dispensation.

It is a question of what is the result of a prolonged exercise. If God gives light, His object is that that light should produce exercise. If the result is according to Him, that is acceptable to Him, but He hates the opposite. Thus, light was given at the Reformation. The result was acceptable to God; but those who would not accept the light that shone at the Reformation plunged themselves still further into darkness. And also, more recently, there has been a recovery: God has added light to that which He had given at the Reformation. The circle of the brethren has come to light. Many of those who came into that circle during a certain time, afterwards abandoned it. God looks for the full result of the exercise, as is seen in Enoch who was the seventh from Adam, the number seven speaking of the

complete exercise. I believe that we are at the end of this exercise. God is giving His own the inward testimony of His approval. Enoch, before his translation, had received the testimony of having pleased God. The Lord says to the overcomer at Philadelphia "that no one take thy crown" Revelation 3:11. Our glory is that the brotherly spirit is in evidence among us. So that the Lord Himself inaugurated the present dispensation with these words: "Go to my brethren" John 20:17. For Him, these words are as fresh today as the day when He pronounced them. There are two thoughts, 'brethren' and 'the assembly', terms known and used publicly. They have taken their place in the vocabulary of popular religion, and thus they have necessarily lost their true meaning. We have therefore to learn afresh the meaning of these terms 'brethren' and 'the assembly'. No one would ever be able to learn the truth as to the assembly by the study of a dictionary, neither can the dictionary ever teach us what the word 'brethren' means in its true sense, according to the Lord's mind. The fact is that the expressions, the true scriptural terms, have lost their real meaning, because they have passed into the popular religious vocabulary. We must therefore go to the Lord Himself to learn their true meaning, as Elisha had to learn from Elijah the meaning of Gilgal, of Bethel, of Jericho and of the Jordan. These places had a spiritual meaning; but it had been lost, so that it was necessary to learn again what those names meant. So, if we want to understand what 'the brethren' really are, we must appeal to the Lord and be taught by Him. He says, "Go to my brethren" John 20:17. The great truth, the pre-eminent thought in regard of the brethren, comes out in Jacob's family. And although Jacob's twelve sons were begotten by one and the same father, they had four different mothers. And of these four mothers, two were only maid-servants. The twelve sons of Jacob had to

learn the true meaning of the expression, "Joseph's brethren".

Joseph is a type of the Lord Jesus. It says that he was loved of his father. God is the Source of love. The Lord Jesus brings divine love to us and teaches us to behave as brethren. There are true Christians in all the sects and denominations in Christendom today; they all have one and the same Father, but they have various mothers, which explains why they do not understand the true character of the brethren. The expression 'mother' refers to the religious system in which I have been brought up. It is from our mother that we have our character. Gideon said, speaking of his brethren, that they were the sons of his mother; and they all resembled him: "As thou art, so were they" Judges 8:18. Then he said, "They were my brethren, the sons of my mother" Judges 8:19. It is an allusion to the assembly. In the measure in which we walk in the light of the assembly we are characterised by that which marks brethren according to God. It says of Jerusalem above that she is "free, which is our mother" Galatians 4:26. None of the religious systems is free, and none of them is 'above', but the assembly belongs to heaven, so that the believer is heavenly in nature and in character, on the side of his Father and also on the side of his mother.

-- The mother of true believers is Jerusalem above -- "our mother".

-- The mothers represent all the endless denominations of Christendom where there is only one Father, but all sorts of mothers.

-- On this ground of love and the brotherly spirit, we reach what God proposed at the beginning; we reach it at the end of the present dispensation. Might it not be that there is someone here who would neglect the thought of God, in the last days of this dispensation? "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1.

That is the last but one of the Songs of Degrees. And the last song is a song of praise: "Behold, bless Jehovah" Psalm 134:1. The end in view in the Songs of Degrees is that we all arrive at unity, as brethren. Jerusalem will be the joy of the whole earth; and it is there that brethren will dwell together in unity, "As the dew of Hermon that descendeth on the mountains of Zion; for there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing, life for evermore" Psalm 133:3. The first allusion in this Psalm is to Christ Himself -- Aaron -- and the oil is poured on Aaron's head, on his beard, and on the hem of his garments, that is to say, on His own. "The dew of Hermon" is the heavenly refreshment that comes down upon the saints here below. "The mountains of Zion", that is the purpose of God, where He has commanded the blessing, life for evermore. In the first epistle of John, we see and we know. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren". The love of the brethren is the proof of life.

-- That is the blessing, eternal life.

-- Here, we have the things that we know, from John. The brethren properly speaking know things; they not only think them or hope them, but they know them.

-- We ought to test ourselves, to see if we love the brethren as such.

-- There are many believers who are far from knowing. A characteristic feature of the first epistle of John is to introduce us into the certainty and assurance of things. It says frequently, "We know".

-- According to John, there is nothing between the two circles; there is the circle of hatred and that of love, the circle of Cain and that of the brethren.

-- Is it permissible to put the question to those who are distressed, not being sure of anything: Do you love the brethren? If they have truly passed from

death to life, they will have affection for the brethren.

-- It is a characteristic feature of one who is truly a brother. He loves the brethren.

-- It must not be lost sight of that the expression 'brethren' includes the whole company; but the divisions are due to there being many 'mothers', although there is only one Father.

-- The religious systems are the different 'mothers'. We have numberless brethren in the various systems of Christendom, but as they have all kinds of mothers (all kinds of characters), it follows that the characters are not in harmony with the character of God, and fellowship is not possible. Thus, the Galatians were going back to the legal system, and consequently were in danger of being without light in their midst. They were going back to the old mother -- the law. John has before him a circle in which love is in activity down here. He says, "Do not wonder, brethren, if the world hate you". He addresses the brethren. He looks upon the brethren as those who have the same Father and the same mother, Jerusalem above. That is liberty. The evidence of life is that we love the brethren. We have passed from death to life. God has begotten us, and we love the brethren. That cannot be arrived at by human efforts. So that in that circle we breathe the atmosphere of life. It is the atmosphere of Hermon -- a blessed atmosphere.

-- Eternal life.

-- A brother from the Haute-Loire, after a very encouraging reading, once said: It is like the dew of Hermon. He was happy; he was refreshed.

-- There are two thoughts, that of heavenly refreshment, and also that of the dignity that goes with the anointing, the dignity of having been anointed with the oil of gladness. So that, although outwardly we may be hated and despised, nevertheless there is inwardly this enjoyment of the heavenly atmosphere.

It says, "Hereby we have known love, because he has laid down his life for us". It is there that we see love. We have learnt the love of Christ; it is He who has taught love. Generally, this would not be understood, nor even admitted; love can only be learnt from Christ, being taught of Him. Then he adds emphatically: "We ought for the brethren to lay down our lives". The secret of maintaining this brotherly love is the individual decision to lay down one's life "for the brethren". In the epistle to the Romans, it speaks of dying for a righteous man, for a good man; but in the first epistle of John the great question is laying down one's life for the brethren. God has the brethren in His thoughts and in His heart, and we are coming to have in our hearts the same thoughts and the same circle, which is not limited to the millennial kingdom, but goes on into eternity. At the moment when the Lord was about to ascend to heaven, He sent the message to His own as being His brethren: "Go to my brethren" John 20:17. That is what pleases Him, and He is working at the present time in us to produce that which is agreeable to Him, and what is agreeable to Him will finally be translated to heaven like Enoch. In Hebrews, it is said of Enoch that he has the testimony that he had pleased God, but in Jude we find that he was a prophet. Those who please God will have the mind of God and will be able to express it; such are prophets. He says "Behold, the Lord has come amidst his holy myriads" Jude 1:14. He was surrounded by corruption: his sole companion was God. So that in contrast with the frightful corruption that surrounded him on all sides, he saw the Lord coming amidst His holy myriads. That is what the Lord showed him. The Revelation really belongs to the brethren. "I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus" Revelation 1:9.

-- Philadelphia means 'brotherly love'.

-- What we have seen this evening is what pleases God, what is agreeable to Him. It is the circle of the brethren where His mind is disclosed; it is known to them. It was the same at the end of the previous dispensation: "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau". The divine hatred will be manifested later. He speaks of Esau, and says, "I hated Esau; and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness. If Edom say, We are broken down but we will build again the ruined places -- thus saith Jehovah of hosts: They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them the territory of wickedness, and the people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever". God is entirely opposed to all that is not of the brotherly spirit. The severest judgment will fall upon the whole of Christendom. In the Revelation, that is all unfolded in detail. The great dark religious system with which we are surrounded is very specially in view in the Revelation. They may build and construct, but God will overturn all that they construct, and that for ever. "And your eyes shall see it, and ye shall say, Jehovah is magnified beyond the border of Israel". The Lord says to the overcomer at Philadelphia: "Behold, I make them of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews, and are not, but lie; behold, I will cause that they shall come and shall do homage before thy feet, and shall know that I have loved thee" Revelation 3:9.

Reading with J.T. at St. Etienne, 2nd May, 1926, evening.

MUTUALITY IN CONTRAST WITH CLERICALISM

Matthew 23:8 - 12; Matthew 26:20

-- The end in view in the gospel of Matthew is to form us, as believers, in view of the assembly, and a feature that we find particularly in Matthew is mutuality. Mutuality does not accord with clericalism. The Lord gives formal instructions to His disciples that they were not to allow themselves to be called 'Rabbi'. That does not mean that there should not be teachers among the saints; thus, Ephesians 4 speaks of the gift of "teacher", but the Lord insists that the disciples should not be recognised officially as 'Rabbi', for, He says, "one is your instructor, the Christ". "and all ye are brethren". He alone has the right to take the place officially as 'Instructor'; then, He adds: "All ye are brethren". The place of "brethren" is greater than every official position. All that is official will pass away, but the relation of brethren will continue eternally. This relation involves the family; and however distinguished a brother may be as being an elder, or as having a gift, he always comes back to his place in the family. The Levites were all first-born. Each Levite occupied the place of a first-born, and the epistle to the Hebrews teaches us that we belong "to the assembly of the first born who are registered in heaven" Hebrews 12:23. This knowledge in our souls sets us free from all that is official; if sometimes we have to take a prominent place in service, we revert afterwards to the place of brethren in the family; we shall then have no desire to be called guides or instructors, or yet to be known as fathers. The Lord says, "Call not any one your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in the heavens".

But that does not mean that we may not exercise a fatherly influence among the saints. Paul speaks of himself as "the aged", and of Timothy as his son, his child. He says to the Corinthians: "If ye should have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the glad tidings", (1 Corinthians 4:15) but he would not have allowed himself to be called 'father', although he was their spiritual father. The apostle John also speaks to his children. It is good that an advanced brother should exercise a fatherly influence among the saints; it is of great importance to them; but that advanced brother always remains a brother, forming a part of those of whom the Lord speaks when He says, "All ye are brethren", and that for ever. The thoughts of 'fathers', 'young men', 'little children' belong to the present period; but the relation of 'brethren' -- "all ye are brethren" -- will subsist eternally. When the Lord was about to ascend to heaven, He spoke of the disciples as being His brethren -- "Go to my brethren" John 20:17. The thought is that He is to be "firstborn among many brethren" Romans 8:29.

-- "But the greatest of you shall be your servant".

-- To lay stress on those words, the Lord adds: "And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled". A gift or devotedness or love may afford a brother a place of distinction, but this distinction only has value if it is laid at the Lord's feet. In Revelation 4, the elders cast their crowns before the throne. He who has the highest place is ready to take the lowest. If I profess to be a devoted or distinguished servant, I ought to show it by being the servant of the saints. Paul says, "We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake", (2 Corinthians 4:5) and later on, "all things are for your sakes" 2 Corinthians 4:15. He was gifted and fitted to serve the saints; he was in that way the property of all. The greatest among us ought to show a moral superiority in being ready to

wash the feet of the disciples. That is what is very clearly taught in the verses which we have read. We must accept these principles, if we wish to have part in the assembly of God. The thought is that where the disciples are, there is to be a vessel for God's use, and that each believer is to be found in his place in that vessel.

-- The first epistle to the Corinthians gives certain enlightenment on this subject. There is the thought of the temple, that of the assembly, and that of the body. Would you say a few words on these three thoughts?

-- In connection with the temple, we have light in the locality; in connection with the body, we have the expression of Christ in the locality. It was essential that each saint at Corinth should be in his place in the assembly.

-- It is much more to be a brother than to have one of the most distinguished gifts; the relation of brethren will abide during eternity, while the gifts will pass away.

-- To each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The most obscure member does his service, and it would be a mistake for him to take the place of an official servant; each saint is a servant. All the Levites, from a month old and upward, were numbered. No doubt there are special services attaching to the gifts; but in principle, every saint is a servant.

-- Naturally, the most precious thing is to be simply a brother.

-- "And ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake" 2 Corinthians 4:5.

-- In chapter 16 of Matthew, the Lord leaves the Pharisees and Sadducees. "And he left them and went away" Matthew 16:4. The disciples also had followed the Lord to the side opposite to that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But they had forgotten to take bread. The Lord takes the opportunity of saying to

them: "See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Matthew 16:6. Although having taken a direction opposed to that of the Pharisees and Sadducees, we might carry away the leaven with us; having left the position itself, we might have kept with us the leaven of the system, when we should be preserving intact the precious relation of brethren.

-- In chapter 26, we see how this relation is preserved. "And when the evening was come he lay down at table with the twelve. And as they were eating he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up" Matthew 26:21. They were all at table with Him; they were all eating the same thing, and it is while they were eating that the Lord submits them to a test, and this test applies to all. He says, "I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up" Matthew 26:21. It is not to draw attention to Judas, to his guilt, but to show that they were all eating the same thing. He does not address Peter or John separately, but all together; they all had the same feeling at that moment. They were all eating the same thing, and it is then that He puts them to the test. It is a wholesome test for our souls, when the light of the Lord is shed on us all.

Now, the Lord puts the Supper before them, and we have here the thought of mutuality, so as to be searched all together. We are all tested and we discern that we have each one the tendency to do the same evil act. That preserves us from being hard toward our brethren. I cannot be hard toward others; I cannot act as a Pharisee. Without the grace of the Lord, I should be as guilty as he who committed the evil deed -- how this thought humbles me! -- I cannot act in a priestly way towards others. The apostle says to the Galatians: "Ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted" Galatians 6:1. When Peter puts the question to the Lord, "Lord, how

often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times?" (Matthew 18:21) the Lord answers him: "I say not to thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven" Matthew 18:22. If one among us sins, he is none the less a brother, and the brother should be saved: "Go, reprove him between thee and him alone" Matthew 18:15. Not a single brother must be lost, for he is of too much value. It is for the weak brother that Christ died; 1 Corinthians 8:11.

In verse 26 it says, "And as they were eating" Matthew 26:26. If the saints do not eat, there is no hope of their making progress. The Lord's supper should remind us that we should be eating continually; the test of which we have spoken is that mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5: "Let us celebrate the feast ... with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" 1 Corinthians 5:8. It is a feast which lasts seven days. The subject is eating; those who were eating are spoken of twice when the Lord introduced the Supper in Matthew 26 (in verses 21 and 26). They were eating the passover. In 1 Corinthians 5, the feast is to be celebrated with unleavened bread. There is a distinction between the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. Our Passover is Christ. Our Passover has been sacrificed. The unleavened bread represents what we provide ourselves; we provide it in the sense that we are maintained in a certain state of soul involving self-judgment; it is a daily exercise. If we provide unleavened bread, we can partake of the feast with enjoyment; if these conditions are fulfilled in the locality, the feast of the Lord will be well understood.

It says, "Take, eat". In Luke it does not speak of eating. In Matthew it is a question of forming a spiritual condition in believers, so that they might take their place in the assembly with intelligence and enjoyment; that is Matthew's point of view. What is needed is the reality of life and enjoyment of the thing. "In malice be babes; but in your minds be

grown men" 1 Corinthians 14:20. The passover is connected with the old system; something new is now introduced, and before setting aside what was old, all the light of the old economy is presented in its fulness. In the old system, all that God was for Israel was included; and this is what is presented before the introduction of the new order. The Lord gives them another cup: the cup of the new covenant in His blood poured out for them. What God had been for Israel is set aside until the millennium; all will be taken up again in the future. The disciples were to drink of the cup. So we have the Lord's supper, which is more than the passover. The Lord said, "Take, eat: this is my body", (Matthew 26:26) and later, "Drink ye all of it" Matthew 26:27. They were all to do it, all the disciples. That supposes no clerical idea; it is simply a thought of mutuality.

In chapter 20 of the Acts, several brethren met together: Paul, Timothy and other distinguished brethren. It says, "We being assembled to break bread" Acts 20:7. The principle is: "We being assembled". After having each performed a different service, they all come back to this blessed experience which puts them on a footing of equality; all are on the same level; all are brethren. It is mutuality, and not clericalism. In chapter 4 of the Acts, Peter and John, after having been distinguished in service and sufferings, and having been let go, went to join their own company; they formed part of it. "Having been let go, they came to their own company" Acts 4:23. If the apostles are mentioned, they are mentioned together; but when they arrive in the company all identity is lost; all is levelled; all are known as brethren. Afterwards, each may return to his service, but at the Lord's supper, each has his place as a brother.

-- It is a comfort and a joy, to the heart of those who are in service, to sit down with others as brethren, in rest and peace, to be occupied with Christ, and

not with service. The most distinguished brother rejoices when the weakest expresses a few words of thanksgiving, though he may only pronounce five words. The weakest and the most advanced have both received the Spirit of liberty, quite as much as the apostle Paul; and all cry, Abba, Father. Why not appropriate these things?

-- It must not be forgotten that in Acts 20 there were distinguished brethren and local brethren. Paul was there to rejoice with the others. They were gathered together "to break bread". There was no president. The principle which characterises this passage is: "We being assembled". Paul discoursed; one may give an address, after worship, but there are no directions for that.

-- In 1 Corinthians 15, it says that the Lord was seen by "Above five hundred brethren at once", (1 Corinthians 15:6) but it does not speak of distinguished brethren.

-- Through Paul, we have the Lord's supper. As a result, the whole company is led into the heavenly regions.

Reading with J.T. at Lyon, 3rd May, 1926.

PRIESTLY STATE

Malachi 1:1,2; Malachi 2:4 - 6; Malachi 4:4 - 6; Malachi 3:16

-- The book of Malachi is well placed at the end of the Old Testament. The passages we have read lead us back. The object of the Spirit of God is that the light of the beginning of a dispensation may be found again at the end. Thus, the love of God for His people from the beginning, and what the priesthood was (that is to say the light of the whole dispensation) shine at the end. It is said to them to remember the law of Moses commanded from the beginning. At the same time, we have the promises which incite us to a corresponding expectancy and preparation, for the close of one economy opens the way to another economy, that close being in connection with the dispensation which is to come. That is what the position of the saints in our day answers to. The light given to govern the whole position governs our position, and then we have the promises. That is what we find in the epistle to the assembly of Philadelphia.

At the beginning of chapter 3 of Malachi, we read these words: "Behold I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me" Malachi 3:1. Then it says, "And the Lord whom ye seek will suddenly come to his temple" Malachi 3:1. The remnant would then be in expectancy and in that state of preparation. And in the last chapter it says, "Behold, I send unto you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of Jehovah. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers". These promises call forth expectancy and preparation for the coming of the Lord. The full light of the beginning is given to us now.

The first important feature is the love of God: "I loved Jacob"; then, a solemn warning is given to all those who occupy the position of brethren but who have not the spirit of brethren: "I hated Esau" Malachi 1:3. Chapter 2 is addressed to the priests. There cannot be anything for God if the priestly spirit is lacking with the saints. We have to take account of what the priesthood was at the outset, and it is not to be altered in any wise today. Peter in speaking to the saints says that they are "a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 2:5. That is the reason for which the priesthood was established at the outset; and it has not been modified at all. So Jehovah draws attention to Levi (Malachi 2:5 - 7): "My covenant with him was of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and trembled before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and at his mouth they seek the law; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts". In the priesthood is seen all that God possessed; and what He possessed then is what He seeks now. The thought regarding the priesthood is continued in the saints. Let us then be true Levites. The law of truth was in Levi's mouth, "he turned many from iniquity" Malachi 2:6.

-- All these features should be manifested in us.

-- The expression 'priesthood' does not belong to any system; it belongs to believers who have the Holy Spirit, as much to sisters as to brothers. Those who were waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus were true priests. Anna "did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers" (Luke 2:37); she "gave praise to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who waited for redemption in

Jerusalem" Luke 2:38. Simeon also was a true priest. "The Holy Spirit was upon him. And it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple" Luke 2:26,27. In the gospel of Luke we have these two characters of priesthood, and both are also in view in Malachi. There were others, but these two serve to testify to what is desired.

-- This second chapter is very solemn for us; it begins with these words: "And now, ye priests, this commandment is for you" Malachi 2:1.

-- Now, it is not a question only of the tribe of Levi, but, what is quite new, the whole company is a company of priests. All form part of the priestly family and draw near to God under the direction of the High Priest, the true Aaron. God looks for these things among us; for the Old Testament is of interest in that it was written for us. It is to be noticed that, in the book of Malachi, the prophet draws attention to the thought of a remnant. At the end of chapter 3 we find this remnant: "They that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another" Malachi 3:16. What characterised the rest of the people was that they were not honouring God. "If then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, priests, that despise my name" Malachi 1:6. Polluted bread was presented on the altar; a blind, lame or sick beast was offered as a sacrifice. The table of Jehovah was despised; and God said, "I have no delight in you ... . neither will I accept an oblation at your hand" Malachi 1:10. Attention is drawn to their indifference and negligence. Might not this spirit be shown even with those who break bread? Is it not the case that there is indifference as to the privileges of the assembly? Do we not sometimes forsake the assembling of ourselves together? A lack of energy is shown, and there is no fruit. God takes

account of all these things, and the solemn word is addressed to the priests. In chapter 2, verse 9, because they had had contempt for God, God had made them contemptible. Then it says, "The Lord ... will suddenly come to his temple" Malachi 3:1. There is a great principle which must be noted: God expects that His own, in the last days, will put the truth into practice as it was at the beginning. God says, "Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, the statutes and ordinances". It was for all Israel, and from the beginning. There are no modifications in these principles; they have to be learned as they were at the outset. 'Horeb' is the mountain spoken of in Deuteronomy and is connected with the spiritual bearing of the covenant. 'Sinai' is the fear of Jehovah, the law filling with fear men who cannot answer to its commandments.

-- The law commanded by Moses was "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" Deuteronomy 33:4.

-- The first commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding", is, in Matthew 22:37, a quotation from Deuteronomy in connection with Horeb. The second commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself", (Matthew 22:39) is like the first. The Lord Jesus had a deep appreciation of the law of God; He held it hidden in His heart. Such an appreciation of the law of God in connection with Horeb answers to the love of God which is spoken of at the beginning of the book of Malachi.

-- All is the product of the love of God. In Romans 8, the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who do not walk according to flesh but according to Spirit. "His commandments are not grievous" 1 John 5:3.

-- In connection with the righteous requirement of the law, we have what is said in Deuteronomy 10:12,13:

"What doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good?"

-- "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang" Matthew 22:40.

-- The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, "If any one thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognise the things that I write to you, that it is the Lord's commandment" 1 Corinthians 14:37. Those who love the Lord regard the epistles to the Corinthians as the "inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" Deuteronomy 33:4. In Deuteronomy 33, Moses commanded a law; if one had asked the people what they thought of it, they would have said, No other nation has a law like ours. Their heart was won.

-- There is a remnant whom the Lord approves; that remnant bears the character of the priesthood. It is said of Levi that he feared Jehovah. In chapter 3 of Malachi, they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another. Fear is one of the characteristic marks of the priesthood. If God works in the heart of a believer, he is awakened to the iniquity of the system in which he is found. "And he feared me, and trembled before my name". You remember what Josiah did, when they brought him the book of the law found in the house of Jehovah. "And it came to pass when the king heard the words of the law, that he rent his garments" (2 Chronicles 34:19), seeing that the words of the book had not been observed. So in our days, the characteristic feature of the priesthood is the fear of God; and as a result, the

one who fears the name of the Lord and who calls upon Him, withdraws from iniquity; he flees youthful lusts, and pursues "righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart" 2 Timothy 2:22. The thought of the priesthood is developed in the second epistle to Timothy. The spirit of a priest abhors the religious anomaly which is current today. To take a place intelligently in the priesthood, one must separate from iniquity. "They that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another" Malachi 3:16. The true priests are coming to light today; they often speak one to another; they fear the Lord.

The priest relies upon the principles of Scripture, "and at his mouth they seek the law; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts" Malachi 2:7. There are perhaps among these priests persons of small account in the world; but they have the Spirit of God. Of Levi, it is said, "He feared me, and trembled before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity". That is a person who walks with God.

-- These things are written for priests.

-- To be a priest is more than being a believer; a priest has taken his place of privilege, having identified himself with the only and true Priest. And the priest turns "many from iniquity".

-- And these persons shine like stars in the middle of the night, when the moon (the church) is no longer in evidence.

-- The Lord said, "Rejoice that your names are written in the heavens" Luke 10:20.

-- "And they shall be unto me a peculiar treasure, saith Jehovah of hosts, in the day that I prepare" Malachi 3:17. That will be a day prepared by God and according to Him. Those who fear Jehovah will be His peculiar

treasure in that day. "And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him" Malachi 3:17. Here, we might bring in the epistle to the Galatians; we enter into the privileges of the family, into the family dignity as "sons".

Reading with J.T. at Annonay, 4th May, 1926, evening.

PREPARATION IN VIEW OF THE ASSEMBLY (1)

Matthew 17:1 - 8; Matthew 17:22 - 27

-- It seemed to me that this chapter would help us to understand how we are to take our places in the assembly according to the divine mind. I had specially in mind the transfiguration and the reference which is found at the end of the chapter to sonship. This chapter is placed between chapter 16, where the Lord speaks for the first time of the assembly, and chapter 18 where He speaks of the kingdom in relation to the assembly. We most of us know that from chapter 13 instructions in regard of the assembly are in question, and that the end of these instructions is in chapter 18. Chapter 17 would result in giving us a heavenly tone to have our part in the assembly, which is seen in chapter 18. If we have not laid hold intelligently on our heavenly part and our place in the assembly, we shall not be able to act suitably. In chapter 17 the assembly is heavenly, in the sense of administering all that is good. It says that the Lord's "face shone as the sun, and his garments became white as the light". It is the light of heaven, but in the sense of administering all that is good. The Lord said that God makes the sun to shine on the righteous and on the wicked. If we do not lay hold of that principle, we shall be incapable of acting suitably in the assembly in the presence of good and evil.

The sun rises day after day, month after month, year after year, generation after generation, on the righteous and on the wicked; it shines in all its strength in spite of present conditions. The Lord shines upon us to control us, and it was His thought that Peter, James and John might shine brightly in

the same way in the kingdom. Coming down from the mountain, they find themselves in the presence of the power of Satan; but they were superior to the power of evil. Later, in the Acts, the attitude and action of Peter on the day of Pentecost showed that he had profited by that experience. Peter was able to say that they were "eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16) when they were with the Lord on the mountain. Being established by Him to administer good, they were superior to the power of evil. In accord with this wonderful outshining of Christ, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and was available to them at Jerusalem. Peter said, "Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which ye behold and hear", Acts 2:33. All the wealth of heaven was abounding at Jerusalem. We see that, from His point of view, God was acting Himself, in spite of the wickedness that reigned at Jerusalem.

Matthew presents the transfiguration in a dignified way, because he wishes to insist on the character of the heavenly administration. His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. That heavenly light shines anew from the administrators of the wealth of heaven, as we see in the Acts. In this way we learn to overcome the power of evil in order to administer good; otherwise we shall be overcome by the evil. For example, if a brother sin against me, I am going to try to gain him. Peter asks the Lord, at the end of chapter 18, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times?" Matthew 18:21. The Lord answers him, "I say not to thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven" Matthew 18:22. Peter's question and the limit that he would suggest -- "until seven times?" -- show how little he had profited by the lesson of the Lord on the mount of Transfiguration. The thought

was that Peter should serve as a model to all those who were to have part in the assembly negatively and positively. The history of Peter, as Matthew gives it, brings out the mixture that is found in us all as in Peter. On the one hand, he confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; and on the other, he would have turned the Lord aside from the only path which made the introduction of the assembly possible. And it was Peter who said, in the presence of that light: "Let us make here three tabernacles: for thee one, for Moses one, and one for Elias". You see in Peter in chapter 16, the flesh in which Satan can act in us. It is a very serious thing, that a believer might be an instrument of Satan who would even try to divert the Lord from the only path in which He could glorify God in the presence of sin. And in that light that was shining, Peter would put the Lord on the same level as Moses and Elias. Then, he would limit the grace that characterises the kingdom of God. Nevertheless he formed in type the material for the assembly which the Lord was going to build. "Thou art Peter", (Matthew 16:18) the Lord said; so that in Peter we see how the Lord is engaged with each one of us. Finally, Peter denies the Lord with oaths. In measure as we come to know ourselves, we see ourselves in what comes out in Peter, and we abhor what is in us. When this lesson is learned, we are ready to take our place in the assembly.

We see in Peter the two sides which exist in the same person: on the one hand the evidence of the work of God in the soul, and on the other, the capacity we have to be in opposition to what is of God.

-- I am led to think: What a mixture I am myself!

-- What a work is needed that these two characters may be disentangled, in order that the Lord may have the believer as a vessel at His disposal in the assembly! So that, like Paul, each may be led to say, "By

God's grace I am what I am" 1 Corinthians 15:10. Perhaps we have not fully realised that God has taken us in hand that we may have part in such a privilege.

Now, the principle that characterises the assembly is that she comes down; that is what is developed in the Acts. She is heavenly; and in chapter 2 of the Acts a sound was heard coming out of heaven; in chapter 9 a light comes out of heaven; in chapter 10 a sheet comes down from heaven; so that in Revelation 21, the holy city comes down out of the heaven from God. Heavenly grace comes down.

-- She is heavenly in origin, in character, in grace.

-- Here, it says, "As they descended from the mountain".

-- "He that descended is the same who has also ascended up above all the heavens" Ephesians 4:10. He descended first into the lower parts of the earth; and we see that the definite thought of God relative to the assembly is that she descends; the gifts have come from an ascended Christ, but who first descended; for this reason the gifts which are here are all to be characterised by the grace of the One who gave them: apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, all for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Then, what is to characterise the servants is the principle of descending to serve.

It is a question therefore of our taking our place in heavenly dignity and grace. In this way the assembly is, through grace, morally elevated above the religious systems of the world. If in the assembly it is a matter of dealing with evil, it must be dealt with on the principle of the sun which rules in the universe of God. In the house of God, government is necessary for good, which involves the refusal of evil; we do not act with malice, nor with the idea of punishment. We learn to act as God acts in the assembly.

They come to put a question to Peter; the question is in verse 24: "Does your teacher not pay the

didrachmas?" If I belong to the assembly I ought to answer questions. If in spirit I dwell in heaven, and if I come down from heaven and they put such questions to me, I answer, My master is heavenly; it is not for Him to pay taxes. Questions that are put to me I ought to answer with spiritual intelligence. Peter had answered the question: "Who do ye say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15) by saying, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" Matthew 16:16. And the Lord answered him, "Flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens" Matthew 16:17. It was a revelation, and not merely the result of faith in an objective truth. I must learn to be governed by the light given. Peter, having been on the mountain of glory, ought to have answered himself, but he was not yet governed by the light. He had not in his soul the sense of the greatness of Christ, and he put the Lord on the level of others. It was a question of paying the tax for the service of the temple. Why should the Lord pay that tax? The Lord gives us the particular light for the moment, but the general principle of my being is that I have light and that I respond to it.

Then, it is necessary for Peter to be afresh instructed on that point, and the Lord anticipates him: "What does thou think, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive custom or tribute? from their own sons or from strangers? Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then are the sons free". He had only just heard the voice coming from the excellent glory: "This is my beloved Son". Why then did he not introduce this light into his answer? Our answers ought to be governed by the light that we have received. May we always know how to give an answer related to the light that governs us? We can never admit that the Lord is on the same level as others. Already on the mountain, Peter would have been ready to put the Lord on the

level of Moses and Elias; but now he would put Him on the level of those who pay taxes. "Then are the sons free". It is blessed to see that the Lord does not say to him, 'the Son', but "the sons". He would use Peter's ignorance for his blessing, as He would for ours -- we who are sons. In order to establish fully the truth of the glory of His Person, He says, "But that we may not be an offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when thou hast opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and thee". By this act He shows His almighty power. The truth as to His Person is presented, His power as Creator, having authority over the sea.

-- That agrees with Psalm 8 where He has authority over "the fishes of the sea, whatever passeth through the paths of the seas" Psalm 8:8.

-- It is a question of our being thus impressed by the greatness and glory of the Son; our souls being bathed in the sunlight that shines in that Person. The Son is seen on the mountain, and the salutation from on high comes out of the bright cloud. Then, coming down, He commands the fishes of the sea. Men can count the mountains, but no one can explore the depths of the seas and count the fishes. Only the Son is capable of that. "Yonder is the great and wide sea: therein are moving things innumerable, living creatures small and great" Psalm 104:25. He says, "a hook" and "the first fish"; that is sufficient. If it had been a net, one might have taken a hundred fishes. But the infallibility with which the Lord secured this one fish ought to impress us as to the greatness of His Person. The Lord's intention was to make a living impression upon Peter. He was acquainted with fishing (it was his calling), and the Lord had established him a "fisher of men", so that as a fisherman he was struck by the Lord's knowledge regarding this one fish.

-- Elsewhere He could say to Nathanael, again showing His greatness: "When thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee" John 1:48.

-- The piece of money was in the mouth of the fish. It was the piece that was needed. But the sons are free. The epistle to the Romans corresponds to that; the truth of that epistle sets us in liberty to take our place as sons.

-- This piece of money governs all that concerns our journey?

-- In the epistle to the Romans we have light to pass through the world in a manner suitable to God. It speaks of the Spirit of adoption; but sonship is developed in the epistle to the Ephesians.

-- And in Galatians?

-- It is indeed a little on the same level, but it was necessary to recover the Galatians who had strayed from that position. The relationship is one thing, but the position is another. In Romans, as in Galatians, it is a question of sons; but in Ephesians we learn that the dwelling-place of the sons is heaven. We have been predestinated to sonship; and in the epistle to the Ephesians, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ", (Ephesians 1:3) and it is in the power of that truth that we come down from heaven to take our place down here in the assembly.

-- It says of the brother: "If thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone" Matthew 18:15.

-- You come down from heaven, and you see your brother at his true value.

Reading with J.T. at Livron, 5th May, 1926, afternoon.

WISDOM IN THE PRESENCE OF APOSTASY AND THE ANTICHRISTIAN REBELLION

James 3:17; 2 Samuel 14:1 - 5,14,21 - 27; 2 Samuel 20:16 - 22

On this occasion I should like to speak of wisdom and bring out how wisdom appears in the presence of apostasy and the antichristian rebellion. The epistle of James specially distinguishes between the wisdom which comes down from above and earthly wisdom. We shall see both exemplified in the second book of Samuel; but for the moment we are going to be occupied with the wisdom which comes down from above. It is this wisdom that normally characterises Christians, who are indeed children of wisdom, as the Lord Jesus Himself said, "Wisdom has been justified of all her children" Luke 7:35. And in which epoch of the history of the people of God has there been a greater need of wisdom than at present? We have come to the days of antichrist. John says, "According as ye have heard that antichrist comes, even now there have come many antichrists, whence we know that it is the last hour" 1 John 2:18. An "hour" indicates a crisis; the last hour is an hour of trial; wherefore it is necessary to have wisdom from above. And James says, "If any one of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and reproaches not, and it shall be given to him" James 1:5. Now you can see how the matter stands in Scripture. There is a very special emphasis on wisdom. In Daniel it says, "The wicked shall do wickedly", (Daniel 12:10) and that is all we can expect from them; whatever modification there might be in this world, the wicked will do wickedly; then it says, "None of the wicked shall understand" (Daniel 12:10); they are outside divine understanding, and have not wisdom. "But the wise shall understand" Daniel 12:10. "And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the

expanse; and they that turn the many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever" Daniel 12:3. And when, in Revelation, it is a question of facing the antichristian problem, it says, "Here is wisdom. He that has understanding let him count the number of the beast" Revelation 13:18. You see that the Spirit of God mentions wisdom in view of the spirit of antichrist. It would be good, if we do not possess this wisdom, to ask God to give it to us: He gives liberally to all, for He desires that His own may be known as children of wisdom. I would commend to the young the book of Proverbs. It is entitled "Proverbs of Solomon, son of David" Proverbs 1:1. He is the son of the father's love. It is a book that belongs to the kingdom of the Son of the Father's love. We, Christians, have been delivered from the authority of darkness and have been brought into the kingdom of the Son of the Father's love. The book of Proverbs is for all those who are found in that kingdom that they may be saved from the man that speaketh froward things and from the evil woman, "from the flattery of the tongue of the strange woman" Proverbs 6:24.

I come to the second book of Samuel where antichrist is typified by Absalom. He is a murderer; he is a rebel. He was justly banished; he deserved death. But we find what corresponds to the modern wisdom of this world which is used in current preaching. The woman of Tekoah is one of those who can be used in view of others. She was employed by Joab who was himself a murderer, and while professing to serve David, he had no love for him. He was an ambitious man, only seeking to carry out his own schemes, and he made use of this woman to attain his end. No child of wisdom would lend himself to this stratagem, but he holds himself at the service of Christ. This woman's wisdom was impure, while the wisdom of the Christian, "the wisdom from above first is pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of

mercy and good fruits, unquestioning, unfeigned". The woman was not characterised by that wisdom; she pretended to be a widow and to have two sons, one of whom had killed the other. She is like thousands who, nowadays, are employed to achieve the aim of others; and with all that, this woman preached the gospel, but whence had she received it? She had received it from Joab. I may study Scripture as a science, as theology. I may get at it through the theological schools. The words may be put into my mouth by another, and I may repeat them like a parrot; but the true preacher receives his words from Christ. This woman had the words from Joab; and they were, however, the words of truth. I refer to her own words: "For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again". We can give thanks for such words, for God can use them; we can thank Him for the bibles that are in the churches. God makes use of His word, even when it is in the mouth of Balaam or his ass. But God desires to use children of wisdom. He desires the preacher to be in correspondence with his preaching. God revealed Christ in Paul, that he might announce Him as glad tidings among the nations.

I would like to show you how the gospel preached by this woman brings back the banished one. The end of the gospel was not to bring back Absalom as he was formerly, an assassin, typifying someone who hates the Lord Jesus. The king allows Absalom to return. This is what we have in our days; man according to flesh has a place among Christians, and so all kinds of falsehoods and blasphemies are taught at the present time. What did Absalom do two years after his return? He set the field of barley on fire. Barley represents God's firstfruits, and Christ is God's Firstfruits. All wisdom's children love Christ, and give Him the pre-eminence, while Absalom

set the field of barley on fire. On all hands the truth as to the Person of Christ is attacked and given up.

I wish to show you how in chapter 20 a true child of wisdom preserves God's inheritance. We need to study these chapters in the second book of Samuel having regard to what is happening around us. The wisdom of this world is opposed to that which comes from God. You will see the wisdom of Hushai opposed to the wisdom of Ahithophel. If you study these chapters you will see how the return of the true king depended on the wisdom which comes from above. It was by the wisdom of Hushai that the counsel of Ahithophel was brought to nought; and that led to the return of David.

We are on the eve of the Lord's return, and we are on the eve of the coming of antichrist. The children of wisdom have knowledge of these things and they see that the assembly is the vessel in which the all-various wisdom of God is displayed even now. But how can this wisdom be seen by the angels, if it is not manifested in the localities where the saints are? This wisdom is, so to speak, woven into 1 Corinthians. Paul says to the Corinthians, "Thus there is not a wise person among you!" 1 Corinthians 6:5. What a challenge for the Corinthians! He could not speak to them as to grown men; he could not speak to them of the hidden wisdom. They were only carnal babes. Is there not a wise man among you? How shall we find our way through the labyrinth of this world? A wise man in a locality may become the salvation of the whole locality. You see that the carnal state of babes is able to hinder us from obtaining the hidden wisdom which none of the wise of this world knows, the wisdom that God prepared before the world for our glory. You see, dear brethren, how important it is that we should be enlarged as to wisdom, to have part in the hidden wisdom which God prepared before the world for our glory, a wisdom which God

evidently did not use in the creation of the universe. It is a wisdom which is developed in the affections of the saints. The angels and heavenly principalities see the all-various wisdom of God in the assembly. In the second book of Samuel, this wisdom defeats human wisdom. The result is seen in that David shortly after returns into his house. Wisdom prepares the place for the Lord among the saints; it is found with Solomon who built the temple and it is essential to have it in order that Christ may have a place now among us. How serious this challenge is, addressed to each company -- "There is not a wise man among you!" 1 Corinthians 6:5.

I wish to show you now how wisdom protects the inheritance. A glorious inheritance is given to us to share in, and one man can spoil many things. Another rebel rose up against David. How great was the need of a wise person! The principal man was a murderer. It often happens that such a man acquires a place among us -- an ambitious, unsubdued man, someone who desires the first place. He pretended to act for David. He would have the rebel and he would destroy the inheritance of Jehovah.

"And a wise woman cried out of the city, Hear, hear: say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. And he came near to her; and the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he said, I am he. And she said to him, Listen to the words of thy handmaid. And he said, I am listening. And she spoke saying, They were wont to speak in old time saying, Just inquire in Abel; and so they ended. I am peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?"

This discourse contains two things: the mother in Israel and the inheritance of Jehovah. Joab thought of neither the one nor the other; he was occupied

with himself. It was right that Sheba the rebel should be destroyed, but then what would become of the mother in Israel and the inheritance? How many mothers in Israel are there among us? Yesterday evening we were speaking of fathers. The Lord said to His disciples, "Call not any one your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in the heavens" Matthew 23:9. It is one thing to have the name of father and another to be truly a father. We do not ourselves give to anyone the name of father, but we reverence those who are fathers, who know Him who is from the beginning, and those who exercise fatherhood. They have great value. We ought to cherish them. And as to "mothers"? Each sister may become a mother in Israel. This woman was wise; she was thus "a mother in Israel". As we need the influence of a father, we also need a mother in Israel. She is wise and she has victories. Deborah is a typical mother, the wife of Lapidoth, whose name means 'light'; she was related to one who had light, but that is not sufficient. She had personal exercises and she was a mother in Israel. She dwelt "under the palm-tree of Deborah" (Judges 4:5); it was not that of her husband, but it was a question of her personal triumphs; she had her own exercises before God. She is none the less a woman for that, but she has her own relations with God and she has maternal instincts; she judges Israel. There was one wise person among the people who came to her to have her judgment. Those who need wisdom will come to her to obtain it. This wise woman was truly a mother in Israel, and facing the situation she said, "They were wont to speak in old time saying, Just inquire in Abel; and so they ended".

The true mother does not go in for novelties; she does not say, Times and principles have changed. She goes back to the old times. In other words, she goes back to apostolic days. Like a father, she knows

Him who is from the beginning. She recognises the present voice of the Spirit; she holds to first principles, like the first Christians who "persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers" Acts 2:42.

It is a very beautiful thing when, we can finish a discussion among us according to divine principles. This woman accuses Joab of having been willing to destroy a mother in Israel and the inheritance of Jehovah. She was right, and Joab says, I only want Sheba the rebel. Then it says the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. A mother in Israel seeks to exercise the conscience of all the children of God. She does not want things to be adjusted only by a group of Christians, as sometimes happens. Each one has a conscience. The apostle speaks to intelligent persons, and his epistle was addressed to the assembly of God, which includes all. In everything that occurs, the conscience of each one must be considered. Her wisdom led her to all the people. And the result was that they brought the head of Sheba and threw it to Joab. It was the people of the city who did it. Things ought to be done by the assembly, which alone has administrative authority. Even in apostolic days, after a great discussion among the apostles and elders (Acts 15), they were all assembled and the decree was promulgated by the apostles and the assembly. The decree expressed the mind of heaven. That is exactly what God wishes. And the all-various wisdom of God is seen by all the heavenly intelligences.

I believe that this is enough to show how wisdom bears on our position. It is wonderful that the all various wisdom of God should be seen in us. This thought ought to encourage us to ask for wisdom which is available to all. "If any one of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and reproaches not, and it shall be given to him" James 1:5.

On the one hand, we discern antichristian principles; but we have wisdom to know how to go forward. On the other hand, the all-various wisdom of God is seen collectively; there is a testimony rendered to God in each locality.

Address by J.T. at Livron, 5th May, 1926, evening.

PREPARATION IN VIEW OF THE ASSEMBLY (2)

Matthew 18:1 - 22

-- Yesterday, we were engaged, in chapter 17 of this gospel, with the face of the Lord which shone as the sun. Those of us who have part in the kingdom and the assembly ought to take on this character which is expressed in connection with the Lord. There should be rule, but it ought to be a rule of benignity, as the sun shines in a beneficent way over the whole earth, without regard to what may be found on the earth. Thus, as being in the kingdom, we ought to reflect what is found in heaven, and for that, the truth of sonship is essential. The end of chapter 17 shows us that we are sons. We are brought into company with Christ, His companions. Being thus in the family, we are personally dignified; we are qualified to have part in the kingdom, according to the thoughts of God. It says that the sons of David were chief rulers. There is a family dignity secured, and this dignity enables us to take a humble place in order to help the interests of God on the earth. It is said, with regard to the greatest servants, the apostles, that "God has set us the apostles for the last, as appointed to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye prudent in Christ: we weak, but ye strong: ye glorious, but we in dishonour. To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are in nakedness, and buffeted, and wander without a home, and labour, working with our own hands. Railed at, we bless; persecuted, we suffer it; insulted, we entreat: we are become as the offscouring of the world, the refuse of all, until now" 1 Corinthians 4:9 - 13. It is God who had set them for the

last; in their outward circumstances they occupied the lowest place among men. But nevertheless, they were great inwardly, and they were conscious of it. It was by reason of this consciousness that they could take the lowest place, an obscure place, a despised place. Thus, Matthew 17 has in view to qualify the saints for chapter 18; there is grace to go down. This is not condescension, but humbling. The Lord is the One who descended into the lower parts of the earth.

-- The Lord would have us learn to follow Him.

-- We remarked yesterday that it is first said that the Lord descends, and then that He ascends, in Ephesians 4, before the gifts are spoken of. If any one has a gift, that gift can only harm him, unless he knows how to go down. So the question at the beginning of chapter 18 of Matthew was far beneath the teaching of chapter 17. "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?" Evidently the disciples had failed to learn the great lesson of chapter 17; and I fear that many have undertaken the Lord's service only with a view to distinguishing themselves. Those who go in for politics, for commerce, for military service, do it to distinguish themselves personally, but the Lord said, "Ye shall not be thus". Christianity is opposed to all that is in this world. If I have the ambition to make myself eminent in the Lord's service, I expose myself to Satan. It was he who led the Lord to the edge of the temple. Satan puts before you the hope of attaining the pinnacle of religious renown.

-- By the "edge of the temple" (Matthew 4:5) you understand the culminating point of religious renown?

-- The Lord calls to Him "a little child". There was one whom He could call; there was one who was available to the Lord. It does not say 'having taken', but "having called". The principle in Scripture is that the truth is illustrated for us. We

can desire nothing better than to be an example ourselves, as the Lord said, "Altogether that which I also say to you", John 8:25. Then if the Lord has someone who has the spirit of a little child, he can illustrate this principle. It says that "Jesus having called a little child to him, set it in their midst, and said, Verily I say to you, Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens". We have not only the teaching, but we have the thing itself.

-- And it is illustrated by "a little child".

-- So, in this passage, the Lord brings out the value of such a little child. If we do not know the value of the saints, we shall not serve them rightly.

-- The value of the saints, in the Lord's eyes, is that they are animated by the spirit of the little child.

-- We all know how much we appreciate the value of such a spirit, the spirit of a little child. There are two aspects, two features of ministry, which are illustrated in the example of Paul in chapter 20 of the Acts; the first is a discourse, and the second is a conversation (Acts 20:7,11). Our present reading should take on the character of a conversation. In a conversation, several talk together. This passage in chapter 20 of the Acts is prophetic. The great revival of the truth in the last century has been characterised by discourses and conversations. Thus a meeting such as we have this afternoon brings out the character of the temple which includes all the saints. The apostle said to the Corinthians, "Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. Thus the truth comes out when we converse together as brethren dwelling in unity. In our chapter, the Lord speaks, but Peter puts a question which brings out much light: "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?"

-- The preparation of the bride depends much on her conversation, does it not?

-- It says that she has made herself ready.

-- These conversations result in confidence among the brethren; and so we have increased capacity to receive spiritual things. The clerical system is opposed to that and does not prepare for heaven. Conversations among the brethren prepare us for heaven. Communications among the brethren will help us into the enjoyment of divine things.

-- And they will not cease: we shall enjoy this liberty eternally.

-- So the Songs of Degrees culminate in Psalm 133 where it is said that it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity. The great revival in the time of Nehemiah was characterised by the feast of tabernacles; these tabernacles typified conversations between brethren; they were everywhere: on the roofs, in the courts, in the courts of the house of God, in the open spaces. It was a joyous scene of conversations among brethren; and the exercises of the Songs of Degrees found their culminating point in that the brethren were united together at Jerusalem. I have no doubt that the feast of tabernacles is the counterpart of heaven. As the result of the coming of the Holy Spirit from heaven, heavenly thoughts have been introduced down here. It is very remarkable that the Lord appeared in the midst, of five hundred brethren together. It was a large meeting; and I believe that by this appearing the Lord wished to honour the brethren. How He appreciated the relationship of brethren!

-- The subject before us is the kingdom and the value of "a little child". The world takes little account of them, but they have such a value that "their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens". Consequently

a great responsibility rests on "whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me". Offences will come, but "Woe to the world because of offences!" The world has found an inlet among the saints and has turned them aside. The Lord draws near to each one of us, calling our attention to the hand, what I do, my work: "If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee". If I am engaged in whatever it may be that is contrary to the Lord, I must cut off my hand; for example, commerce has ruined many persons. Then there is the eye -- what one sees, what one desires. The eye can see much at once. The apostle John says to the young men, "Love not the world, nor the things in the world" 1 John 2:15. The eye can travel far and desire many things, and they are hurtful to our souls. In the kingdom, we learn to show ourselves very severe towards our natural tendencies.

-- And with regard to "thy foot"?

-- The feet would indicate my movements, where go.

-- It is my walk?

-- We ought to walk in the paths of righteousness.

-- Compare Proverbs 4:20 - 27. In verse 26 it says, "Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be well-ordered".

-- That is a very good quotation. As we said yesterday evening, the book of Proverbs is for those who are in the kingdom of the Son of the Father's love. It culminates in the woman of worth at the end of the book. It leads us to our part in the assembly. We are trustworthy: "The heart of her husband confideth in her" Proverbs 31:11.

-- The Lord said to His disciples, "Have salt in yourselves" Mark 9:50. Then there will be genuine peace. One has to be severe with oneself.

-- Like the sharp knives of Joshua.

-- For circumcision.

-- In the light of all that has been said, if my brother sins, what am I going to do? He is one of the little ones, but he is my brother. He has sinned against me. It is evident the disciples did not put many questions, and the Lord raises one: "If thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone".

-- We do not sufficiently appreciate the spirit of the little child, and what the brethren are, the affections that are proper to the brethren.

-- We are not possessed by the affections proper to brethren.

-- Otherwise we should go to gain our brother.

-- The Lord does not say, 'If a brother', but "If thy brother". 'A brother' is general; but "thy brother" is more particular.

-- One of the first questions God put to man was: "Where is thy brother?"

-- The want of the brotherly spirit is condemned more than anything else in Scripture. Frequently we find that God expresses His abhorrence of Esau, and the last book of the Old Testament says, "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau" Malachi 1:2 - 3. We see how much God abhors the absence of the brotherly spirit among His own. I have realised of late in a special way how little we are in brotherly affections. If we are conscious of affections which are proper to brethren, we shall not be able to do without them, and although it may be my brother who has sinned, I must gain him. So the Lord says, "Go, reprove him, between thee and him alone". Much courage is needed to go to find a brother alone.

-- But love gives courage. It is because brotherly love is lacking that one does not go to find his brother.

-- Then, Peter takes up the thought again, asking, "How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times?" Seven times was not enough.

-- Peter thought "seven times" was a great many, but the Lord goes to "seventy times seven".

-- That means that there are no limits. It is not necessary to count the number of times we forgive. Then we are, so to speak, pervaded with the heavenly atmosphere.

-- The Lord says elsewhere that if thy brother sin seven times in the day, he must be forgiven. "If he should repent, forgive him" Luke 17:3.

-- But in this chapter it is not a question of repentance.

-- There is no limit.

-- The principle is that there is forgiveness with you.

-- What the Lord says arises out of this question. He speaks of a man who was forgiven, and this bondman found another who owed him a hundred denarii and said to him, "Pay". The divine thought is that the believer ought to reflect what is before God.

-- These two men were both in the kingdom. They were not outside.

-- What the Lord brings out here is that the principle of forgiveness ought always to be found with the Christian. But then, in order that this principle may be effective, there must be repentance in the one who has sinned. I believe that love comes in there to help us to act wisely, so that repentance is produced. Therefore the first thing is to go and see our brother alone. If you do not gain him when you go to him alone, you must take with you two or three persons, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three. We are in the kingdom of the heavens, and all is to stand on the principle of testimony. It says, "If he will not listen to them, tell it to the assembly". The assembly is therefore introduced here to help me to save my brother. The great thing is to lead my brother to listen to me.

-- I was comparing with this what is said to the Ephesians, in connection with brethren in the assembly (Ephesians 4). What is presented in Matthew in connection with the kingdom, is found in Ephesians in connection with the assembly.

-- The assembly is introduced down here as external means. It is a question of going to find my brother and of gaining him. That is not natural; in the human order the offended one does not go to find the offender; he waits for the offender to come and apologise, but a brotherly heart goes to find his brother.

-- We see indeed the contrast between man's world and God's world. I have a brother to help. I can take two brothers with me; and I can appeal to the assembly. Then, if that brother is hardened and will not listen to the assembly, "let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax-gatherer".

-- For me?

-- It is a question of the resources that I possess in the kingdom, towards a brother who has sinned. Then the Lord shows that the assembly has divine prerogatives. "Verily I say to you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in heaven". Things are therefore adjusted; as we were speaking of it yesterday, the end is reached. Matters of discipline must not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The wise woman in 2 Samuel 20 said, "They were wont to speak in old time saying, Just inquire in Abel; and so they ended" 2 Samuel 20:18. We have here first principles, and when they are observed by the assembly the decision ought to be final. The Lord says, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in heaven". The thing is adjusted until the moment when everything can be loosed. Therefore the saints should walk according

to these principles. We have the adjustment of the thing in the decision of the assembly. Then what follows immediately is that everything is loosed when the time is ripe. The Corinthians did not move quickly, when it was a question of loosing; and the apostle said, You ought rather to forgive him. Thus, assembly prerogatives are transferred to a day of small things. The Lord continues, "Again I say to you". He brings in supplementary instructions applicable to our days: two agree and obtain help from their Father in the heavens; in the second place, two or three are gathered together unto the Lord's name. In these supplementary instructions we have resources which enable us to reach the end. The Lord never fails. The most complicated difficulties find their solution in the supplementary instructions which the Lord gives. Prayer brings down the help of the Father who is in the heavens, and the fact that two or three are gathered together to the Lord's name secures to us His presence, and His presence assures finality. Things are adjusted, as the wise woman said, "And so they ended" 2 Samuel 20:18. We can judge these things and reach the end of them. It would be sad to have a long list of things to adjust. The woman went in her wisdom to all the people. The woman threw the head of Sheba to Joab. "And so they ended" 2 Samuel 20:18.

Reading with J.T. at Loriol, 6th May, 1926, afternoon.

THE MODEL -- IN INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE CHARACTER

Luke 7:44 - 48; 1 Thessalonians 1:2 - 8

I have in mind to say a few words on the subject of a model. I need not say that Christ is the Model. I believe that, from the outset, God has worked in relation to a model. In the creation of Adam, God had a model before Him; and Adam typified Him who was to come. The principle comes to light particularly in relation to moral and spiritual things. It does not speak of a Model when it is a matter of the physical creation. Nevertheless, it is written that the worlds were framed by the word of God. His word was the expression of what was in His mind; there was the divine plan of this world. No natural man can even understand that. By faith we apprehend that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Men who have not faith may give themselves up to speculations, but they do it to their own cost and they never arrive at a right thought of the physical universe. Only by faith can we apprehend that it was framed by the word of God. Those who know God are interested in what comes from His word. We recognise the things that are made as representing a spiritual order of things; the invisible things of Him are seen in the things created, His eternal power and His divinity. These things are laid hold of by the mind of the believer, but on the principle of faith.

When we come to things which concern the moral universe, God is careful to show that on this point He has always had a model before Him. For example, Moses was taken by God on to the mountain, and during forty days God made His model pass before Moses. During forty days he neither ate nor drank, so that he was ready to receive and understand

spiritual thoughts. And so, the whole tabernacle and all that was connected with it was according to the model that God had shown him. As says the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews, "See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern which has been shown to thee in the mountain" Hebrews 8:5. We see then that God, in framing the moral world, had a model before Him. All that of which I have spoken in Exodus is only a type of what we find in the gospels. The Lord said, "Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me" Matthew 11:28. The Lord presents Himself as the Model. This passage gives the great features of this Model; as being rejected by His own He turns to His Father. He rejoiced in spirit and said, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes" Matthew 11:25. He is superior to all opposition down here. He is in the presence of His Father; He is in relation with His God and Father. He is the Model for all those who are going to fill the heavens and the earth. All is to be developed from Him and according to Him. The disciples were there as babes. These were to be brought up according to Him. We can see how this blessed system is modelled after Christ. There is nothing that belongs to man. All the inventions of this world find no place there; this system had been designed before the foundation of the world according to "the hidden wisdom" 1 Corinthians 2:7. When the physical system was formed, Jesus was there as Wisdom, and how much more when the system was formed which is to subsist eternally. "As therefore ye have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in him" (Colossians 2:6); all that is contrary to Him must be rigorously refused by His own. We can see, in the system which surrounds us, how far men have got away from this model, while,

when it is a question of recovering us, God always recovers us to this model; and I wish to show you how this principle is developed individually and collectively. I have chosen these scriptures, the first to represent the individual model, and the second to represent the collective model.

This woman in chapter 7 of Luke is one of the most intelligent believers in Scripture; she is a woman who loves Christ, and He can thus present her as a model. It is very interesting to speak of a person who loves Christ. I could draw your attention to Mary of Bethany who learns from Christ. In Mary of Bethany we have a model, if we wish to learn from Christ; and I need not say to all who are present, that one learns better at school than when one is alone. We learn, not only from the Master, but also from the pupils; you have to learn how to learn. I consider Mary of Bethany; it says she sat down at the feet of Jesus and was listening to His word; it was not a question with her of any subject whatever, but of what He was saying: He was saying wonderful things. All the intelligence of heaven was found in that blessed Man, and Mary of Bethany seized the occasion she had. She desired to understand all that the Lord would say to her. She was like Timothy who, later on, wished to receive all that was presented to him. "But thou hast followed up my teaching ..." 2 Timothy 3:10, note. We need the truth in its entirety. Some have given themselves to certain features of the truth, but we need the whole. Christ is the truth objectively, and the Spirit is the truth in us. That is to say that there should be the truth correspondingly in the saints; the truth in its entirety was maintained in the Christians at the beginning. Mary is a model scholar. The name of the woman in Luke 7 is not given. It was sufficient to say that she loved Christ, and I have no doubt her name was well known. But the Holy Spirit has hidden her name. He presents

her name in her character, to Simon. She is a model. The Lord knew the qualities of the model that He presented, and He says, "Seest thou this woman?" It is a great thing if only there is one soul to whom the Lord can draw attention in a locality. This woman did not say that she loved the Lord, but she showed it by her acts; if one proves something by one's acts, that is greater. The Corinthians could speak of love, but Paul says, "Yet show I unto you a way of more surpassing excellence", 1 Corinthians 12:31. He could say much more than the Corinthians, but it was necessary to show it, and he could show it, for I suppose he is in the front rank among those who love the Lord; I have no doubt that he loved Him more than John. He was the greatest of sinners, but according to Luke 7, the one who has sinned much loves much. Paul was in the front rank among the lovers of Christ. He had such a consciousness of the love of Christ that he says, "If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema". He could show things like this woman. The Lord says to Simon, "Seest thou this woman?" The cold, cynical critic of Jesus was present; but there was also this woman who loved Him. What a striking contrast, beloved, between the two!

However, the Lord says, Simon, thou seest here My ideal of a person who loves Me; this ideal is in thy house; l am in thy house.

Thou gavest Me not water on My feet, but she has washed My feet with tears, and wiped them with her hair.

Thou gavest Me not a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing My feet. It is not one or two kisses, but continual kisses; such is love!

Thou didst not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with ointment. I understand it is a matter here of an ointment composed of myrrh. How suitable that was!

His feet were walking in a hostile world, in suffering; His feet suffered, His feet that brought divine grace. This woman knew that all that involved suffering.

How little we think of suffering! When Christ was raised from among the dead, it says that He presented Himself to His disciples after He had suffered. How little we think that divine things have reached us by way of the sufferings of Calvary! In Exodus 17, the rock, a type of Christ, was smitten. God said to Moses, "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock on Horeb; and thou shalt strike the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink" Exodus 17:6. God was witness of the sufferings of the Lord, when He was smitten, and the water has flowed. The Spirit of God is the result of the sufferings of Jesus. He desires to remind you of these things. He is the Spirit of a Christ who has suffered; and one of the principal parts of the anointing oil was myrrh. The descent of the Holy Spirit is the result of the sufferings of Jesus. This woman discerned that He must suffer. She anointed His feet with myrrh. So, beloved, we have the model and the question should be raised in our hearts Do I love the Lord? It is not a question of speaking of it, but of manifesting it. The tears express love. You remember, when Joseph kissed his brethren, how his love expressed itself in tears. That is real love, and this woman washed the Lord's feet with her tears. She had emotions. I believe in persons who love Christ possessing emotion of which love is the source. Paul said to Timothy, "Remembering thy tears" 2 Timothy 1:4. The Lord takes account of the tears of His own.

There is that which is to one's glory naturally. This woman put her hair at the Lord's feet; she wiped them with her hair. She did not have her hair short. Hair is given to woman for her glory. It is not merely acquired naturally, but is given to

her to cover her. It is therefore her glory, and she used it for the feet of Jesus. That speaks more than mere words. Then there was the ointment, the myrrh. Love is always ready to furnish what is suitable. Love never fails. This woman had what was suitable, just as Mary of Bethany who offered "a pound of ointment of pure nard of great price" John 12:3. It is what she had kept for the day of His burial; it was the fruit of love.

I have spoken of the individual model. There are few subjects more impressive than this; for this woman represents the model chosen by the Lord, as being a person who loves Him.

I come to the collective aspect. I need not say that the collective model must be composed of the persons of whom I have spoken. The Christians of Thessalonica were chosen as a beloved company. The apostle says, "Knowing, brethren beloved by God". The apostle gives the reasons for which they were "beloved by God"; that is why they were models.

The woman of whom I have spoken was a model in the house of Simon. The Christians of Thessalonica were a model in all the region. It says, "Ye became models to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia". Then he adds, "For the word of the Lord sounded out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith which is towards God has gone abroad". They were models in their province, and in every place their faith was spoken of.

I wish to show you how this model was formed. God always works in view of what is collective. If He draws attention to an individual, it is to lead him to what is collective. In the seventh chapter of Luke we have the individual side. In the eighth chapter we have the Lord, the apostles, and certain women with Him, women who ministered to Him of their substance. We see clearly the link with chapter 7. How do we obtain substance? We read in Proverbs

that those who love wisdom obtain substance and wisdom fills their treasure. It is therefore clear that these women in chapter 8 include the woman in chapter 7. She is a woman who represents those who love Christ and who have substance. How does she use her substance? To glorify herself? No, beloved, but to serve the Lord. Like the Shunammite, she was a woman who was morally great, but she made use of her substance to receive the prophet. All that with which I have been enriched by the Lord is to be used in His service. The individual is to shine in the company: the Thessalonians shone in a collective way. Individually, they learnt from Paul, who said, "Ye became our imitators, and of the Lord". In other words, the Christians of Thessalonica knew how to take account of a model. They followed Paul as a model. What a model, beloved! A man who loved Christ! He evidenced it to them, for he loved them. He said, "As a nurse would cherish her own children, thus, yearning over you, we had found our delight in having imparted to you not only the glad tidings of God, but our own lives also, because ye had become beloved of us" 1 Thessalonians 2:7. What a model Paul was for these young believers! But they advanced; he says, "Ye became our imitators and of the Lord". It is good to take account of the one through whom the light has come to us. They took account of Paul and followed him; and advancing, they followed the Lord Jesus. It is the Lord Jesus who is the Model for us in the first place, like the pattern that was shown to Moses on the mountain. Then the Thessalonians knew how to take account of a collective model. He says, "Ye, brethren, have become imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 2:14. They had learnt that the assembly ought not to take on a purely local character; the assembly of God ought to be freed from what is local and national. All should be modelled after Christ. It is

a universal thought, a thought that has come down from heaven, and heavenly principles should characterise the assembly. These Thessalonians had not adopted Greek customs, but they went a long way, as far as Judaea, where the assemblies of God were established at the beginning, and we ought to be free from every national feeling as to the assembly; we ought to take account of all that is of God "in every place". They are "the assemblies of God in Judea". Paul says, "Thus I ordain in all the assemblies", 1 Corinthians 7:17. "But if any one think to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the assemblies of God", 1 Corinthians 11:16. We all belong to the same assembly of God and the same blessed principles should characterise the saints in every place. Thus, these dear Thessalonians were models for the whole region around them. It says, "For the word of the Lord sounded out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith which is towards God has gone abroad". It also says: "Ye became models to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia". The secret of becoming models is to learn from a model, and it is essential to have the light which governs the assembly. It emanates from Christ and from heaven, and the divine thought is that all the assemblies should bear the same character in every place. This same character could be seen in Macedonia and in Achaia, as in Judaea.

You see the divine thought was unfolded at the beginning. These believers were, so to speak, young; according to the book of the Acts, Paul had only been among them three weeks, and in writing to them he honours them in a unique way. This is the only assembly to which the apostle says that it is "in God the Father" 1 Thessalonians 1:1. And this expression proves that they were acceptable to God the Father, for they had observed the idea of the divine model and were formed according to the model. God saw in these young

believers the blessed character of Christ. They had received the word "in much tribulation" but "with joy of the Holy Spirit". In that assembly, there was a formation that was relative, but exact, and it was a model for the whole region and "in every place".

Address by J.T. at Loriol, 6th May, 1926, evening.

THE SPIRIT IN THE BELIEVER

Romans 8:1 - 17; Exodus 17:3 - 7; Numbers 21:17,18

-- The scripture which we have read in the epistle to the Romans speaks of the Spirit of God. The passages from the Old Testament are illustrations and types of the passage we have read in Romans 8. My exercise is to see how the believer begins to make progress and go forward by the Spirit. When the light of God penetrates into our souls, we are brought to see what the world is and then what the flesh in ourselves is. This light tends to set us in movement, but we shall hardly make any progress before being assured that we have the Spirit of God, and it is only as consciously possessing the Spirit of God that permanent movement is produced. Unless the Spirit is recognised in the believer, and not grieved, we shall not make any progress whether individually or collectively. We shall stand still in a certain measure of light, but there will be no progress, nor growth.

In the fourth chapter of the gospel of John, the Spirit is introduced under the figure of living water, meaning refreshment and energy: it is the Spirit Himself in view of deliverance; in chapter 7, it is the Spirit in view of testimony.

-- The Lord speaks of the Spirit which believers were going to receive; the Holy Spirit was not yet come because Jesus was not yet glorified.

-- In Exodus 17, the people murmur. "There was no water for the people to drink. And the people contended with Moses" Exodus 17:1,2. Until the time when the young believer receives and recognises the Spirit, the tendency is always to murmur against God and against Christ. He can walk and live for some time by means of the light that he possesses; but until

the moment when the Spirit is received and recognised, he is a persecutor. Moses had to say, "Yet a little, and they will stone me!"

-- The difficulty was not in Moses, but in themselves.

-- Here, God does not reproach them, but on the contrary He tells Moses to go to Horeb: "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock on Horeb; and thou shalt strike the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink". That is to say that it was necessary that Christ should suffer on account of the state of our souls, in order that we might receive the Holy Spirit. Many believers have not yet seen that the Spirit is the direct answer to the sufferings of Christ, and that which necessitated the sufferings of Christ must be judged in me. The people would have stoned Moses, but God forsook the Lord Jesus on the cross. The sufferings of Christ upon the cross were from the hand of God Himself. What men might have been able to inflict upon Him would never have made propitiation. Christ suffered from men, but propitiation comes from what He suffered from God, from His own hand; from that point of view the death of Christ was to the intent that man should receive the Spirit from God. Having received the Spirit, the saints should be completely delivered from all murmuring. We appreciate the Holy Spirit as the result of the sufferings of Christ. Then the believer enters immediately into conflict. Formerly he had been the opposer; but now it is Satan who attacks him. At Rephidim, Amalek comes to fight against Israel. Amalek is Satan, who works by means of the flesh; from the moment I receive the Spirit, Satan attacks me. Amalek is not the flesh, but he is Satan who works by means of the flesh. After the reception of the Spirit the conflict begins, and the conflict continues. It says, "Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation!" Exodus 17:16. The conflict continues in the soul of the believer. The

flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit is against the flesh.

-- It is important to see that Amalek is Satan, and not the flesh; it is Satan, who attacks by means of the flesh.

-- Then there is provision in our favour, in the intercession of Moses. "Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill" Exodus 17:10. Aaron the priest brings in the thought of holiness, and Hur, the thought of purity.

-- Moses represents Christ.

-- These three thoughts, seen in Moses, Aaron and Hur, are combined in the soul of the believer, who is conscious of the intercession of Christ and of the elements of holiness and purity. He begins to make progress according to God. You prove your nothingness, but you understand that Christ intercedes for you on high, and you have a sense of holiness. Christ has been raised by the Spirit of holiness, and it is the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts. When it speaks of "the Holy Spirit", there is a reference to what we are, meaning that the flesh is not to be tolerated. In order to benefit by the intercession of Christ, it is absolutely necessary to refuse the flesh; there must be holiness and purity. I am exercised to see that my motives are pure. Thus there is victory over Satan who works in these conditions by means of the flesh. I acquire the habit of overcoming, which will stand me in good stead later on, when I have put on the panoply of God and am able to withstand all the powers of wickedness which are in the heavenlies. The young believer then begins to learn in his soul what victory is. "He that ruleth his spirit (is better) than he that taketh a city" Proverbs 16:32. It would be good for us to search our souls and our hearts, to determine whether such victories are our daily experience.

-- These three types are very interesting: Moses, Aaron and Hur.

-- You have had some little experience of them in your soul, have you not? One would like every believer to be personally an overcomer; what lies at the very beginning of all spiritual progress is here, in the reception of the Spirit. Now, the believer learns to make war. Formerly, in the type, they were preserved from conflicts; Jehovah did not lead Israel the way of the Philistines, so that they should not see war on going out of Egypt; and at the Red Sea God intervened between the people and the Egyptians. The Lord is as a wall between us and our enemies. But this only took place at the beginning. On discovering that I possess the Spirit, I ought to defend myself.

-- Then, have we the thought of the young men: "Ye are strong" 1 John 2:14?

-- Possessing the Spirit, you have power in yourselves.

-- In this chapter, it is not a question yet of victory they are in conflict.

-- In verse 11 it says, "It came to pass when Moses raised his hand, that Israel prevailed" Exodus 17:11. At the beginning, the young believer has to learn what dependence is. At first, the conflict is uncertain, swaying from one side to the other; but in reality the believer overcomes; he proves victorious.

-- For a moment there is uncertainty; but after a certain time, the believer has the assurance of victory.

-- "I have strength for all things in him that gives me power" Philippians 4:13.

-- One reaches that, but later on. Victory is only obtained through great exercise. It is good to understand that there is no question of victory without having anxiety. If Amalek prevails for a moment, it causes me anxiety. There cannot be weakness in our Moses, but the weakness is in that I am lacking

in faith. A believer is established by passing through this experience.

Now, there is another figure: that is Joshua. I look at Joshua in conflict. He is a type of Christ not in an official but in a spiritual way. Joshua is not presented as occupying any official position. Up till now, he was simply Moses' attendant, but now his military ability must be tested. This ability will be seen later, fully developed, in the armies of Jehovah. Here I catch a glimpse of Christ as military Leader of the armies of God. We do not see Joshua any more in that capacity for forty years, but we get a glimpse of what he is and what he will be. For the moment, it is a question of my own victory. So it says in verse 13, "Joshua broke the power of Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword" (Exodus 17:13); and that had to be written as a memorial, because it would need to be mentioned later.

-- Joshua could not have appeared before the rock was struck.

-- The memorial is to accompany the people.

-- It is said that the rock that followed them was Christ.

-- Yes. At the end of the seventh of Romans it says, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) and then "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 7:25. I come into victory, and the door is thus opened for chapter 8. I have now arrived at a definite point: I am no longer in flesh but in Spirit; and I have arrived at this point through conflict, being supported by the Holy Spirit.

But before going on, there is the altar. Moses built an altar and gave it a name -- Jehovah-Nissi, which means Jehovah my Banner. I have now an altar which involves a banner. I have gained this great victory thanks to the Lord. This altar is my public testimony. Henceforth I am not going to persecute

the saints. I am not going to murmur and complain. The saints can look at me and say, There is someone who is useful to us! Last year he was constantly complaining, but now he is useful.

-- I have my altar, and I have my banner.

-- An altar means that I am in public relation with God. The banner is the public testimony.

-- A banner can be displayed.

-- You fight under this banner.

-- We enter upon chapter 8 of Romans, do we not?

-- Exactly. "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 8:25. There is the banner! It is God who has gained the victory, as the Psalmist says, "By thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall" Psalm 18:29.

-- In the gospel of John, "He breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit" John 20:22. The Holy Spirit is the result of Christ smitten and raised.

-- Yes, that is indeed so in the eighth of Romans, but John 20 is further on than what we have here; it is rather a matter of entering the land, while in our passage in Exodus we are still at the threshold of the wilderness. The book of Numbers takes account of the people from that point of view, and they are set in military order, qualified for military service. They are all numbered, and each is in his place with relation to the tabernacle of testimony.

When we come to chapter 21 of Numbers, there is something to notice; that is that the people speak against God and against Moses. "Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, which bit the people; and much people of Israel died" Numbers 21:6. God is occupied with sin in its source. I have to learn not only what sin is in man, but what it is in Satan. The introduction of the serpent is to carry us back in mind to the third chapter of Genesis, so that the believer may see what sin is and whence it comes.

-- There are these two questions: What is sin and what is its origin?

-- "By law is knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20); in Romans 7 we see how sin works in me. But I must know its origin; that is why, in John's writings, the Lord goes back to the origin. If it is a question of falsehood, Satan is a liar and the father of it; the devil sins from the beginning. He had sinned even before there was sin in Eden; so that in Numbers 21 we are occupied with the deepest things. We must be before God with regard to the whole question of sin, not only in men, but in Satan. The Lord Jesus Christ had to take it up in all these aspects. It is therefore a question of a serpent lifted up; which means that God, in the death of Christ, has taken up sin at its source, in such a way that it will never again raise itself against God. The thing has been dealt with at its source. God has rid Himself of it.

-- What is the application of it for us now?

-- We must be brought to see that Satan is against us, and that he has been against God.

-- Men do not know it. If Satan is against God, he is also against man, and man ought to be brought to know it.

-- The serpents bit the people (this is what we have to experience) and the only way of deliverance was to look up, to the serpent lifted up. God has dealt in righteousness with sin in its source. He who looked lived, and having learnt this, I live now in the full light of the condemnation of sin in its source. I see that sin is condemned, not only in man, but in Satan. I am in the light of this victory; now the believer lives and moves: he makes progress. In Numbers 21:10, it says, "The children of Israel journeyed", and in verse 16 they arrived at the well: "And from thence to Beer; that is the well of which Jehovah spoke to Moses, Assemble the people, and I will give them water" Numbers 21:16.

-- Before that, it needed serpents; now it needs water. The believer is seen in relation to all that has been presented. I have the Holy Spirit in the light of the fact that sin has been condemned and judged in the flesh and in every respect. The way is open.

-- Not only do the people go forward, but at the end of chapter 21, they conquer the land, smite the enemies and dwell in their cities. The nobles who digged the well, at the word of the lawgiver, were men of spiritual power, namely the apostles.

-- The apostles had the "ruler's wand" (Numbers 21:18, note).

-- The lawgiver would be Christ. The staves would symbolise experience. If the staff is a symbol of power or rule, in that case it would be what belongs to a brother who has moral power. The apostles had moral authority, and it was based on what they were morally, and the saints are able to drink of the water as the result of those who have had experience. "Israel sang this song".

Now the presence of the Spirit is definitely recognised. When Amalek is smitten and the altar is built, indicating that the Lord is our Banner, then we are conscious that a power dwells in us superior to that of the world. The people go forward and overcome the enemy, the Amorite. In verse 24, "Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, at Heshbon, and in all its dependent villages" Numbers 21:24,25. Typically, we see the believer who goes forward and takes possessions. It is our privilege to dwell in the conquered territory.

-- Are we going to reach the ground of the Spirit?

-- We are advancing.

-- All these conflicts are written "in the book of the wars of Jehovah" Numbers 21:14. That is important, is it not?

-- There is "the book of the wars of Jehovah" (Numbers 21:14) and that which "the poets say:
Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and established.
For there went forth fire from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of the Arnon.
Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, people of Chemosh:
He gave his sons that had escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the king of the Amorites.
And we have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon; and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba" Numbers 21:27 - 30.

There is the book of the conflicts of Jehovah and also what the poets say; these are spiritual references. We are now on military lines, and we are not discouraged; we sing, for there is nothing mournful. What the poets say is a triumph. We begin to make our collection of songs.

-- Does each one make his collection?

-- These details might appear insignificant, but they are given according to divine wisdom. The war is not finished; we are dwelling in our enemies' country; but we sing. Such is the military situation. And the war continues.

-- We are already conquerors and the poets compose their songs.

-- Their faces are always turned towards the sunrising (verse 11). They do not follow the setting sun.

-- I believe that all that we have just been saying is connected with what we read in Romans 8. In the epistle to the Romans it is a question of victory.

-- It is no longer Moses needing to have his hands supported; but Joshua goes forward.

-- We are moving in that direction. It is not yet Joshua who leads. For the moment, it is rather spiritual power that is in view. In the book of Numbers, Joshua is definitely chosen. Moses prayed Jehovah to set a man over the assembly to lead the people and bring them in; Jehovah answered him, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and thou shalt lay thy hand upon him" Numbers 27:18. A man who has the Spirit, that is the outstanding thought! In the book of Numbers, from chapter 21, the people is considered spiritually. For example, in Balaam's prophecies, the people is regarded as in power. "He hath as it were the strength of a buffalo" (Numbers 23:22) and "the shout of a king is in his midst" Numbers 23:21. The book of Numbers deals with a people who has typically received the Spirit; it is what Israel does. When we come to the book of Joshua, it is Christ as Leader of the armies of Jehovah. In Romans 8, the thought is what the Spirit is in the believer. The result of all that we have considered is that the youngest believer wakes up to the realisation that he has this great power within himself, so that he has a living part in all that is of God.

-- That part is even that of the "little children".

-- They had "the unction from the Holy One" 1 John 2:20.

Reading with J.T. at Beauvoisin, 8th May, 1926, afternoon.

THE ANOINTING

2 Corinthians 1:21,22; 1 John 2:20,26,27; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13

These passages speak of a divine anointing, and no other anointing has any value. In pouring His anointing upon men, God intends to clothe them with dignity.

From the outset of God's ways toward men, it speaks of those who were anointed. The thought extends to a period which existed before the creation of man. In the book of Ezekiel, it speaks of a creature who is without doubt Satan. It says of him that he was "the anointed cherub" (Ezekiel 28:14); but he did not keep this dignity: his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and he fell. But God had in mind that the idea of the anointing was to be seen in Christ. However, before the Lord Jesus appeared as Man, God made use of the principle of anointing; but from the outset, Christ was before Him, for it was in Him that the moral qualities appeared which alone were worthy to be anointed. It is good to notice that, in the gospels, the Lord's feet were anointed by the women, before His head. The anointing that took place in the house of Simon the Pharisee precedes the anointing that took place in the house of Simon the leper. His feet were qualified by a holy walk; moral qualities come to light in the walk. The Lord had trodden this earth for thirty years before being anointed by God. In saluting Him from the heavens, at His baptism, the divine voice was heard, saying, "Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight" Luke 3:22. God had sought what He now found. The divine eye had, so to speak, scrutinised the walk of men. David says in a Psalm, "Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest

my thought afar off; Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways" Psalm 139:2,3. He was conscious that God scrutinised his life. But in no man had God found His delight until the feet of the Lord left their blessed marks on this earth. For thirty years the life of Jesus was holy and complete devotedness. At the end of those thirty years, the Lord is found identified with the remnant. The Lord says, "It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness" Matthew 3:15. Formerly, there had been seen in men features of righteousness, but here is the One who now fulfils all righteousness down here! When He comes out of the waters of baptism He prays; and when He prays, the heavens are opened upon Him, and the divine voice is heard coming from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight" Matthew 3:17. Also, in bodily form as a dove, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, and it is in the dignity of that anointing that He stands up in the synagogue of Nazareth. He takes the book and reads it. That book had never been read with such dignity. The passage that He read was taken from the prophet Isaiah, and was quite appropriate to the situation: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor; he has sent me to preach to captives deliverance, and to the blind sight, to send forth the crushed delivered, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" Luke 4:18,19. In this passage we have the divine example of ministry, the anointed Vessel for preaching. We see therefore how moral qualifications in view of anointing preceded the anointing itself. In this same gospel of Luke, a certain sense of the grace that was in Jesus led a poor sinner to recognise the moral qualities of the Lord: she anointed His feet -- she anointed them with myrrh. She would refresh His feet with her tears, but having wiped them with her hair, she anointed them with myrrh; she was

conscious that His feet were suffering and that they were going to suffer again.

I said that the principle of anointing appeared from the outset of God's ways toward man. I believe it is spoken of for the first time in connection with Abraham. It does not say that he was formally anointed, but Psalm 105 links the idea with Abraham. "Touch not mine anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm" Psalm 105:15. We see that, from the outset, God had recourse to the idea of anointing, and in anointing men He committed Himself to them, and protected them: "Touch not mine anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm" Psalm 105:15. The dignity of which I have spoken is seen with the patriarchs. There is a certain dignity with man according to flesh, but true divine dignity depends on the anointing, and we find it in a man like Jacob who, at the end of his days, acknowledges his serious failures; nevertheless, he is greater than the greatest monarch of the world; outwardly he was a Syrian ready to perish -- a shepherd in the eyes of the Egyptians; but inwardly he was greater than Pharaoh, for, "beyond all gainsaying, the inferior is blessed by the better" Hebrews 7:7. In what was he better? In that Jacob was anointed. He had faith, and without faith there is no anointing; but it is in the anointing that all dignity rests. The great principle of the anointing having been established, we find it developed in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. And in presenting Christ in outward poverty in this world, God would establish all things in divine dignity.

So we find that Aaron was anointed, with the whole tabernacle system. You see how God desires that every detail of His world should be marked by the anointing. Aaron was anointed with oil, and also the whole tabernacle. Later on, king David is anointed. And God would have us pay attention to the vessel He uses for the anointing: it was a

horn. When Saul was anointed (1 Samuel 10:1), Samuel took a vial of oil; the vessel containing the oil was like a bottle, of human manufacture. While David was anointed with Samuel's horn (1 Samuel 16:1); the horn is something which grows of itself, showing the strength and beauty of the creature. This undoubtedly has reference to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, for man could not be anointed apart from the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The anointing oil typifies the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given as a consequence of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. That ought to touch our hearts. If I am clothed with dignity, Christ had first to suffer. Now note that the king is anointed after the priest; and afterwards the prophet is anointed. These are the three great official features attaching to Christ: the priest, the king and the prophet. In these three offices is manifested the dignity of Christ: we have part in the priesthood; we have part in the royalty of Christ; we have part in prophetic ministry. The dignity of the anointing is seen in each of these features. No one can be a priest unless he has the Spirit of Christ. No one can rule, if he has not the Spirit of the King. None can prophesy, save one who has the Spirit of Jesus, "for the Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus" Revelation 19:10.

Having said enough as to this precious subject, I would like to show you how it is introduced in relation to believers of the present dispensation. The apostle Paul says, "He that ... has anointed us is God". It is a question of Him who does it. Men are appointed to different positions in this world, but who anointed them? Who has the right to anoint them? Who can confer dignity upon them? Only God. So we have this remarkable word: "He that ... has anointed us is God". In that passage (2 Corinthians 1) it speaks of the Spirit in three different ways: firstly, He is the anointing; secondly,

He is the seal; thirdly, He is the earnest in our hearts. The first aspect presents divine dignity and depends on the other two aspects; that is to say, I am conscious of belonging to God. I know that I belong to God by reason of His rights in creation and of His rights in redemption. But, by the seal of the Spirit, I am conscious of being God's, and I refuse to belong to other masters. Beloved, it is a very precious thing to be conscious of being God's. There is yet another thing; that is what I have for my own heart; He has given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. My heart possesses something; I have in my heart the earnest of all that God has for me. In possessing the earnest, I am conscious of all that God has for me, and of all that He is for me. I am, therefore, set up, so to speak, independently of all that is in the world. I have means to maintain me -- means by which the dignity of the anointing is supported.

What I have just said are general remarks connected with the gift of the Spirit to the believer. But in the first epistle of John, we have the anointing (or unction) in relation to intelligence -- that is in the presence of antichrist. In our days it is necessary to be fortified against the attacks of antichristian teaching; theological schools, professors' chairs, modern books are full of antichristian doctrines; the minds of the young are corrupted by this teaching which makes pretence of being superior to every other teaching that went before. It may be superior in the mind of those who receive it, but the unction preserves us from its attacks. Having the unction, we deny that this teaching is superior; we are conscious of the superiority of the truth. John says that we have received an unction: "Ye have the unction from the holy one, and ye know all things" 1 John 2:20. We who have received this unction have proved the superiority of Christianity. The things that men are

busy searching out and analysing, we know already; they are seeking the origin of man, and say that it is unknown; they pursue their researches, while Ecclesiastes tells us that man is known. Speaking of our Lord Jesus it says that He knew all men, and we have no need of other research. The truth is known: we who have the unction know we know that the truth has been proclaimed, and we can regard with disdain what men consider to be superior. The Lord said to Nicodemus, "I have said the earthly things to you" (John 3:12) -- all the earthly things were well known to Him. The Lord Jesus knows all about the physical creation, for He created all things. He knows all about us. Men on earth pretend to know, but what do they know as to what is in heaven? It says, "No one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven" (John 3:13), and He it is who knows what is in heaven. Thus, knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the knowledge of all things on earth and in the heavens. Possessing the Holy Spirit come down from heaven, we have the means of knowing all things. It is said that the Holy Spirit in us knows all things. The possession of the Spirit of God as unction renders us independent of men, and gives us a dignity in that independence. I am not a religious man, but I am clothed with dignity in the position that I have. Such is the believer anointed by God!

The apostle says "These things have I written to you concerning those who lead you astray: and yourselves, the unction which ye have received from him abides in you" 1 John 2:26,27. The Holy Spirit is given to us permanently, for He "abides in you". The young believer is thus protected because he is conscious of the presence of the unction; this blessed unction is present with us when we read and meditate on the word at home. It is the Holy Spirit who sheds light; we are thus enveloped in

light, and we see all things as they are. He is with us when we read the Scriptures together; we read them then with dignity, respect and reverence; He speaks to our hearts; He is in us as those who compose the temple of God. The light comes from one brother after another when we are gathered together, and we are thus superior to man whose understanding is darkened and his future uncertain. "We know", says John. Those who have the unction know the truth. They know.

Now, before closing, I wish to show you how that is developed in relation to collective dignity, in 1 Corinthians 12:12,13. "So also is the Christ". The expression refers to the saints in their collective relations. It is not a question here of Christ personally, but it is Christ seen in the saints in a collective way. In verse 13, "For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body". As being "baptised", we are all one: we cease to be individuals; we are maintained in living relation the one with the other. The figure the apostle uses is that of the human body -- an organism; all the members in the body fulfil their different functions. Then, it says that we "have all been given to drink of one Spirit". Someone else had to baptise me. The baptism of the Spirit is by the Lord Jesus. As to baptism with water, it is never said that the Lord Jesus Christ baptised anyone: "Jesus himself did not baptise, but his disciples" John 4:2. Many saints have been able to baptise others, but Jesus alone baptises with the Holy Spirit. We have all been baptised in the power of one Spirit. But then, I must drink, myself; no one can do it for me. Thus, for the satisfaction of my heart, I am given to drink of the blessed Spirit of God. That is a reality, dear brethren. All those who are conscious of being part of the body have tasted the blessedness of it. The divine intention is that there is to be a vessel down here for divine

service and testimony. That is what should be seen in every locality where there are children of God, as it existed at Corinth. There were Jews, Greeks and the assembly of God.

I enter the synagogue. What do I find there? Much pretension, but no light. There is no unction.

I go to the Greeks. What do I find there? They gathered at Areopagus to hear something new, what the newspapers announce to men, for Areopagus was like an exchange: but what were these new things that took place on earth? What wicked men were doing: murders, deaths, marriages, births. Is there any unction there? No, there is nothing marked by dignity; it does not rise above flesh.

I enter the assembly at Corinth. What do I find there? The saints are gathered together, the word of God is read; there is a true ministry; I am conscious of the presence of God; I am above the level of men; God is there by the Spirit. The unction is there, dear brethren. At Corinth, God has a vessel -- the assembly -- a vessel capable of reflecting heaven; and if I look at the dear brethren in their houses, I see that the husbands are the heads, that the wives are subject, that the children are dependent on their parents, that the Spirit operates, that there is a reflection of the Lord. You see the dignity that attaches to it. "So also is the Christ".

I have nothing to add. I commend to you the idea of a vessel in a locality, a vessel in the possession of the Spirit of God to display the dignity and order of His house and as testimony in all its forms.

Address by J.T. at Beauvoisin, 8th May, 1926, evening.

"THE LIGHT IS SWEET"

Ecclesiastes 11:7 - 10; Ecclesiastes 12:1,2

I desire to draw your attention to the subject of the light that has shone out through the preaching.

The preaching is the means God uses to spread the light. The gospel according to Mark is the gospel which gives light concerning the preaching, and it says at the end of that gospel that the Lord sat at the right hand of God. Having died for our sins and been raised by the power of God, He "sat at the right hand of God" Mark 16:19. It says that the disciples, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it. The Lord worked with them by signs. The words of the preachers were therefore confirmed by the signs. So, in that gospel, it is said that the word was to be preached to all the creation: "Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation" Mark 16:15. Paul says that indeed the glad tidings have been proclaimed in the whole creation. The light, then, has shone very specially in Europe. By Paul the preaching has been fully known. As to the Lord Jesus it is said, "Coming, he has preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off, and the glad tidings of peace to those who were nigh" Ephesians 2:17.

The light has been shed abroad -- the light that God commanded and that shines in the face of Jesus Christ in heaven: it has shone in the hearts of men to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and that light has shone so clearly that, if any one does not believe by that light, he is lost, the god of this world having blinded his eyes so that the light of the glory of the glad tidings should not shine for him. However, this light shines for

all; but he whose heart is blinded by the god of this world does not benefit by that light.

The book, from which I have read a passage, was written by a preacher. It says that he was "king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1); he therefore had the means and was in a position to be accessible to men. Occupying the position of a king, he had the right of way, as our Lord Jesus Christ has the right to enter in everywhere: being exalted to the right hand of God, He has a right to all parts of the earth. So he has allowed the light to spread everywhere by means of the preaching. Paul said, "I, from Jerusalem, and in a circuit round to Illyricum, have fully preached the glad tidings of the Christ" Romans 15:19.

That light spread in the east, and it shines today that all may get the benefit of it. The whole western region also profits by this light, commercially and socially. Men speak approvingly of the light of the gospel, without having appropriated it for their own salvation. It says in Ecclesiastes, "The light is sweet, and pleasant is it to the eyes to see the sun". We all know how great is the difference between the countries where the light shines and the pagan countries; but it may be that we approve the light, and that we are living in this world as if the light did not exist. Thousands of men are enjoying the benefits of this light, but it has not affected them as before God, for the object of the light is to expose men in the presence of God. The light having shone into Paul's soul, he made the confession that he was the first of sinners and said, "Faithful is the word, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first" 1 Timothy 1:15. The light brought about repentance in his soul, and he obtained the pardon of his sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit; he was saved, as he had occasion to say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house" Acts 16:31.

Here, it is written, "The light is sweet". A man may speak of the light with approval; but he may at the same time follow a path of sin and forget God, in this world. So, dear friends, we are recommended to remember "the days of darkness; for they shall be many". It is said to the young man that he may walk in the ways of his heart, and in the sight of his eyes, but he is to remember that for all these things God will bring him into judgment.

I had the intention to say a few words to the young who are here this afternoon. The preacher speaks of the vanity of childhood and youth. In childhood and youth we look towards the world and seek the things of the world. Death appears to us to be a very long way off, for we think we must become old to die; but there is a large proportion of men who die in youth. It is not necessary to become old to die; many die in youth, hence the word: "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth", instead of putting off decision for Christ till the "evil days". You must seize the present opportunity. "Behold, now is the well-accepted time; behold, now the day of salvation" 2 Corinthians 6:2. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring forth; it might not be the acceptable time, the day of salvation. It speaks here of a time when "the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars" will be darkened. Think of what that will be, in a physical sense, when the sun, the moon and the stars will be darkened! But it will be the same in a moral sense, for this era of grace is drawing to its close. The sun will be darkened. That does not mean that the Lord Jesus will no longer shine. As before, He will always shine in heaven, but the beneficent rays of His grace, the beams which shine in His face, will be withdrawn from the earth. Then there will be no more preaching of the gospel. Think, dear friends, what such darkness will be! The moon typifies the assembly. It is the assembly that reflects the

light that shines in the face of Jesus. The moon will be darkened, for the assembly will be withdrawn from this earth and transported to heaven. Do we really believe that the Lord Jesus will come to translate the assembly? He will come, and when the assembly has been translated the moon will be darkened. The moon is still shining, though obscured on account of failure, but the light that shines, shines in the assembly. It is shed upon you, young people, through your believing parents, through the brethren and all believers. But who knows if that will not have ceased before tomorrow? Not a single star will shine. The stars refer to Christians individually. In almost every part of the world there are isolated believers who themselves also shine, reflecting the light of the sun.

John was shining in Patmos, beloved. He was isolated, but he was shining. He reflected the light of Christ in heaven; and one day it was said to him, "Come up here" Revelation 4:1. A voice was addressed to this isolated Christian, and told him to come up to heaven: that will be the case with each isolated believer. We shall be all carried away to heaven, and the light which shines through us will cease.

Will you run the risk of being left in darkness? Not only will the luminaries be darkened, but there will be miracles, signs and lying wonders, "because they have not received the love of the truth that they might be saved" 2 Thessalonians 2:10. The truth is spread, but men do not receive it in love. They are going to believe a lie. That is very solemn!

I would like to say to each of the young ones here: "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come". The true light now shines. What condemns men is that the light has come, and they have preferred darkness. Most of those here love the light. We say, "The light is sweet", but by that light we are judged. We have confessed our

sins; we have believed on Jesus; we have received forgiveness. Think of the blessedness of being forgiven by God! I am forgiven. I know it through the light.

We desire that you yourselves may enter into the light, while it shines, for "the true light" (1 John 2:8) shines now.

Preaching by J.T. at Beauvoisin, 9th May, 1926, afternoon.

PAUL'S LIGHT

Isaiah 60:1 - 3; Ephesians 1:3 - 6; Ephesians 5:7 - 14

-- I have the thought of following up the subject of light. Light is necessarily introduced into all God's operations. Before giving creation its present form, He said, "Let there be light" Genesis 1:3.

I would like to show you the special character of the light in which the assembly is established, which involves Paul's ministry. The Jews in general had received light, but in the case of Paul we see degrees of comparison with regard to the light. First it speaks of it as a light out of heaven; then, as a great light; and finally, as a light above the brightness of the sun; there was a special significance in that, indicating what was going to be presented to the saints through Paul. John speaks of light perhaps more than any other apostle, but he does not speak of it as a light out of heaven; John speaks rather of the true light, which coming into the world, lightens every man. John insists on its universal character; it is not partial. When it is a question of Paul, we receive what we might call our own light. Isaiah 60 gives the idea, but that passage applies to the Jewish remnant at Jerusalem in the future. There will come a moment when the light of Israel will shine. Previously, for a moment, great darkness will cover the earth; but God will intervene on behalf of the remnant of Israel at Jerusalem. There will be an outshining of light for them through Christ. It says, "Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen on thee". It is not a light that will shine directly for the people of the nations; they will walk in that light, but through Israel.

-- The Jewish remnant is distinguished by the fact that the light will arise upon them.

-- I read this passage from Isaiah in view of the thought of a special light; there will be a moment of deep darkness on the earth; but the glory of Jehovah will shine upon the Jewish remnant at Jerusalem, and so the remnant will have a place of supremacy on the earth. Now, the light that has come through Paul corresponds to that light; that is to say it is a special light for the assembly. It is distinguished as being a light out of heaven. It shone round about Paul and those who were with him: those who were with Paul saw that light. Then, later, he speaks of it as a great light: "There suddenly shone out of heaven a great light round about me" Acts 22:6. And finally, speaking to king Agrippa, he says that it was "a light above the brightness of the sun" Acts 26:13. The spiritual suggestion of this last expression is that that light delivers us from all human light: every other light is eclipsed by that light. This light is communicated to us in the epistle to the Ephesians. One finds that, in a general way, brethren have only a poor appreciation of what is particularly ours -- our special light. It says, "Thy light is come". It is a question of shining in our light.

-- "Wake up, thou that sleepest, and arise up from among the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee".

-- The light that shines upon the saints who wake up is, so to speak, Ephesian light, and I have thought that the revival of the truth which has taken place in the last century, bears this character: our light has been recovered. From that time, the object of the enemy has always been to deprive us of that heavenly light, and I believe many believers would be content with a place in the millennium; but that is not our light.

-- That will be the portion of the remnant.

-- We shall also have our part in the millennium, but our part will be a heavenly part. The assembly

will be seen coming down out of the heaven from God, her light like a most precious stone.

-- As a crystal-like jasper stone.

-- That heavenly light is already brought in now. In Ephesians it not only says that we are in the light, but that we are "light in the Lord".

-- Christ is the light that illuminates the city.

-- It says that "the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine for it; for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb" Revelation 21:23. It has no need of natural light.

-- Her light is most precious, "like a most precious stone, as a crystal-like jasper stone" Revelation 21:11.

-- The city is composed of sons of light.

-- They are sons of God, according to this passage from Ephesians. It is this blessed relationship that gives the assembly its special character.

-- And it comes down out of the heaven from God.

-- The revelation of God might be called a general light that shines for all, and John speaks of it from that side: fellowship is in that light.

-- It says, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" 1 John 1:7.

-- Fellowship existed already before the introduction of Paul's ministry: we find fellowship in the second chapter of the Acts; it is the "fellowship of the apostles" Acts 2:42.

-- John alludes to it in his epistle, when he says, "Our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" 1 John 1:3.

-- Paul in no wise set aside what existed already; but he introduced additional light. So, speaking of the Lord's supper, he said that he had received it directly from the Lord; and the subsequent light brought in in Paul's ministry is connected specially with the Lord's supper. Paul's ministry maintained the sovereignty of God, but in no wise set aside the ministry of John. The ministry of Paul links everything

with heaven, so that the Gentiles were not led to what was established at Jerusalem. Two things had taken place before Cornelius received the light; first the light had come from heaven and had shone round about Paul and his company (Acts 9), and then a sheet had come out of heaven and was taken up again into heaven; Acts 10. Now it was after these great events that Peter was sent to Cornelius, so that we are introduced into something greater than that which existed at Jerusalem.

-- It is of all importance to see what it is into which we, of the nations, have been brought.

-- Would it be the same thought, when it says, "Ye have come to mount Zion" Hebrews 12:22?

-- That would be the same character.

-- In chapter 12 of Hebrews you have the whole range of all that exists before God, now already, including the assembly of the first-born whose names are written in the heavens; we have come to the light of all that. What is to be noticed is that we, Gentiles, have been brought into the greatest light. The day of Pentecost was a wonderful day, but the system into which Cornelius and his company were introduced was still greater. In the fifteenth chapter of Luke, it speaks of the prodigal son, and it says that the best robe was brought out.

-- That is something more than Pentecost.

-- In the fourteenth chapter of Luke we have the great supper; that is Pentecost. There was the house, and the house had to be filled. What is in view there is simply a place in the house, but chapter 15 goes further than that. In chapter 14 it is not said that the Father ran to meet repentant sons; the servant goes right and left seeking the poor, maimed, etc.; but chapter 15 shows us what a reception awaited the Gentiles, for "while he was yet a long way off, his father saw him" Luke 15:20. Now, that is in

view in the epistle to the Ephesians which shows what is our portion.

-- "Wake up, thou that sleepest, and arise up from among the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee".

-- If the sleeping Christian wakes up, it is in the midst of this marvellous light that shines. When the Father saw the prodigal afar off he ran to meet him. Nothing can compare with that.

-- Then a Christian may be asleep.

-- And how many are asleep in our days! But this word is addressed to us; and if one is recovered, it is to the greatest light, so that nothing is comparable with the reception of the returned prodigal. The prodigal is ourselves, those of the nations. Then, before the prodigal is received, Peter had to be specially prepared; and it is heaven that undertakes that preparation. Peter is therefore carefully prepared, in order that the prodigal should be suitably received; Acts 10.

-- He goes up to the housetop he falls into an ecstasy, and a vision comes to him he sees all kinds of beasts. As Peter would not eat anything, the voice told him not to call unclean what God had cleansed.

-- It was "a certain vessel descending, as a great sheet" Acts 10:11.

-- It is a question of something that comes down out of heaven. The origin of the assembly is heaven.

-- The character of the family is according to its greatest light: "Arise, shine! for thy light is come".

-- The epistle to the Ephesians governs this situation for us. Peter had to be carefully prepared in order that the prodigal -- Cornelius -- might be received in a suitable manner. So Peter preaches in the house of Cornelius, and while he is preaching, the Holy Spirit falls on all those who were listening to the word.

-- That corresponds to the Father who ran to meet the prodigal and covered him with kisses.

-- He is submerged in love.

-- That is the reception given to those of the nations!

-- It is as if God would show in every way how happy He was to see the Gentiles return. Then, He clothes these Gentiles with the best robe.

-- "And I will clothe her priests with salvation" Psalm 132:16. Is that the thought?

-- That is the thought indeed. No one can fulfil the function of a priest without being righteous. Think of the best robe with which we are clothed!

-- You have said that it is necessary to be righteous. The fine linen represents the righteousnesses of the saints. That is what is produced from day to day by the Holy Spirit. But the best robe was already in the Father's house. There is only one "best robe". It is made of what is best; our calling is heavenly. That is what we must lay hold of! That is to say that in entering heaven you are perfectly at ease. The assembly is clothed with this robe that no other family can ever wear.

-- Each one should take the thought to himself, since it is the portion of all. It is Paul's light.

-- Is that the idea, in Romans 13:14 "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ"?

-- There, it is rather the Christian profession, but here it is something more. In Romans it is a question of the Lord Jesus Christ and of your position down here; but in Ephesians it is more elevated, which we must understand. In Luke, the robe is the best. This explains the beginning of the epistle to the Ephesians, when the apostle says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ". However numerous the blessings are, they are all ours, but they are all given in the heavenlies, and at the outset of the epistle you have: "Having marked us out beforehand for adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the

good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has taken us into favour in the Beloved". Think of all the affection connected with this favour into which we are brought! The prodigal is clothed with all the divine thoughts of love. Not only are we taken into favour, but "taken into favour in the Beloved" -- the strongest expression conceivable of Christ's place before the Father. Think of the place we have in the divine affections!

-- "The best robe", "the Beloved" -- these expressions are in the singular; it is unique.

-- But it is absolutely necessary that each takes the Place of the prodigal.

-- I understand the expression 'bring out' as involving the ministry of Paul. You have the prodigal; he is there, covered with kisses: that is chapter 10 of the Acts. Chapter 11 introduces Paul into his active service: he sets out and goes to Antioch where he spends a whole year. In chapter 13 he is sent further to preach, and in his ministry the best robe is brought out. In result, the saints are clothed with the thoughts of divine and eternal love.

-- All saints are included. The epistle to the Ephesians embraces all believers, Jews and Gentiles.

-- The robe was within, but he brought it out by his ministry.

-- The Lord had already appeared to Paul and He was going to appear to him again later.

-- "Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man's heart, which God has prepared for them that love him", (1 Corinthians 2:9) that is what God has revealed to us by His Spirit!

-- The light goes on growing.

-- God had hidden these deep things by Him. First, He brings in Paul through that light out of heaven. Then, the sheet comes down out of heaven to Peter. Peter goes to Cornelius and receives him with the greatest affection. Then Paul begins his

ministry, and there are successive waves of light; the eternal thoughts of God concerning the assembly are developed one after another. In chapter 2 of Ephesians, we arrive at quite a definite point. Our light is come -- quickened, raised, made to sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. The assembly is to shine in that light.

-- That is why, in Revelation, Ephesus is first; she had been set up in that precious light, and it was a question of her reflecting it.

-- That is a subjective thought, is it not?

-- This light is developed by Paul, to the end that it should be developed in us; so that in chapter 5 this responsibility is placed upon us: "Walk as children of light". Verse 14 is a quotation from Isaiah; the appeal is addressed to all those who compose the assembly, that they may awake and arise and shine, because "thy light is come".

Reading with J.T. at Beauvoisin, 9th May, 1926, evening.

SPIRITUAL INITIATIVE (1)

Judges 6:7 - 40

-- We have here an example of divine intervention in answer to a felt need. The need was felt generally, but the intervention related to a certain locality. Two principles therefore are found side by side: what is general and what is local. The general exercise is in verse 7: "The children of Israel cried to Jehovah because of Midian". Then the prophet is sent in relation to that general exercise. The need that was felt was a general need, and the prophet brings the thoughts of God in a general way. The angel of Jehovah comes into a certain locality, to Ophrah. If a divine representative comes into a locality, it is in relation to all that is of God in that locality. Then, there is a question that should exercise those who are of the locality: in what state is he going to find them? It says, "An angel of Jehovah came and sat under the terebinth that was in Ophrah". The fact that the angel sat indicates careful discernment; being seated, the angel was watching all those who were in the locality, taking account of all. Thus, not knowing when we ourselves might have such a visitation, we should all do well to be on the alert. Gideon was well occupied; he "threshed wheat in the wine-press". It was a region of vineyards; but he had an unusual occupation, for he was threshing wheat in the wine-press, "to secure it from the Midianites". That is to say, he was aware of the enemy's efforts at that moment. It says that the Midianites "destroyed the produce of the land" Judges 6:4. A brother who is with God can discern the general attacks of the enemy, and what exercises him is to meet his attacks, and preserve the saints from them. Gideon had no thought of being a pre-eminent

servant, but he was occupied with what was of the highest importance at that moment. If we see the efforts of the enemy, we shall try to meet them, according to our measure, obviously. Gideon knew how to thresh wheat, and he used the wine-press, which was not intended for that, in order that the food, being hidden from the enemies, should not be destroyed. Like Gideon, each brother in his own locality can do something.

-- Gideon was a man who felt the state of things in Israel, each one can be in that state of exercise before God.

-- The Lord always considers us; He takes account in a special way of those who are occupied with something. It may be that I am not very capable, but I see what the enemy is doing and I do what I can to protect the saints from the enemy's attacks.

-- Can we say that affection for the people of God marked Gideon?

-- Yes. He is introduced as being occupied with a very necessary work. The wheat must be preserved.

-- The wheat indeed has a meaning, has it not?

-- It is the principal part of the food in all countries. It says in Psalm 104:15, "With bread he strengtheneth man's heart". Wine gladdens his heart, but bread strengthens his heart. We cannot be satisfied with wine until we have bread. In this Psalm the bread precedes the wine (Psalm 104:14,15).

-- Bread is the first food of man.

-- Christ is the bread of God come down out of heaven, and unless the truth of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is maintained among the saints, there can be no growth with them. Gideon was occupied with the primary thought of bread. He was occupied with a process which had in view to separate the grain from the chaff. Other services would be necessary to make it into food that could be eaten; it must

be ground and kneaded and put in the oven. We see a young man without reputation who is occupied with what is most essential for the moment. He represents a young brother or a young sister who understands in a general way the needs of the saints in a locality, who understands the general attacks of the enemy, and who does all he can to counter his attacks. The enemy's attack is very serious. Instead of saying, I can do nothing, for it needs a more able man than I, Gideon sets to work.

-- He has individual exercises in relation to the whole company.

-- Every young brother should learn, but the important question is: Have I some little spiritual initiative? One might say, I have no gift; the Lord has not sent me. But it is a matter of doing what my hand finds to do: "Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might" Ecclesiastes 9:10. You will see that men whom God uses in His service are those who begin themselves. When you start on the right road, the Lord is with you. There is an illustration of it in the second book of Kings, chapter 2. Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. The movement begins with Elisha, but then Elijah takes the initiative. "Elijah said to Elisha, Abide here, I pray thee; for Jehovah has sent me to Bethel" (2 Kings 2:2); but first of all, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. There was with that young man a spiritual movement. Then Elijah, who typifies the Lord Jesus, is with him in that movement. At one point after another Elisha is tested to show if that spiritual energy is maintained. I take a step; the Lord goes with me, and encourages me to go still further. But those whom the Lord uses in His service take the initiative themselves. My qualification for service is seen in that I begin from the outset in this way. Thus, instead of letting my hands hang down, I say, This work is to be done, and so far as it is within my power, I am going to do it.

-- Paul said to Timothy, "Remembering thy tears" 2 Timothy 1:4.

-- You will see that in every case where God uses men, they have taken the initiative. It is so with Moses; an Egyptian was smiting a Hebrew; then he intervened and saved the Hebrew; the next day it is two Hebrews who are quarrelling and he would set them at peace. He takes the initiative himself, not having received his mission from God -- a mission which was committed to him forty years later.

One could quote other examples. It is a principle. It is to be noticed that in the gospels, Peter and John and the others were occupied in their legitimate callings; in one case they were washing their nets; in another, they were mending their nets. So, like Gideon, one does, with his might, what his hand finds to do. The angel of Jehovah salutes him, saying, "Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour". How honoured he was by that salutation! You began that way, Mr. L.?

-- Gideon had no idea of being a mighty man of valour.

-- He was doing a very ordinary thing, but his object was to overcome the enemy. It is specified that it was "to secure it from the Midianites". He might have been lazy and hidden the wheat without threshing it, but it was much better to thresh it and reduce it.

-- When Gideon replies to this salutation, he says, "Ah my Lord, if Jehovah be with us, why then is all this befallen us?" He identifies himself with the people; it is very beautiful.

-- One cannot separate oneself from the people, can one?

-- To separate oneself from the people would show pride; the state of the people is our own responsibility. Gideon was much honoured in the very fact that the angel of Jehovah appeared to him.

-- He was with the people in a difficult moment.

-- He was identified in an active way. The great point is that my hand does what it finds to do. The verses which follow show us that he had much to learn; but he did not have to learn to thresh the wheat. He knew how to thresh the wheat, and he threshed it.

-- That is a good lesson for each of us.

-- May each one be led to ask himself, As to myself, what am I doing? Is there anything that I can do? If I do not do what I can do, there is failure with me, and the Lord takes account of it. The Lord said, with regard to the woman in chapter 14 of Mark, "What she could she has done" Mark 14:8.

-- We have here, in Gideon, a man who identifies himself entirely with the people; he says, "us", and not 'me'. We must have in our heart that which the Lord has in His heart, the assembly, otherwise one will only act for oneself.

-- In verse 26 of the previous chapter, Jael put her hand to the tent-pin. She took what was available.

-- That is a good thought. She did what she could. What Gideon said was quite right (verse 13): "If Jehovah be with us, why then is all this befallen us?" It was a question which rightly expressed what was in Gideon's mind. What follows is beautiful: "And Jehovah looked upon him". It is no longer the angel. It is as though it were said, Here is a brother who ponders! He has not perhaps much light, but he ponders; that is what God loves, those who ponder over things. Then He answers him, "Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of Midian". It is what the man had. First, the angel of Jehovah addresses him as a "mighty man of valour". He was to go in his might, as if God would say to him, Thou must make use of thy might. Thus the experience of Gideon would be like that of

Paul when he said, "Of myself I will not boast, unless in my weaknesses" 2 Corinthians 12:5.

-- "Go in this thy might" -- What is this might?

-- That is to encourage Gideon. A young believer needs to be encouraged. God does not cast us back upon ourselves, but we must estimate at its right value the strength that we have. For Gideon, the might comes from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth. If God is with me, there are no limits to what can be accomplished. We have what God is going to use. If I have the Holy Spirit and have learnt to make use of Him (Romans 8), I have power. "When I am weak, them I am powerful" 2 Corinthians 12:10. There is nothing to prove that Gideon was occupied with his own powers. He was not like one of those who say, "Here are we!" Numbers 14:40. If I pretend to have might, I am no longer qualified. He was conscious of his weakness, and this weakness is the source of his might.

-- Does not this might show itself in Gideon's action at the beginning?

-- The wheat represents Christ, does it not?

-- Gideon made no pretension; he had sober thoughts as to himself. But Jehovah had said, "Go in this thy might, and thou shall save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have not I sent thee?"

-- He was typically a sober and intelligent brother who made use of the strength available to him.

-- He made no pretension.

-- If I live here, I take account of things as they exist generally; I see what the need is, and I act according to my capacity and according to the opportunities that present themselves. Generally, it is after this pattern that men whom God can use are presented. I believe that a brother's gift comes to light first of all in his own locality; then, he goes out in the district, and then into the whole country. The Lord began His service at Nazareth, where He was

brought up; then He visited the cities of Galilee; but in Luke He says, "I must needs announce the glad tidings of the kingdom of God to the other cities also", (Luke 4:43) everywhere. What is essential is that I do not wait to receive help from elsewhere: I am going to make use myself of the strength God has given me. We can never say when, from an unexpected environment, God will raise up someone who will save Israel. A servant of the Lord, whom several of us knew, complained in his youth of the great needs of Christendom. Then, it was said to him, Improve the world by one man. In the case of Gideon, God intervenes and calls him "Mighty man of valour" It is good to see the intervention of God, but what am I doing in view of the needs of the locality?

-- The spirit of Timothy is the spirit of Gideon.

-- Exactly. He had a good report from the brethren among whom he lived before Paul used him. He had shed tears.

-- But he was also conscious of his weakness.

-- Jehovah said to Gideon, "I will certainly be with thee; and thou shalt smite Midian as one man". He had certain resources.

-- What were those resources?

-- He had not only the strength to thresh wheat, but he had something that he could bring to God. He was not an ordinary brother; he was secretly a priest. He would present something to God. Notice what he brings. He makes ready a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour; he puts the flesh in a basket and the broth in a pot; he brings all under the terebinth and presents it. See what an indication we have here.

-- He is a priest, do you say?

-- And he has something to offer. That shows that, in a typical way and in secret, he had been feeding upon Christ. The kid and the unleavened cakes speak of the humanity of Christ. He puts the flesh

in a basket and the broth in a pot: he was a spiritual man. He had very humble thoughts with regard to himself, but he was a priest. He understood what was suitable to present to God. Then the Angel of God said to him, "Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth". He is now under divine direction. He has an experience which is entirely personal to himself, which will come out later in his ministry, but it is an occasion specially for him. "And the Angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And the Angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight". His offering is accepted. Gideon typically is accepted in all the value of the offering. In the broth, it is a question of the essence of the humanity of Christ which is presented to God, which brings out the spiritual intelligence of Gideon. The Lord Jesus Christ become Man is presented in His infinite essence to God. At this point, the Angel of Jehovah departs. We see therefore what a wonderful occasion Gideon had, firstly in bringing the offering, and secondly in receiving divine directions as to its disposal. He had a unique personal experience; and there is no doubt that all those whom God uses have, in a certain measure, an experience of this kind. There will be a divine appearing, for God has His own way of making Himself known to us.

Reading with J.T. at Beauvoisin, 10th May, 1926, afternoon.

SPIRITUAL INITIATIVE (2)

Judges 6:22 - 40

-- I intend to pursue the subject we had this afternoon. At the close of our meeting, we were occupied with Gideon's present. We remarked that he had by him the means of presenting an offering to God; he brought a kid and unleavened cakes. These things speak to us of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Man on earth, presented to God; the kid as being slain and presented speaks to us of the Lord put to death, and the broth relates to what He was essentially as known to God, and in a certain measure, to the believer; the ephah of flour, that is to say, a measured portion of flour, speaks to us of His perfect humanity, and Gideon was accepted in the value of these offerings -- the one would be the burnt-offering and the other the oblation. We were led to contemplate the priestly features in Gideon, for no brother, and no sister, can have power with men before having power with God. But there was still something lacking in Gideon's instruction: he did not know God revealed in love.

"And Gideon perceived that he was an angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! for because I have seen an angel of Jehovah face to face ...". In the presence of God, there ought not to be such an expression in the mouth of the servant: "Alas, Lord Jehovah!" The knowledge of God revealed in the death of Christ should dispel all that fear from us, for "perfect love casts out fear" 1 John 4:18. Fear produces torment, but perfect love casts out fear, and perfect love is witnessed in the death of Jesus. We should understand the death of Christ from that point of view. It is one thing to know

that I am accepted as Gideon was, and it is another thing to know what God is as revealed in the death of Christ; what God is in Christ is greater than what I am in Christ, although there is perfect correspondence between God revealed in Christ and my position in Christ. At that moment, Gideon needed to know perfect love. Jehovah said to him, "Peace be unto thee: fear not; thou shalt not die". There is a certain liberty in the soul of the one who knows God. Gideon's altar is erected in that light. An altar represents a definite progress in the soul; it is my public testimony to the knowledge of God that I possess. He called the altar Jehovah-Shalom. That is the light in which Jehovah had made Himself known to him: "Jehovah of peace". We arrive at a point that is very beautiful. I have no more fear in my soul with regard to God. All is adjusted with Him. God is known to me in His nature, and my heart is in perfect rest before Him.

-- Does this answer to the first verse of chapter 5 of Romans: "We have peace towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1?

-- The beginning of chapter 5 of Romans is the complement of the end of chapter 4. After that, the soul can go forward without hindrance, and if tribulation comes it produces endurance; "and endurance experience; and experience hope; and hope does not make ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" Romans 5:4,5. Perfect love is known in the heart by the Holy Spirit. I have no more fears, from that side. All that happens to me is in my favour. How many are there among us who possess this altar? This altar is characterised by peace -- "Jehovah of peace".

-- It is the privilege of all Christians.

-- And one who does not possess it is not in the full Christian position.

-- It is not a question only of possessing this altar, but of building it.

-- The name of the altar indicates the state of soul of the one who builds it. Here, it is "Jehovah of peace". It is his public worship of God known in that light. If any one comes to you and asks you what this altar means, you say it expresses the knowledge that you have of God, as Paul says, "My God shall abundantly supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19. That indicates the altar that he himself had erected, for note that he does not say, 'our God', but "my God".

-- Abraham had his altar and his tent.

-- That is the same idea.

-- All that is experimental and personal.

-- Gideon had made progress. He is in public and definite relation with God. He has power with God. Now, what follows is the development of that power with men; for if we wish to help men, we must have moral power towards them. "And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said to him, Take the young bullock, which thy father hath, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it". What right had Gideon to do it? If it had been his bullock and his altar, he would not have needed moral power, but he did need it, so much the more as it concerned what was his father's. Gideon acts now on the principle of moral power. If I have not moral power I cannot take his bullock and throw down his altar. The verses that follow show that Gideon had moral power with his father, and in verse 31 his father is with him. That is the important point. Do I carry the brethren with me, so to speak, in all that I do? It is an immense thought. Before I can be successful in the testimony I must have moral power, and that power

flows from that which I have with God. I have noticed that if one prays for someone, among the brethren in the locality for example, we shall, at the suitable time, have power with regard to him, and the further we extend in our prayers, the more moral power we shall have.

-- It was in that power that Jacob was able to stand before Pharaoh.

-- Yes. He was a prince who had power with God and with men.

-- It is very beautiful to see how Gideon's father is entirely won.

-- There is something else that is of great importance: it is the second bullock (verse 26). I believe there may be a danger: that is that Gideon may be aware of the knowledge he possesses, and that God has taken him up on account of his personal valour. As we have already seen, it is true that God recognises the personal valour of a man. But we must not forget that those whom God uses He takes up according to His sovereignty, and each one in particular. The second bullock indicates that one has finished with what the first signifies. Therefore, God does not use me on the principle of nature; that which is natural comes first, that which is spiritual, second. So we have "the first man", and afterward "the second man".

-- What is the meaning of the Asherah?

-- Gideon used the wood of the Asherah. The wood represents that which had been in the service of Satan and is now in the service of God. After all, every creature of God is good.

-- Was it a public testimony against evil?

-- Yes. Gideon's education is very important for us. We are a little inclined to adorn ourselves with the power which, really, comes from God; that would mean that we do not offer the fat to God. The most useful servant, the one who is most successful, always

refers to God in relation to his power. There are therefore two things that go together in service: God recognises His own work in the individual, and on the other hand, he chooses him sovereignly, as Paul for example, who was separated for service from his birth.

-- And afterward called by grace.

-- If then one has received his mission from God as sovereign, one is kept in humility.

-- Paul could say, "By God's grace I am what I am" 1 Corinthians 15:10.

-- And that was a great triumph, Mr. L. An offering was presented at the same place where the altar of Baal was. And you see that his father approved it.

-- Dionysius, the Areopagite, was also won; Acts 17.

-- All that of which we are speaking takes place between Gideon's soul, and God, and his father, before Gideon appears in public.

-- It is particularly interesting to see that it is a son who has this moral power with his father. In verse 34, "the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon": God commits Himself to him.

-- What does "In the ordered manner" mean (verse 26)?

-- Everything had to be suitable, in Luke and the Acts. Everything is done "in the ordered manner". There is a certain manner which is suitable.

-- "Let all things be done comelily and with order" 1 Corinthians 14:40. That is the principal object of the gospel of Luke. It says, for example, "And having taken a loaf" (Luke 22:19), it is a loaf and not a piece of bread, for the thought is a complete thought. It is not a part, but a complete idea. The local brethren will pardon my having made this remark.

-- Indeed we desire to do what is suitable.

-- So it says that Luke had set things out "with

method" (Luke 1:3); and in the ordering of the Lord's supper, it speaks of manner -- "In like manner", it says in Luke 22:20. At Corinth that was one of the chief difficulties: things were not done with decency and order. The outward things that are placed before our eyes have in view to produce unity. "In the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body ... and have all been given to drink of one Spirit" 1 Corinthians 12:13. It is a matter of everything that tends to unity.

-- This all bears upon the ordered manner.

-- Would you give us your thought as to the collection? When is it suitable to make it?

-- What is done at the collection should be the expression of the love of the saints. There is what is material and public, which includes the symbols and the collection; it seems to me that that should go together. After that, we are free to enter into the things that are proper to the assembly, the things of God. In Ezekiel, "He that cometh in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that cometh in by the way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate by which he came in, but shall go out straight before him" Ezekiel 46:9. He goes straight before him. We enter with things that relate to time: the Lord's supper which takes place until the Lord comes, and the collection which is in view of the needs of the saints. When we have finished with those things, we go straight before us; if we enter by the gate of the north, we go out by that of the south; we go straight forward. There is no one who closes the meeting. If I put the collection at the end, the meeting must be closed, and it is I who close the meeting, while the assembly belongs to the Lord; He says; "My assembly", and no one should take upon himself to close the meeting.

-- It would only be after having made the collection that we should enter the sanctuary. Then, we are free. We have finished with all that belongs to time. It says that "Having sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives" Matthew 26:30. I believe that is what is open to us after the Supper: we can move to heavenly places. It is He who begins the song in the midst of the assembly.

-- Such is the ordered manner!

-- And to what should the proceeds of the collection be devoted?

-- It was said to Paul that he should remember the poor, "which same thing also I was diligent to do" Galatians 2:10. It is said of those who carried the money collected, they were "deputed messengers of assemblies, Christ's glory" (2 Corinthians 8:23), which shows the place the collection holds: those who dispense it are "Christ's glory". It is for the support of the testimony, for the support of those who travel and who spend themselves for the Lord.

-- That is what belongs to time.

-- Then we rise higher and higher. According to the power that we possess, we can rise and have our heavenly part. The collection is so to speak sanctified because it expresses the love of the saints. You would not wish unconverted persons to take part in it; only believers should take part in the collection. All Gideon's private instruction had made him capable of acting. He blows the trumpet, but only after having been clothed upon by the Spirit of Jehovah. When he blows the trumpet, it is not a question merely of his father's house, but all hear it. It says that "they came up to meet him".

-- The trumpet is of importance.

-- It is the testimony which makes itself heard.

-- Could we say that his service begins at this moment?

-- Paul began quickly, when the Spirit sent him in company with Barnabas.

-- Would you say a few words with regard to the fleece?

-- The first sign is in verse 37: "If dew shall be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said". That means that God restricts His blessing to a certain locality, and He has a perfect right to do so. That is what He did in Old Testament times: He restricted His blessings to Israel. Now, the second sign is in verses 39 and 40: "Let it, I pray thee, be dry upon the fleece only, and upon all the ground let there be dew". God can allow His blessing to spread everywhere, and He can also withdraw it from where it was before. So historically, the blessing of God has been taken away from Israel, and has been spread over the nations. These two signs, therefore, indicate the rights of God in sovereignty.

-- The fact that Gideon asked for such signs does not point to great intelligence on his part, does it?

-- What he did not fully understand, we can understand now, because we have the full light, and these scriptures have been given for us. It is important that we should pay attention to the sovereign rights of God. He can place the blessing in one place, and withhold it from another place. It is not of him that wills, but of God that shows mercy. The epistle to the Romans teaches us this great principle with regard to Israel and the nations. The fall of Israel is the reconciliation of the world.

-- No servant can carry out his service well if he disregards the sovereign rights of God.

-- He must have the knowledge of God and of His sovereign rights.

-- Is there any significance in the "bowl-full of water" (verse 38)?

-- That refers to the blessing which was taken away from Israel, when the Lord took the cup, at the passover. There were two cups: one is connected with the passover, and the other with the Lord's supper. There was the passover cup which the Lord told them to take and pass from one to the other; that is what had been in Israel. The epistle to the Romans tells that they had much because to them were entrusted the oracles of God: all that has been brought to us, and more still.

-- The knowledge of God's sovereignty maintains the soul in humility.

-- And that teaches you too that God can pass you by, if it is His will.

Reading with J.T. at Beauvoisin, 10th May, 1926, evening.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (1)

1 Corinthians 3:1 - 23

-- In proposing this epistle, I should like us to see, with the Lord's help, what is the thought of God with regard to each local company of believers. According to this letter, God desires that each local company should be a vessel for Him, a vessel established in the light of the assembly, a vessel of testimony, and that this vessel should be morally clothed with dignity, for we see the thought of the anointing introduced in chapter 12, where it says, after having spoken of the human body as a figure, "So also is the Christ. For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit" 1 Corinthians 12:12,13. I believe this passage suggests the thought of a vessel clothed with dignity, to be used by the Lord in each locality. I hope that we shall see, with the Lord's help, that the elements that compose this vessel are developed in the early chapters.

-- Could we say that the divine thought is that there should be now, characteristically, in each locality, that which marked the Lord when He was upon earth?

-- The gospel of Luke presents the anointed Vessel, "the Christ". This epistle should serve to develop this thought with regard to the saints as forming one body. In 1 Corinthians 12, it speaks of the human body, as a figure, to represent the spiritual organism that God proposes to establish in each locality; to this end, it is necessary for each member to understand the teaching of the early chapters of the epistle. From the outset, dignity is in mind: "The assembly of God which is in Corinth" 1 Corinthians 1:2.

-- Have we the thought of dignity, when it speaks of "the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ" 1 Corinthians 1:9?

-- That is the provision relating to "the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus; that in everything ye have been enriched in him, in all word of doctrine, and all knowledge (according as the testimony of the Christ has been confirmed in you)" 1 Corinthians 1:4 - 6. In this passage the truth is presented objectively, but it gives us to see that the provision corresponds to the position. It is a question of what they had in Christ, and the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in them. That suggests what the thought of God is in the local vessel: "the testimony of the Christ" 1 Corinthians 1:6.

-- "So also is the Christ" 1 Corinthians 12:12. That is not exactly Christ personally; it is an anointed vessel.

-- In Christ, the testimony was lifted above that which belongs to the natural man; that is what strikes you in reading the gospel. The Lord begins by making good use of the Scriptures. Thank God, the Bible was in the synagogue of Nazareth; there were other books there as well, books of traditions that obscured much that is in the Bible. But the Bible was given to the Lord to read, and He found the scripture that described exactly the position that He occupied; He read, then closed the book and sat down, having delivered it to the attendant. The position was therefore clearly defined, and the fact that He sat down means that all that that position involved was to be developed. The words were words of grace and truth, which is true of the Vessel. The testimony was adorned by the Vessel. Now, we must keep that in mind, if we would correspond to Christ, in our locality.

-- In Luke's gospel, He is called "Son of the Highest" Luke 1:32. The testimony is clothed with dignity in that Person.

-- Then it says, "Glory to God in the highest" Luke 2:14.

That all refers to the moral dignity that marks the testimony of God.

-- The divine thought is that "the Christ" should be reproduced in the saints of the various localities, and that there should be found there a vessel in the dignity of the anointing. In Christendom, the idea of testimony is adopted without any idea of an anointed vessel; and Luke desires to introduce what is externally according to God. Thus in chapter 4 we have the idea of the Christ, the Anointed; the testimony is so to speak adorned, embellished.

-- There are two thoughts: that of the temple, and that of the body. In the temple all the light of God is viewed as a whole, all the light of God in grace; in the body, it is all the grace of God expressed in the saints, for the same locality.

-- The first nine verses of the first chapter form a kind of preface, but they show how the Corinthians were equipped, then finally there is the thought of the faithfulness of God who has called us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

-- Would you say that the thing was expressed in life, and not only in words?

-- The first five verses of chapter 2 confirm that.

-- The Lord, in the synagogue, could sit down and say, The fulfilment will be seen in Me. "To-day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears" Luke 4:21.

-- A living voice was heard, for the scripture was read. The scripture went out of His mouth in living power, but He added, as a commentary, "To-day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears" Luke 4:21. The astonished audience felt the effect of the words of grace that were coming out of His mouth. So then, although others may in the past have made use of that scripture, they were now brought into touch with a certain economy, and it was living to the ears of the audience. I believe that gives us the idea of "the Christ", and the ministry of Paul at Corinth corresponds to that,

and he desired that they themselves should profit by his example. He so desired that the things should be presented in a living way that in writing his epistle he speaks of Timothy: "For this reason I have sent to you Timotheus, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in mind of my ways as they are in Christ, according as I teach everywhere in every assembly" 1 Corinthians 4:17. His idea was that although he had been to Corinth himself, his letter should be accompanied by a living representative, and so, the divine thought is that there should be in each assembly a living representation.

-- When Paul was at Corinth, the Lord said to him by night, in a vision, "Fear not, but speak and be not silent; because I am with thee" Acts 18:9. You have the thought of the anointed vessel, and the personal activities of the Lord to maintain the thoughts of God in a locality.

-- The Lord had gone about doing good, as the anointed Vessel, God being with Him. He was anointed, but also God was with Him. And here, in a corresponding way, the Lord was with Paul in his ministry. His ministry was in the power of the anointing.

-- He says, "I will come quickly to you, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of those that are puffed up, but the power" 1 Corinthians 4:19.

-- When he was at Corinth, "Paul was pressed in respect of the word" Acts 18:5. The thought of an anointed vessel was expressed in him.

-- What is the idea of the temple? Is it that each one takes part there?

-- Christendom has abandoned what is living, and is content with what is material.

-- We see how far away the modern thought of the assembly is from what is found in this epistle.

-- Men cannot take in what is spiritual.

-- From verse 10 of the first chapter, we see how the great defection had commenced. After having presented to them the faithfulness of God, Paul warns them against what has spread abroad in Christendom. He says, "Each of you says" (1 Corinthians 1:12); they were all in that same error of forming sects. "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ" 1 Corinthians 1:12. We cannot have an anointed vessel under those conditions.

-- There must be, not sects, but unity.

-- In Luke, the genealogy of the Lord is not given on the patriarchal side. The names of His ancestors are indicated, and finally He is "Son ... of God".

-- And here, characteristically, it is "the assembly of God".

-- "But of him are ye", of God, "in Christ Jesus", (1 Corinthians 1:30) which shows that we are not of Paul or of Cephas, but of God, and the believer takes account of himself as being of God in Christ Jesus.

-- What is said of Jesus, in Luke, is said of the saints, here.

-- "According as it is written, He that boasts, let him boast in the Lord" 1 Corinthians 1:31.

-- Nor must we try to introduce lesser men than Paul or Apollos; that would be still more serious, do you not think? We might for example call ourselves 'Darbyites', but that would be shameful.

-- One might also use the name of Christ in a sectarian way.

-- I was thinking of the young man who, running up, came to find the Lord, calling Him, "Good Teacher", whereas God alone is "good".

-- Just so. There are those who would give the Lord the first place among men; they would connect Him with those who are renowned, like Confucius and others. And the Lord would answer them: "Why callest thou me good? no one is good but one, that is God" Mark 10:18.

-- Jesus is a divine Person, but as Man, as the anointed Vessel, "God was with him" Acts 10:38.

-- And He links every heart with God, so that the result is that He leaves, in the temple, a company who are continually "praising and blessing God" Luke 24:53.

-- In this epistle, we are lifted above the level of this world in relation to God. "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus" 1 Corinthians 1:30.

-- Thus, the heavenly city is the expression, in the world to come, of what is maintained in testimony in the saints of each locality, and it says that this heavenly vessel has the glory of God.

-- In the presence of this worship of men, so to speak, the apostle speaks of baptism which he seems to connect with it. He says, "Christ has not sent me to baptise" (1 Corinthians 1:17) but to preach; and he brings out the character of the preaching: "For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us that are saved it is God's power" 1 Corinthians 1:18.

-- "The cross" characterises the preaching.

-- The preaching of the cross does not recognise in the least the worship of heroes. The Greeks were perhaps those who had produced the most heroes; but it is a question of "the word of the cross". The word of the cross puts out of sight all that distinguishes man after the flesh down here. Certain Greeks who came up to Jerusalem wished to see the Lord; Andrew and Philip sought the Lord to tell Him, The Greeks are here. Ordinarily one would have considered it an honour that the Greeks came, for they seek wisdom. The wisdom of the Greeks forms the basis of the teaching of the present day. The literature and eloquence of the Greeks are very highly esteemed. Did the Lord think Himself honoured because these compatriots of Demosthenes sought Him? He knew exactly what they were. He had under His eyes, so to speak, the whole Greek world: its present, its past and its future; and He says,

"Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone" (John 12:24) our modern professors would say, 'Demosthenes deserves to be placed alongside of Christ'; but the Lord shows His entire contempt of that thought. "Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone" John 12:24. That is the Lord's thought, and Paul's! And here, what were the Corinthians doing? They were bringing in again this principle of hero-worship. I might become the best-taught man in the world, or the greatest orator, but that has not in itself the least value in the assembly of God. The Lord shows His greatest contempt of human wisdom. The apostle admits that the preaching of the cross was foolishness, but he says to those who believe, "it is God's power" 1 Corinthians 1:18. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the understanding of the understanding ones. Where is the wise? where scribe? where disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom has not known God, God has been pleased by the foolishness of the preaching to save those that believe. Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom" 1 Corinthians 1:19 - 22. The apostle brings the wisdom of God in here to pour contempt on the wisdom of this world which ought to have no place among the saints of God; and he found himself, it seems, at the root, at the basis of this leaven that was among the saints at that moment. The second epistle brings in wisdom once more.

-- The wisdom of the Greeks left man where it found him.

-- The Lord despises it.

-- At the end of the chapter, "Of him", of God, "are ye in Christ Jesus" 1 Corinthians 1:30. He "has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption" 1 Corinthians 1:30. Thus, we are set up by God in all that we have need of, in Christ. If we boast in

anyone, let it be "in the Lord". If the Lord gives us the sense of what it is to be of God in Christ Jesus, "who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30), I think we shall have a good foundation for our meetings.

-- All this shows that what there was in Christ as a Vessel for the glory of God, is to be continued in the assembly which is here, at Valence, among the saints of this locality, characteristically, as if the Lord were Himself at Valence. We begin this epistle with the sense of what is of God, for it is a question of "the assembly of God which is in Corinth" 1 Corinthians 1:2.

-- This is not an individual thought; we all form part of this vessel, the assembly.

-- In chapter 14, the man falls upon his face, acknowledging the presence of God amongst the saints.

-- As we said at Beauvoisin, the population of Corinth was divided into three classes: Jews, Greeks, and the assembly. I go to the synagogue; I find the Scriptures there, but they are obscured by tradition; there is no life; one may hear much about the patriarchs, but there is no life. I go to the Greeks; I find there many books concerning the wisdom of men, but there is nothing for my soul; at Athens they went to Areopagus to hear the news, the events of the day, the actions and thoughts of wicked men. Then, I enter into the assembly of God; I find there the Bible, a sanctified company, divine order, ministry; I am conscious that God is there; I am exercised; I fall upon my face and I report that God is indeed amongst them. That is the important point.

-- The secrets of the heart are manifested.

-- And what God had in His mind as to Corinth has not changed as to all the gatherings.

Reading with J.T. at Valence, 11th May, 1926, evening.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (2)

1 Corinthians 4

-- For those who were not here yesterday evening, we might say what is the object in view in considering this epistle: it is that we might lay hold of the divine intention in each local Christian company, that is to say that it should be a vessel by means of which God can display His order and His testimony. We have taken special notice of the expression which occurs in chapter 12, referring to the saints as having been baptised in the power of one Spirit and as having been given to drink of one Spirit. It says of them, "So also is the Christ" 1 Corinthians 12:12.

-- It says that they are themselves "the Christ".

-- The assembly should appear in this world in the power and dignity of the anointing. In the first chapter it says that the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in them. We spoke of the service of the Lord as it is presented in Luke: He displayed the complete divine thought known and seen in Himself -- the Vessel. I think the first four chapters describe the character of the ministry, and also of the minister by means of whom the light came to the Corinthians. It says in these chapters that the ministry corresponded to the minister of it; in the same way that Luke presents the perfection of the Vessel in our Lord Jesus, so Paul, in his measure, was according to Christ. He served in the power and dignity of the anointing. These chapters therefore have a very special voice for those who carry on ministry among the saints. The divine thought is that the servant should be a model, or an expression of his service, and the genitive idea is thus perpetuated. As the gospel of Luke does, this epistle brings out that everything proceeds from God. It is like the book of Genesis

which develops the great patriarchal ideas. Primarily all comes from God, but in taking up Abraham, God develops the patriarchal idea; so Paul says here, "If ye should have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the glad tidings"; there was a perfectly pure seed (as the prophet speaks of it); and in order that there should be "seed after its kind" (Genesis 1:12), according to Genesis, Timothy is sent so that the primary idea should be before the Corinthians. The idea was to be there, before them, in his spiritual child; he was his "beloved and faithful child in the Lord". That is the genitive idea!

-- Would you say that the Lord took the place of father when, coming down from the mountain, He dealt with the child? The father could not do anything; then the Lord took his place.

-- The idea of a father is found everywhere in the gospels. The Lord Himself uses the words, 'son', 'daughter'. In Mark, He took little children and laid His hands on them, as if to give them His personal impression. Instead of having a natural impression, these children would have an impression of what Christ represented; the idea is developed in John; rather on the side of the family. But Luke introduces the idea of a new race. And here, we have what is of God.

-- "Ye are of God" 1 John 4:4.

-- In Hebrews the Lord speaks of the children whom God has given Him. They are of God.

-- The Lord, according to Luke's gospel, found His delights with the sons of men. Luke develops the idea of children of wisdom, and this feature plays a great part in this epistle. Paul develops the great ideas of wisdom in the way in which he served the Corinthians.

-- In Proverbs 23:15, the appeal of a father to his children is like Paul's appeal to the Corinthians:

"My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice". In Luke, words of grace were coming out of the Lord's mouth; and Paul has in his heart this ideal for his children; he speaks in heavenly grace.

-- The book of Proverbs develops, with regard to wisdom, the thought of ornament. With those who possess wisdom, a word spoken in season is like "apples of gold in baskets of silver" (Proverbs 25:11, note): the word is beautiful in itself, but its beauty is augmented by the setting -- "baskets of silver". If therefore we exercise a ministry, we must seek to be like the Model, otherwise our ministry will not commend itself; we could not hope that the result would be according to God, for it is inevitable that those who are enlightened by any servant whatever take on more or less the character of the minister. The Thessalonians became imitators of Paul, and then of the Lord (1 Thessalonian 1:6), for it is certain that they saw in the Lord the perfection of what they had already seen in Paul.

-- In the second epistle, he says, "By manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every conscience of men before God" 2 Corinthians 4:2.

-- We must notice what Paul says in chapter 2, in relation to his ministry. He refers to "that hidden wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:7) which was prepared before the world for our glory. None of the princes of this world, none of the "princes of this age" knew it; this expression is an allusion to intellectual men as well as leaders of other classes.

-- That is the heads of universities, as well as the Pharisees.

-- Is that the reason that God allowed all kinds of personages to appear on the scene before Christ came?

-- And His coming eclipsed them all.

-- Probably the greatest products of human culture preceded the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were on the scene shortly before His birth.

-- Since that period, human culture has never produced men like Aristotle, Demosthenes, etc. When their influence had reached its zenith, then Jesus appeared.

-- The census was made by Caesar Augustus, an emperor who had a great realm and great splendour, and he would not have failed to bring into evidence everything that set off the mind of man. Amidst all that human glory, Jesus was born.

-- The inn was filled with all these giants. There was no place for the Lord; He comes into the manger. He comes in, and they go out. The Lord of glory came in, and none of the princes of this world were there to receive Him, but the heavenly princes were there announcing the glory of God in the highest.

-- That which came into the world was duly published; there was a multitude of the heavenly host. Gabriel, a great prince in the heavens, had already been occupied with the birth of the Lord. He had spoken to Zacharias, and to Mary. The birth of the Lord of glory had therefore been suitably published in the heavens; while, upon earth, there was no salutation on the part of the princes of this age.

-- But there were shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks during the night watches. These were not found in the pleasure-gardens of the great city: they were keeping watch over their flocks during the night; and they are all specially distinguished. An angel appeared to them, saying, "Behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people; for today a Saviour has been born to you in David's city, who is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:10,11. Not only He will be the Lord, but He is the Lord of glory.

-- The "good pleasure in men" supposes that He is going to have a race of men whom he begets for the pleasure of God.

-- We see in the gospel of Luke that it is a question of a race. A race is in view.

-- Jerusalem was formerly an ornament on the earth.

-- The "Babe" who is brought in was to be the ornament.

-- "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion" Psalm 48:2. Our hearts are much affected if we compare the interest of heaven in the birth of the Lord Jesus with what took place on earth.

-- It is indeed very touching; no one came to find Him; but all heaven was occupied with Him.

-- The humble shepherds knew it.

-- And these humble shepherds formed the link between heaven and earth, the beginning of the new race, and they are moved by this beginning. "Let us see this thing that is come to pass" (Luke 2:15), they say. They went to Bethlehem and saw the Babe. A movement was produced in answer to the testimony, and a few days later we find the representative of the new race -- Simeon -- in the temple. Simeon was the representative. He came into the temple. It had been revealed to him that he should not see death before he should see the Lord's Christ. By the Spirit, he came into the temple and took the Child into his arms.

-- He took the Child from His parents. It is not said that he gave the Child back to His parents, for he represents the race which keeps the thoughts of God regarding Christ during the whole dispensation.

-- He is the priest, and with divinely given intelligence, he announces adoringly, "Lord, now thou lettest thy bondman go, according to thy word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples" Luke 2:29 - 31. So we are, as it were, introduced into a new world, and the energy of Anna completes the picture. It is

the setting aside of the "princes of this age". You see where we are introduced.

-- Into the company of Anna and Simeon?

-- If we are to become effective servants, we must consider them both.

-- Simeon blessed God with Christ. Anna blessed the saints with Christ.

-- I believe that Paul shows us in these chapters how he was in accord with all that. He excludes man. In verse 14 of chapter 2, he says, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him; and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned" 1 Corinthians 2:14. He insists that the things of God are presented to us and are searched by the Spirit of God; and the natural man, whatever his education, cannot take them in, but believers have the mind of Christ.

-- "So that the thoughts may be revealed from many hearts" Luke 2:35.

-- The universal light which shone round about these shepherds was to produce universal worship which would ascend to God.

-- That is what Luke presents, and he concludes his gospel with a company "continually in the temple, praising and blessing God" Luke 24:53.

-- We were speaking of the universal light which the shepherds had received. We find afterwards "a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon" (Luke 2:25); and then, Anna "spoke of him to all those who waited for redemption in Jerusalem" Luke 2:38. In one locality, the universal position and way are maintained.

-- Simeon represents rather what is of the Spirit and it is specially said that "he came in the Spirit into the temple" (Luke 2:27), which corresponds to that verse: "Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. Anna represents what is developed subjectively. The man generally represents what is objective; the woman,

that which corresponds subjectively. Anna would represent the subjective feature. The end of the gospels, with the exception of Luke's gospel, presents the woman, indicating the subjective result of what has been presented of God. There was the anointing of Him by whom the light came. There is a subjective effect in four women, who, taken together, represent the complete answer to Christ in the assembly; "so also is the Christ" 1 Corinthians 12:12.

-- Would you touch on the subject of the anointing of the Lord in the four gospels? If you put the four together, you have subjectively in the saints "the Christ".

-- There is first the anointing in the gospel of Matthew, in chapter 26; it is a question there of the subjective appreciation of rule. That is a great feature in the assembly, and it is the subject of the gospel of Matthew. In Mark, the anointing in chapter 14 gives us the idea of the subjective appreciation of levitical service. The anointing in John 12 would represent the subjective appreciation of the Person of the Christ, not what He is officially, but what He is personally.

-- All this forms "the Christ", His body which is here.

-- In Luke 7, we have a woman who appreciates the grace which comes out in Christ. So we form a part of those who love Christ. The Lord's attention is fixed on the woman, and He says, "Seest thou this woman?" Luke 7:44. We are of those who love Christ as the One by whom grace has come to us, and this thought connects with that which is anointed in chapter 12 of this epistle.

-- Would the four cases illustrate, "We ... have all been given to drink of one Spirit" 1 Corinthians 12:13?

-- Yes. The baptism of the Spirit presents the objective side. We do not baptise ourselves; it is a divine action. When we are made to drink, it is our

action; we have a sense of the value of the thing; we enjoy it.

-- "In the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised" (1 Corinthians 12:13) is a divine act. "Given to drink" means that we respond; we drink; it is our action.

-- Before closing, let us glance at chapters 3 and 4. We see how Paul speaks emphatically of the foundation that is laid, "which is Jesus Christ", that is to say an order of man who has been fully tested in His life down here and has shown Himself perfectly capable of resisting every temptation. The order of man presented in Christ had been put to the test in His life down here, and He it is who had been presented as foundation.

-- Does that correspond to the Lord's foundation in Matthew 16?

-- Matthew 16 depends on the Son of the living God, known only by means of revelation, by means of testimony, the testimony of the gospels.

-- David presents what was put to the test, but Solomon presents another side.

-- Solomon was a son unto his father, tender and an only one in the sight of his mother (Proverbs 4:3), but in David we see a life publicly tested, and that is not only recorded for us in the inspired history, but Nathan, Gad and Samuel wrote on the subject. The years had passed over him; he was old and full of days. The days had been passed in going out and coming in among the people, in service for them, and it was the same with the Lord Jesus. We have four inspired records, and John says that there are many other things; if they were written, the whole world could not contain the books. So the apostles were to stand in the temple and speak of Jesus Christ. It is in that Person that the foundation is found; it is just a question of testimony.

-- The world could not contain all the books concerning the acts of Jesus, but the vessel here is

necessary and sufficient to be the living expression of them.

-- What is the difference between revelation and testimony?

-- The revelation in John 1 is universal; it is for the whole world. In the case of Peter, it was a special revelation; the principle of revelation should be understood by every believer. In revelation, it is a question of that which is in my soul and which comes from God. Paul does not deal with that here; he is dealing with that which is presented to them.

-- Testimony?

-- A foundation in their soul, "which is Jesus Christ". He was a complete example in his personal walk before them.

-- Would you say a few words further on revelation?

-- It is difficult to express what I have in mind as to revelation; each believer should enter into it. The Lord said to Simon, "Flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee" Matthew 16:17. If He said simply, "Flesh and blood has not revealed it", that would be general; but a divine transaction must take place in the soul of each one contemplated, as distinct from what is presented in testimony.

-- Revelation was made to Saul, when the Lord spoke to him on the road to Damascus.

-- Revelation gives me, so to speak, an individual position in the spiritual sphere. What is presented in testimony might be presented to a hundred persons at once.

-- The Lord said to Ananias, "Go, for this man is an elect vessel to me, to bear my name before both nations and kings and the sons of Israel: for I will show to him how much he must suffer for my name" Acts 9:15,16.

Reading with J.T. at Valence, 12th May, 1926, morning.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (3)

1 Corinthians 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14 - 22

-- Towards the end of our meeting this morning, we considered the character of the foundation which is laid. It says that the foundation is Jesus Christ. We noticed the difference between what we have here and what we have in Matthew 16. In Matthew, the foundation refers rather to the relations of our Lord with God: He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The revelation made to Peter was a personal revelation. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly" Matthew 16:17,18. The Lord lays emphasis on the individuality of Peter and what he was personally; as having received a personal revelation, he formed, so to speak, part of the material for the building -- the building of which the Lord speaks as being "My assembly". The foundation refers to the testimony presented to all at Corinth. It was a question of "Jesus Christ", the One who had been known and tested in this world under the eye of God. And we all have to be tested, as forming publicly part of the assembly. So we do well to notice the foundation, that which is presented in the four gospels. The foundation is involved in the expression "the words of this life" Acts 5:20. "The words" would suggest the life in detail. There is "the word of life" and "the words of this life" Acts 5:20.

-- It says, "All the words of this life" Acts 5:20.

-- Then a warning is given in chapter 3, to all those who build thereon, in order that there should be nothing in the building that does not agree with the foundation. What was accomplished in this way at

Corinth gives rise to another thought -- that of the temple.

-- What is the thought relating to the temple?

-- It is there that the divine mind is by the Spirit. This is not exactly revelation, but light that is shed with regard to what is revealed. Under the old economy, the things in the temple referred to the revelation: the ark of the covenant, the cherubim, the table, the candlestick, the golden altar, everything there related to the revelation; and the temple implies that light is always available with regard to these things. The saints therefore have means, which are independent of all that is of man, of receiving light from God; hence the seriousness of corrupting such a thing. If this temple is corrupted, that which purports to be light from God may become darkness. We are occupied now with what relates to a meeting such as this. The fact that we are together today provides the Spirit an opportunity of shedding light on what is already revealed, and each one ought to be in his place, to fulfil his function in the temple.

-- Do you think that the wisdom of God is manifested in the saints as being the temple of God?

-- That which I have understood of Christ as being the wisdom of God ought to shine in me in the temple. The might of the assembly is like that of a stone most precious.

-- David spoke of the temple as a place where one could enquire.

-- The Greeks had the idea of a temple, as much as the Jews. The Christians at Corinth were to know that they themselves were that temple by virtue of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

-- I was thinking of the candlestick which was in the holy place, and of which the lamps shone before the candlestick.

-- That points to the light that the Spirit sheds on things already revealed; so, the idea of a "creed"

does not touch this idea. We have the teaching of the apostles, but spiritual light renders that teaching ever fresh and applicable to ourselves. As an example, one might say that a spiritual song brings out what is already revealed to our hearts. "The book of the wars of Jehovah" (Numbers 21:14) and "the poets" (Numbers 21:27) go together, in so far as the Spirit is recognised. Thus, all spiritual ministry proceeds from the temple. In Christianity, there is that which existed from the beginning, which must never be lost sight of, but that which existed from the beginning is brought to us in the power of the Spirit, to us who live in the present day.

-- How do you connect this with chapter 5

-- All that we have remarked is connected with the ministry. It is a question in chapter 3 of the minister and the ministry; the bearing of the chapter is particularly on those who serve, so that we should not bring into the building any foreign material, and that we should not corrupt the temple of God.

-- The order of man should be before us in the foundation. We cannot build if we lose sight of it.

-- When we come to the temple, it is then a question of what is of God.

-- "Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any one corrupt the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye" 1 Corinthians 3:16,17. You see the prominence given to the temple of God.

-- The princes of this age disappear in the presence of the princes of a much more elevated order which appears in the temple.

-- The princes of this age are removed from the mind of the believer. What emanates from the temple of God eclipses the best human productions. As to those who go astray from the truth of the assembly, although they may retain correct outward forms, they will be found without freshness. This is what we have sorrowfully seen among certain of

our brethren who have separated from us. What a warning against the idea of a party! The end of chapter 3 especially is intended to warn the saints, and particularly servants, against the thought of following men. Then, in chapter 4, the apostle enlarges on what characterised him in that connection. He indicates that the servants belong to the saints. He did not care about men's judgment. "But he that examines me is the Lord" 1 Corinthians 4:4. Then he says, "I think that God has set us the apostles for the last, as appointed to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men" 1 Corinthians 4:9. Not only were they found in a position of suffering, on account of their testimony, but God had placed them in that position. He did not wish the apostles to become personally the leaders of schools. Paul says, "To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are in nakedness, and buffeted, and wander without a home, and labour, working with our own hands ..." 1 Corinthians 4:11,12. To the present hour they corresponded to the thought of God. It is what they are still at that moment, and not only what they were.

-- Why does he say, "a spectacle ... to angels"?

-- That was in accord with their place of prominence in the testimony. It had been the same at the cross. The angels have a great interest in all that corresponds with the cross.

-- They desired to look into the sufferings of Christ.

-- And the angels saw the continuation of the sufferings in the apostles. These are very remarkable chapters for those who aspire to the ministry. We must remember that our ministry is to produce something, and generally, as water rises to its own level, the product of our ministry corresponds with ourselves.

-- The measure of Christ in the servant is the measure of his productive capacity.

-- Everything else will be devoured by fire.

-- The apostles began to preach at Jerusalem. The Lord had prayed for Jerusalem, and He had wept over Jerusalem. The apostles who had a peculiar place in the testimony had observed the affections of Christ, in His sufferings.

-- And the beginning of the Acts insists much on the correspondence between those who were speaking and Christ. In the first chapter, Jesus appeared to them "after he had suffered" (Acts 1:3); they were to continue on the principle of sufferings. Then you find, in chapters 3 and 4 of the Acts, what God could produce in Peter and John. "Look on us" (Acts 3:4), they could say to the lame man. If they were put in prison, they rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer for His name. In these men we see the anointing oil with which the tabernacle was anointed: the Spirit of a suffering Christ.

-- We have a spiritual faculty to assimilate to ourselves the thoughts of God as to Christ.

-- There is moral accord between the servants and a suffering Christ. In the Song of Songs, the loved one says, "A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me" (Song of Songs 1:13); there is not only one feature of suffering, but every feature of suffering -- which the bundle suggests; it is in the light of that expression that she embraces Him. Paul said that he was to fill up that which was behind of the tribulations of Christ.

-- The epistle to the Philippians is the product, in the saints, of the bundle of myrrh.

-- When we reach chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians, it is not a question of things for which the servants are responsible, but it is the responsibility of the assembly to purge out leaven. Without discipline the things of God cannot be preserved among us. In a general way, those who depart from the assembly are incapable of maintaining discipline. The principle of discipline is that the Lord is to be feared in the assembly of His

saints. The apostle spoke of having already judged, to deliver, "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ... him that has so wrought this ... to Satan". A human organisation has no power in discipline, in spite of the best catechism it may have. Discipline depends on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is exercised among the saints in a collective way.

-- Are the saints thus sustained in power and holiness, in which Christ Himself met and set aside all that is contrary to God and His throne?

-- At the outset of the Lord's ministry, when He was about to cast out the demon in the synagogue of Capernaum, the demon recognised that He was "the Holy One of God" Mark 1:24. We must recognise the holiness of God. This does not concern only the principal brothers, but it is to come home to each brother and each sister in the company.

-- We cannot have God in our midst except in holiness; and where should we be without the presence of God?

-- Do you think that a person who does not maintain holiness in his own house can maintain it in the house of God?

-- Can he even maintain it in his own soul?

-- Those from whom demons had been cast out represent Christians who experience in themselves the effect of demons cast out of their soul. Mary of Magdala had had seven demons; such a sister would not be able to tolerate uncleanness in the assembly. It was a terrible experience to be possessed by an unclean spirit, and when the Lord has cast out an unclean spirit, there remains a vessel in which the holiness of God can be developed.

-- The fact that Mary of Magdala was at the cross suggests the thought expressed in the Song of Songs: "My beloved ... shall pass the night between my breasts" Song of Songs 1:13.

-- Mary said, "If thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away" John 20:15.

-- Her affection was a holy affection. She desired Him.

-- While she was in the limitations of the night, the Lord gave her the light of an eternal day.

-- Mary of Magdala was qualified for holiness. What a vessel of uncleanness she must have been! But now, what a vessel of holiness!

-- The Lord could deposit in that vessel what was most glorious. What characterised Mary of Magdala forms the basis of what is developed in chapter 20 of John: "Receive the Holy Spirit" John 20:22. In a general way, John does not lay emphasis, as Luke does, on holiness, but he says here, Receive that sort of Spirit -- a Spirit that would develop a holy life. Those of us who have judged sin in ourselves as before God and who have received the love of God should have the greatest care with regard to holiness in the house of God.

-- It is a question of a spiritual state to retain what is good. The same spiritual being can retain what is of God and exclude what is of man.

-- We have here the introduction of the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. Before the Lord's crucifixion both things are mentioned -- the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. The saints have arrived at the point where the question of sin is to be settled by God in Christ, by way of sacrifice; but there was more than that, for the saints were to be there, as well as the Lord. He Himself was to be the Passover, but the feast of unleavened bread was to be developed in the saints. Thus, the feast of unleavened bread forms the basis of all the instructions that follow, down to chapter 11. In chapter 10, we approach the truth of the assembly, and it is needful for the matter to be clear in our minds. In Matthew

and Mark, the Lord's supper was introduced "as they were eating" Mark 14:22. If the Lord suffers as the paschal Lamb, the saints must eat that which answers to it, and that is what is in view in this chapter.

-- Would you say a few words as to the Spirit which disavows mere memory and every human and intellectual faculty and brings us together in the light of the temple, at a moment like this, to enable us to enter together into the thoughts of God?

-- Our natural memories have no value, but there is the thinking faculty which answers to that of Christ, and not only the faculty, but "the intelligent faculty with its thoughts" 1 Corinthians 2:16 (note). Therefore, in assembling ourselves, we have the light of that faculty. The precious thoughts that we treasure by the power of the Holy Spirit are those which God uses when the brethren are assembled. We treasure them in a passive way, and we give the Lord and the Spirit opportunity to act.

-- We ought to be like a stringed instrument in the hands of the Lord. It is He Himself who touches the chords, and we ought to be disposed to listen rather than to speak. The "five words" would be a contribution from the temple.

-- "Five words with my understanding" 1 Corinthians 14:19.

-- It is in view of consolidating the present work of God, by the Spirit, in the hearts of His own assembled.

-- In entering upon the subject of the assembly, the apostle says, "I speak as to intelligent persons". Therefore, what I possess, as taught of God, should be at the disposal of the company. God may call me to say something; then I ought to be ready.

-- It is the state of mind in which I hold myself. We are not therefore, as is sometimes said, empty vessels. God makes use of full vessels.

-- Paul speaks of the treasure which is in an earthen vessel. The earthen vessel is therefore not empty.

-- "Each of you has a psalm" 1 Corinthians 14:26. I suppose that I

have that psalm. But I need not give it out because I have it. Nevertheless, I have it.

-- The effect of being in the temple is that different passages of which I had never thought are connected one with another.

-- That is what we see in the apostles at the beginning. They quote the Psalms and other Old Testament scriptures and connect them one with the other.

-- The bearing of the Scriptures becomes clearer, because we receive, in that faculty, the mind of Christ. What could be more important than that?

-- We see then the great importance of gathering together in the light of the temple, and of functioning in the temple.

-- By this means, what is clerical is set aside. Instead of having recourse to a very gifted brother, the saints have recourse to God, and receive the thoughts of His heart by the Holy Spirit.

-- James, at the first Church Council, quotes the prophet Amos to bring out the mind of God.

-- "And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter" (Acts 15:6), and that matter was examined by reference to the temple. The discussion which took place was a holy and brotherly discussion. Then Peter stood up and brought out how God, by his mouth, had preached to the nations. Later, James rose, and in his discourse he connected what Peter had said with a passage from the prophet Amos. So we see how, on that memorable occasion, the light of the temple shone. Light came in, but the Holy Spirit also came in: "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" Acts 15:28. No assembly in the world could act thus. The divine mind came out, and was imposed upon everyone among the nations.

-- Our attitude of mind is that we want to acquire. Like the bees, we take a little nectar from each flower; when we have acquired something, in our secret history with God, we are found together in

that mind. God can use what we have and multiply it in the temple, as the Lord was able to multiply what the little lad had and feed the five thousand.

-- The first chapter of the Acts gives us an example of the temple in function. The Lord goes up to heaven, and His own, those who were His witnesses, return to Jerusalem and go into the upper chamber; the names of the principal ones who were there are given to us. We find an expression such as this: "the crowd of names who were together" (Acts 1:15), that is to say the names indicated what material was there. There was material for the temple. It says that in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples. He speaks; and he draws attention to the treachery of Judas and quotes the Psalm that covers that event, saying, "Let another take his overseership" Acts 1:20. Who is to take his office? "It is necessary therefore, that of the men who have assembled with us all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken up from us, one of these should be a witness with us of his resurrection" Acts 1:21,22. The matter is placed in God's hands by the lot, and the lot falls on Matthias. Thus, the mind of God is brought into view as to him who is to be chosen. The material for the temple to be erected is tested before it is occupied by the Holy Spirit.

-- And in chapter 15, the Holy Spirit has taken the place of the lot.

-- The thought of the temple is that God is there; and God manifests Himself. The one who takes his place in the company which is going to be the temple has seen Jesus move down here.

-- They are the movements of divine Persons who come in and go out "among us".

Reading with J.T. at Valence, 12th May, 1926, afternoon.

SPIRITUAL JUDGMENT

1 Corinthians 6:1 - 5; John 18:19 - 24; Judges 3:5 - 11; Judges 4:1 - 6 ( ... commanded?)

According to the passage we have read in the epistle to the Corinthians, we see, as regards judgment, what is the destiny of the saints who compose the assembly: they will judge the world and they will judge angels. May we now, in the exercise of judgment among the saints, be qualified for our great functions to come in this respect!

The question is put as follows, in the epistle to the Corinthians: "Thus there is not a wise person among you, not even one, who shall be able to decide between his brethren!" Is there not such a man who can settle questions among his brethren? It is evident that they were lacking in such wisdom, in spite of all that the apostle Paul says as to them (1 Corinthians 1:5 - 7). The question that he puts makes us think that there was not a wise man among them, a man capable of deciding difficult questions among his brethren. Nevertheless, he maintains that those who form part of the assembly are qualified to act thus, for he orders that those who are "little esteemed in the assembly" should be employed for such occasions. "Set those to judge who are little esteemed in the assembly". Notice that the one who was to be employed is a person of the assembly, for intelligent persons are found "in the assembly"; and if wisdom is not there, it will not be found anywhere in the world. "If two of you shall agree on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from my Father who is in the heavens" Matthew 18:19. It is a question of two or three who are in the assembly.

I now desire to show you, from the other passages

we have read, how this spirit of judgment is to be developed in us; in that, as in all else, we must learn from Christ. He is found before the throne of judgment, where true justice ought to have been administered; but He was not Himself on the throne of judgment, although that throne belonged to Him. God "has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed, giving the proof of it to all in having raised him from among the dead" Acts 17:31. He is the Judge, and the world will soon get the benefit of His perfect administration. It will not be an administration encumbered by interminable Acts of Parliament. It would be very difficult for anyone to read all the Acts of Parliament of men, even if one spent a whole life at it. They have their own value; but our Lord Jesus Christ Himself sums up the whole law in these two commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang" Matthew 22:37 - 40. Our great and beloved Lawgiver will write these two commandments in the hearts of men; and the world to come, of which He will be Judge, will enjoy a perfect administration of justice.

Nevertheless, at the moment of which we are speaking, He was not on the throne of judgment: He was at the bar of the tribunal of men: it is the opposite of all moral history. As the passage in John 18 shows, the position was reversed, for the Judge of Israel was there, in the presence of all. It is true that He was smitten, but He was present; He did not keep silence, for that moment formed part of His testimony as the Judge of Israel. Before leaving this world, our Lord was to bear witness to just judgment. As if he were himself the true judge,

the high priest questions Him. He calls witnesses, for, according to the law, "at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established" Deuteronomy 19:15. "The high priest therefore demanded of Jesus concerning his disciples and concerning his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world; I taught always in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews come together, and in secret I have spoken nothing. Why demandest thou of me? Demand of those who have heard, what I have spoken to them; behold, they know what I have said". The Lord's acts were public. His ministry was public. He did nothing, and said nothing, in secret. There were thousands of witnesses of what He had said and done. Why were they not called, if He was to be judged? But we see that one of them gave Him a blow on the face. Such was the character of the throne of judgment before which the Lord was found. Since everything was based on witness, if He had spoken evil, why not bear witness of the evil? And if He had spoken well, why smite Him? "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?" The Lord did not defend Himself, though He might have appealed to legions of angels. He had told the disciples that if they were smitten on one cheek, they were to present the other.

If therefore there are differences between brethren, we have here the principles on which judgment is to be carried out; and if a wise man is found among them, he will act according to these principles. He will thus qualify for that great function in the day to come. The Judge of Israel, in presence of the high priest, had established all these principles; and they should be maintained and put into practice in the assembly today, as they will be in the future.

These principles were applied in Israel, in old times, when the need was felt. The first judge of Israel

was Othniel, and I believe that if we examine the passage in the book of Judges regarding him, we shall learn from that judge a feature that should form the basis of all judgment approved of God. The people of God were living in bad company; it says, "The children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites and Perizzites and Hivites and Jebusites". They "dwelt", it says. And what was the result? It was that they inter-married, with the inevitable consequence that the practices of those nations characterised the people of God. It is a very serious situation -- a situation that has often characterised the people of God, and which characterises them much in our day. Such circumstances bring in the governmental ways of God, and His ways are always the fruit of His love. The divine thought is expressed in the judge; and deliverance is also in the judge. The oppressor sent by the government of God was the king of Mesopotamia (that is to say "Syria of the two rivers"), a man possessed of great natural resources -- learning which is very dangerous among the people of God and which brings you down to the level of men around you; in such a case we are sure to fall to the level of those who have only natural resources. Then there is neither progress nor spirituality. In those circumstances the judge must have great spiritual resources. There is no reason why there should be one of us not characterised by this, for faith's resources are immense.

Othniel belonged to a blessed family, and no one can be a judge according to God if he does not belong to that family. He was of the family of a man, Caleb, whose faith had shone in the darkest days, and he persevered in faith; at the age of eighty-five years, this Caleb was full of vigour. "I am still this day strong, as in the day that Moses sent me" Joshua 14:11. He appreciated the inheritance of God and possessed the power to take possession of it. Further, Othniel

had as wife the daughter of that great man of faith, who possessed great spiritual means. Othniel's wife knew how to ask. She had encouraged her husband to ask of her father a field. She herself asked, "Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a southern land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs" Judges 1:15. The king of Mesopotamia, with his two rivers, had no such resources. No man of this world has the resources possessed by the man of faith, a man established in the light of the assembly, and who has received, as blessings, the upper springs and the lower springs. He is infinitely superior to the man of this world, whatever he may possess materially. So Othniel was found beyond the reach of natural influences. How many of the Lord's servants are independent of natural influences? Deliverance from these influences lies in laying hold of the resources which are available to us; and that is what is seen in Othniel and in Achsah. They acted on the principle of asking. So Othniel judged Israel and went out to war. "And Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim king of Syria into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty years". You see, beloved, the great principle which is established in Othniel with regard to judgment; it is the principle of cultivating our spiritual resources and increasing them.

The other judge was Ehud. This man was different from Othniel. As to him, it was no question of family relations, nor of great spiritual resources. It was a question for him of the word of God. No one can be judge among the people of God, save one who knows how to use the Scriptures, and who knows how to use them spiritually. "For the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner

of the thoughts and intents of the heart" Hebrews 4:12. This man's weapon was a sword having two edges. You will remark that the sword has two edges; and I must know how to use this sword against myself. I can only use it against another if I have used it against myself This weapon distinguished between soul and spirit, and between joints and marrow; "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart". If therefore I have been personally searched by the word, there is no danger of my using partiality. I shall know how to judge; my judgment will be a righteous judgment; it will be according to the thoughts of God.

Ehud had to do with a fat man. It was a matter of human pride. Eglon king of Moab was "a very fat man" Judges 3:17. How much the people of God have been oppressed by human pride! How much they have suffered from it! How many things there are of which we are proud, alas! Yet all these humiliating things are not even worth the trouble of being mentioned by a Christian. Nevertheless, we are proud of them. We are enclosed in our own fat. What is to be done? A secret sword with two edges is absolutely necessary. It was no question of religious culture for Ehud: he was left-handed. He was not a normal man. He would have been quite despised in the seminaries; but he effectively maintained what met the situation at that moment. He acted ruthlessly against that terrible thing -- pride -- which has its origin in Satan himself. The secret of Satan's fall was his pride. The saints themselves have to suffer from pride. If this man is to judge, in the presence of pride, he needs this sword -- a sword having two edges; he knows how to wield it: he wields it skilfully.

The next judge is Shamgar. I did not read the passage: Judges 3:31. In him, we have another feature of this great principle of judgment. The

instrument he uses is an ox-goad. If an ox could speak, it would be able to tell you what a goad means; but we are occupied with men, and Scripture uses oxen to speak of men. "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox", it says, "that is treading out corn" (1 Corinthians 9:9); but it does not say, Thou shalt not use the goad. The goad is the discipline of God. It sometimes seems severe to us, but it is necessary. When I have learnt the lesson that is needful for me I have acquired experience, and it is according to my experience with God that I possess power. "He smote the Philistines, six hundred men, with an ox-goad" Judges 3:31. Who are the Philistines? Men of renown. They take a place among the people of God, because the latter have failed in their responsibility to exterminate them. As on previous occasions, they it was who ruled over Israel, but the man who possesses an ox-goad kills six hundred Philistines at one stroke, for in divine things he who can kill one can kill six hundred. So success flowed from experience.

If you have great spiritual resources, if you know how to use the word of God, if you have acquired experience in the school of God, then you will be qualified for spiritual judgment. Such are the great features that God can approve.

I will now speak of Deborah, in whom another feature is presented. It was a question of a woman; and it says that she "judged Israel at that time". At that time, Israel was ruled by a man having great military resources. His resources were not those of the king of Mesopotamia. This man of great military resources was Jabin; and he had nine hundred chariots of iron, a great display of military power. Could a woman face such a situation? Let the sisters in particular consider it with us. Let us see how God meets this serious state of things. We are in the presence of the greatest display of military strength against the people of God; and a woman is to overcome

all that. But how? She was the wife of Lapidoth, as Othniel was the husband of Achsah who had great spiritual resources; she was the wife of a man who had light (the name Lapidoth means 'light'). I believe she represents the believer in relation with Christ as "the Light", for the light is of the greatest importance when such a military force is to be met. In the epistle to the Ephesians, it speaks of the rulers of darkness against whom we have to struggle. The whole power of Satan is in view in the epistle to the Ephesians. We are therefore enlightened as to the place where Satan is and as to his power. It is an advantage to us to know the headquarters of the enemy and what are his forces.

But the light is not sufficient to gain the victory, and so we read that "she dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah". She had gained victories herself. I cannot stand, in the presence of Satan, apart from that. It was not the palm-tree of Lapidoth; it was the palm-tree of Deborah. If it had been the palm-tree of Lapidoth, it would have been objective, but it was a question of experiences she had had herself. She had herself overcome. It is said that "he that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city" Proverbs 16:32. The children of Israel came up to Deborah for judgment. She did not need to announce herself, for moral power was with that woman. "She dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment". Dear brothers and dear sisters, we must rule our own spirit in order that the Holy Spirit may do things in us. I have much more confidence in the instinct of a spiritual sister than in the calculated judgment of the most intelligent brother who is not spiritual. Instinct is the most important thing, and if we are spiritual, our instincts will be true. The children of Israel recognised

this great quality in Deborah; they came up to her and trusted her judgment.

But all that was not sufficient to crush Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, and his chariots of iron, and his multitude. But it was a great moral basis in view of the defeat of the enemy. She says to Barak, "Hath not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded? Go and draw towards mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun, and I will draw unto thee, to the torrent Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, and his chariots and his multitude, and I will give him into thy hand" Judges 4:6,7. She draws Barak's attention to the commandment of Jehovah: "Hath not Jehovah the God of Israel commanded?" A commandment had been given, and if God commands, we can expect the complete defeat of the enemy, however powerful he may be. I do not wish to speak at length on this victory; I am speaking of the features, the qualities of the judge. These qualities shine beautifully in Deborah. The victory was due to her responding to the commandment of Jehovah: "Hath not Jehovah the God of Israel commanded?" The victory was complete. The result was seen in that "a mother in Israel" arose. Then the highways were established and the villages were no longer forsaken. It says that formerly the travellers on highways went by crooked paths and "the villages ceased in Israel" Judges 5:7. So you see that the service of Deborah introduced the great divine highways. Now we know where we are going; we no longer follow "crooked paths", for there is a highway. We do not walk blindly. On these highways are the villages in which we enjoy happy fellowship and unity among our brethren. The ministry of Deborah had one great result: it is that there were those who love Jehovah. "Let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in its might" Judges 5:31.

Beloved, I might speak longer on this subject, for it includes the whole of the book of Judges. I only wished to point out to you these features in relation to the circumstances in which the testimony is at the present time; these features relate to our circumstances. I lay stress on what is seen in Deborah. If I am to have power among the saints, I must be in spiritual victory and know how to rule my own spirit. The saints will recognise me; I shall be wise, capable of deciding difficult questions between my brethren.

Thus we should be qualified, in view of the day when we shall judge the world and angels.

Address by J.T. at Valence, 12th May, 1926, evening.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (4)

1 Corinthians 11:17 - 34

-- The particular object that we have in view in considering this epistle is to examine, with the Lord's help, what is the divine thought with regard to each local assembly; that is, that God may have a vessel clothed with dignity by the anointing, a vessel that He can use for the testimony. We have specially in view that passage in chapter 12, where the saints are spoken of under the figure of the human body; they are regarded as "the Christ" (the Anointed), having been "in the power of one Spirit ... baptised into one body", and having been all "given to drink of one Spirit" 1 Corinthians 12:13. Our inquiries have led us as far as chapter 5. We can pass in review the chapters preceding chapter 11.

Yesterday afternoon, at the end of our meeting, we were occupied with the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. The two great features of that feast were set forth at the time of the Lord's death. The passover referred to Himself. So it says, in that chapter 5, that "our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7); Christ has been sacrificed for us. The feast of unleavened bread is that which corresponds in us. So we are enjoined to celebrate the feast, "not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" 1 Corinthians 5:8. It was said that in Matthew and Mark, the disciples were eating when the Supper was introduced -- "as they were eating". This epistle speaks of eating, that is to say an act preparatory for the Lord's supper. Unless we eat, that is to say, celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, we shall not be prepared for the Lord's supper.

-- Should the fact that we must eat in order to be able to take the Lord's supper discourage us?

-- It seems to me that the question of eating ought rather to encourage us, providing it is a matter of celebrating the feast "with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" 1 Corinthians 5:8. The unbeliever says, "Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32); while, on the contrary, we eat and drink in order to live.

-- What is the thought of eating unleavened bread?

-- We eat it to avoid being puffed up, but at the same time to maintain spiritual energy.

-- It is not for the flesh, but for the spirit.

-- It produces a spiritual constitution. The Corinthians were puffed up, which shows that they were not celebrating the feast with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. These two things are mentioned in Matthew. When the disciples were eating, the Lord tests them as to the one who would betray Him. "And as they were eating, he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up" Matthew 26:21. Such a challenge searches our hearts, for we have very treacherous hearts, and while we might partake of the passover outwardly, we may perhaps have neglected to search our hearts. We do well to acknowledge humbly and solemnly that our hearts are capable of betraying the Lord. The psalmist invites Jehovah to search him, to see if there be any wicked thing in his heart.

-- "Search me, O God, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any grievous way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting" Psalm 139:23,24.

-- It says here, "Let a man prove himself". It is necessary for the brethren to examine us, before we are recognised as being in fellowship, but the Lord's challenge implied that each one was to examine himself. "One of you shall deliver me up", (Matthew 26:21) He says. And each one asks Him, "Is it I, Lord?" So, while

they were eating, the Lord took bread, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body" Matthew 26:26.

-- Judas says, "Is it I, Rabbi?" And the Lord answers him, "Thou hast said" Matthew 26:25. But the other disciples were exceedingly grieved, each one asking, "Is it I Lord?" Matthew 26:22. You see the contrast between the one who was eating the passover formally and those who are grieved: these are searched.

-- Life was found with the latter.

-- Each of them said, "Is it I, Lord?" while Judas said, "Is it I, Rabbi?"

-- Does the feast of the passover form the introduction to the Lord's supper?

-- According to Matthew and Mark, the act of eating precedes the introduction of the Lord's supper, and the Supper is introduced as something to be eaten. In Luke, eating is not spoken of in connection with the Supper; it is a question rather of order, and the Lord's supper is formally separated from the passover. Luke gives us two cups. Matthew and Mark only speak of one cup.

-- How do you explain that eating unleavened bread is a feast?

-- I believe that, in chapter 5, the word is only used in relation to the feast of unleavened bread; it is a term constantly employed in Israel. As to its spiritual meaning, that feast is transferred to the nations; but it is not God's intention that the legal idea should be transferred.

-- I put that question, thinking of that which Mr. C. asked, if it was discouraging to us. I find that on the contrary it should be very encouraging.

-- What is formal is transferred to Christians in its spiritual meaning. The Lord did not intend to transfer to Christians the Jewish feasts, except in their spiritual sense. The only formal sacraments we possess are baptism and the Lord's supper. God never intended that the passover, Pentecost and the

ascension should be formally recognised among Christians; that is why it does not say, 'the passover, Christ' -- but "our passover, Christ" 1 Corinthians 5:7. That is to say, the apostle is not occupied with the feast in a Jewish or formal way, but he speaks of the passover in its spiritual application, and of that which is spiritually superior to what is material.

-- We have that which we can enjoy every day of the week.

-- In Deuteronomy 16:3, it says, "Thou shalt eat no leavened bread along with it" -- with the passover -- "seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread with it".

-- The feasts typify what is spiritual, in whatever book of the Old Testament they may be found, and the principle of Deuteronomy is to make things as spiritual as possible. We can understand that at the end of forty years of exercises in the wilderness, the people were more spiritual than at the beginning. We see therefore that the feasts are reduced to three in the book of Deuteronomy; the law itself is reduced, and it is a matter of love. We must grasp the spirit, the spiritual meaning of what is written. And let us not forget that the letter kills, but the Spirit quickens.

-- In Deuteronomy it says that Jehovah loved the people. That is what we can enjoy every day of the week. Our relations one toward the other, during the week, should be on the principle of the unleavened bread. Chapter 5 is occupied with someone who may be called brother and be guilty of one of the sins that are mentioned. The feast of unleavened bread requires us not to mix, not even to eat with such a man. We ought to be distinguished from ordinary people of this world, for the first epistle to the Corinthians views us as being externally in the world. In our everyday relations, we meet all kinds of persons, but it is a question of maintaining the feast of the unleavened bread of truth and sincerity. It

maintains us, notwithstanding all the unclean persons that we meet, but if one of these persons is called brother, we are not even to eat with him.

-- That raises many serious questions. It is a matter of being able to discern those who are eating unleavened bread and those who are full of leaven.

-- As to what is amongst us, we are responsible to keep a suitable place for the Lord.

-- There are other points which go with the feast of unleavened bread. Chapter 6 takes account of Christians who go to law with one another, even before the unjust. Chapter 7 is occupied with the very complicated question of marriage. Chapter 8 is occupied with idolatry. Chapter 10 resumes the subject of idolatry, specially drawing our attention to the fact that many may outwardly profess Christianity and have part in all its outward privileges, and at the same time become subjects of God's judgment. The apostle fixes our attention on an important principle which governs the Old Testament types, that is, that everything happened for us, for the instruction of those upon whom the ends of the ages are come, to serve for our admonition. Brethren ought to pay very special attention to this. All the ages, all the divine economies point to our position in the assembly.

-- There should be in the assembly something which answers to each of the economies, by reason of the fact that all the divine economies point to our position in the assembly.

-- You are speaking of what was of God in each of the economies. In the Spirit of Christ, what was of God was maintained in each economy.

-- And I think the Lord wished to bring into view what was for God, in the passover cup which He gave to the disciples. All that God had been for them was there livingly in Himself; that is what is in the cup that the Lord gave His disciples. It refers to what was earthly; it was the fruit of the vine "which

cheers God and man" Judges 9:13. Now that was to be set aside until the day to come; but nevertheless, they were to divide it among themselves. The essence of the Old Testament was given to them; and in the Old Testament it was not a question only of types and shadows, but of what those types and shadows meant. The Lord was speaking of a very precious reality, when He said, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you, before I suffer" Luke 22:15. He Himself had wept over Jerusalem; His emotions were very real with regard to Jerusalem; and Christians ought to take account of all these things, for they are for us, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

-- In the book of Exodus the types are particularly presented. But that was not sufficient for God; it was necessary that He should come Himself. His personal movements and what was in His heart in view of the present moment are beyond what is typical.

-- All this was introduced at the last passover. "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you" Luke 22:15. It was not a formality. The Lord entered into the thing, but that which He did then was to be deferred until a future day. "And having received a cup, when he had given thanks he said, Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, that I will not drink at all of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God come" Luke 22:17,18. All that refers to the passover, and the fact that they were to divide the passover cup among themselves indicates that they were to carry away the spiritual essence of what was in the Old Testament, to maintain the testimony. Therefore, nothing is lost; all is maintained in a spiritual way in the assembly.

-- The ends of the ages came upon them in that cup that He gave to them.

-- At the first ecclesiastical council (Acts 15), there

were Gentiles and all was to be maintained. They were to abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.

-- It is important for the brethren to understand it, for we see the place of the assembly.

-- We find then the cup which we bless. It is distinct from that of which we have spoken. The cup which we bless is what God is for us.

-- In Corinthians we see the Lord's interests in respect of all the ages. Our affections are developed with regard to His interests in every age.

-- The affections of a wife for her husband go beyond mere responsibility.

-- "The heart of her husband confideth in her" Proverbs 31:11. The Lord has very vast interests, and we should take care of all His interests.

-- Thus, Rebecca took care of Isaac's tent. She would be for the delight of the heart of Isaac, but he had a tent, and Rebecca took her place there: she took her place in the circle of his interests.

-- We see that the Lord appreciates the testimony that had gone before. It is in the assembly that He can confide; and it is to her that He entrusts all these things. It is beautiful to see how the Lord entrusted His mother to the disciple whom He loved.

-- With regard to the two cups, why does it say that He received the first while He took the second?

-- The original ritual of the passover did not provide a cup. That seems to have been an addition, but the Lord accepts it. Someone evidently passed the cup to Him, and He accepted it, as a suitable way of expressing what was in the feast. But I should like to know what Mr. M. had in his mind with regard to it. Whatever the Lord found that He could accept, He accepted; but when it is a question of His own Supper, all comes from Him. It is not improvised. The Supper is established by Him according to

design. Thus, the bread and the cup are distinguished in a very definite way in the Lord's supper. The cup is brought before us prominently, so that in 1 Corinthians 10 it is spoken of before the bread. It is introduced, in chapter 10, in a particular way -- "the cup of blessing which we bless" 1 Corinthians 10:16.

-- Is not the second cup mentioned in Luke a mediatorial action in establishing the new covenant?

-- It says that it is "the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20), which involves mediatorial service. The covenant is made effectual by means of the Mediator. Having dealt with the things that were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come, chapter 10 introduces the subject of fellowship. If we do not understand the subject of fellowship (chapter 10), we shall not enjoy the Lord's supper; chapter 11.

-- His Name must be protected in the fellowship, in chapter 10, before His heart is satisfied, in chapter 11.

-- In these epistles, fellowship is a genitive thought, an idea which proceeds from something. In the first chapter, we have the fellowship of God's Son. What a dignity! It is the fellowship of God's Son to which we have been called. In this chapter 10, it is the communion (fellowship -- see note) of His blood and of His body. In the last chapter of the second epistle, it is the communion of the Holy Spirit; while in John it is fellowship with. "That ye also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is indeed with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" 1 John 1:3. The epistles to the Corinthians are occupied therefore with the character of the fellowship. John brings in the persons with whom we are found in that fellowship.

-- John presents the family, and fellowship with the persons. But the epistle to the Corinthians presents the vessel of the testimony, in connection with the fellowship of God's Son and of the Holy Spirit.

-- What does "the fellowship of the apostles" (1 John 1:3) mean?

-- I believe it would imply the authority of Christ resting in the apostles.

-- "They persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers" Acts 2:42.

-- In our day, Christian fellowship is often spoken of. True Christian fellowship preserves all that is according to God until Jesus comes.

-- I believe it is very important to see that it speaks of the doctrine and fellowship of the apostles, to enforce the authority that had been committed to them. The passage at the end of the second chapter of the Acts shows us how things went immediately after Pentecost; we see how subject those were who had been converted. The work was real in the hearts of those who had believed; they were subject to the authority of Christ which rested in the apostles.

-- Is that why Peter says, in chapter 3 of the Acts, "Look on us" Acts 3:4?

-- They represented what God was presenting to men in testimony, and what God was doing was to be connected with it. So Peter took the man by the hand; he formed, so to speak, a link with him; later, it says of the lame man who was healed that he "held Peter and John" Acts 3:11. There were links between the various parts of the work of God and those who were connected with it. In the second chapter, about three thousand souls were added, and at the very end of the chapter "the Lord added to the assembly daily those that were to be saved" Acts 2:47.

-- Why does it not say, in chapter 10, that the bread is the bread of blessing? The cup is called "the cup of blessing" 1 Corinthians 10:16.

-- It is because the bread represents that in which we have been set aside judicially. That does not mean that the bread does not involve blessing. In introducing the cup, the apostle wishes to present that which

we possess and bless. This cup is greater, more precious, than the passover cup. We appreciate the cup. A godly Israelite would have had a certain appreciation of what God was towards Israel. The Psalms abound in examples showing what God was to a godly Israelite, and God honours these tributes in choosing those which express the glory of His Son. But the Psalms are not on the same level as the hymns of Christians. What treasure we possess in our hymns! They express the glories of God revealed in Christ. I believe that the Christian collection is not as enriched as it might be. The resources that we possess in the Holy Spirit are great enough to render it richer than it is. The things that this cup involves are such that a richer tribute ought to arise to God.

-- You are speaking of our personal hymns, and not only of what is in our collections?

-- Of both. God has honoured the Psalms. He quotes from them in the first chapter of Hebrews, in order to bring out the titles, the dignities, the glory of Christ. All these titles are furnished by the Psalms. God honours our appreciation of Christ as the people of God express it in their psalms. It is as "psalmist" that David is called "man of God".

-- The Psalms are inspired, while our hymns are not inspired; but our thoughts are inspired.

-- Because they were inspired, the Psalms furnished the material which the Holy Spirit could use. The principle of the Psalms is this: "My heart is welling forth with a good matter: I say what I have composed touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" Psalm 45:1.

-- The inspiration of the Psalms was necessary, because the Spirit did not dwell in the godly men of that period.

-- Many psalms and spiritual songs have not been preserved, while the element of inspiration is to be

observed. David was "the sweet psalmist of Israel" 2 Samuel 23:1. When the ark was brought into its place, he brought in his psalm. He is called "man of God" in connection with that, and we see how God appreciated the tributes of his heart.

-- David composed a psalm in the light of the morning, in the presence of the sun-rising, a morning without clouds. To make one's psalm, one must have Christ before one.

-- And although our expressions are not inspired, we sing by the Spirit and with understanding. All that we have by way of hymns, in whatever language, belong to the whole assembly.

-- Our prayers and hymns are marked by weakness, but behind our hymns and prayers there are things which are far beyond our thoughts.

-- Our comfort is that God reads into our hearts. The spiritual productions which we have in various tongues are the heritage of the whole assembly, and it would be a blessed service if what is of the Spirit were made available to all Christians.

-- David took the dedicated or consecrated things and placed them in the house, and the house includes all saints upon earth.

-- I believe the study of the first book of Chronicles and the beginning of the second would help us much in that respect. David regards Jehovah as Head, indicating that he had the idea of supremacy. And as that book of Chronicles shows, he brought in all that was available, in order that the service of God might be enriched. What was consecrated was employed by him.

Reading with J.T. at Valence, 13th May, 1926, morning.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (5)

1 Corinthians 12:12 - 31

-- At the close of our meeting this morning, we were occupied with the cup. We spoke of what it presented as being a cup of blessing, "the cup of blessing which we bless" 1 Corinthians 10:16. What the apostle had in view in that section was the fellowship. The bearing of chapter 10 is connected with our public relations, for our fellowship involves that we are consistent in what we do, as partaking of the Lord's supper. It involves obligations towards all who are in fellowship. The bread, before it has been broken, represents the unity of the saints. Here it says, "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16. That is to say the saints universally break the bread. The fellowship is universal, as it is also local. In chapter 11, it says, "As often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come" 1 Corinthians 11:26. It is what the Corinthians did locally. But chapter 10 refers to the question of the fellowship in a general way, and what characterises the general fellowship ought to characterise the fellowship in each locality. The same principles and the same customs ought to be found everywhere, according as Paul says, "Thus I ordain in all the assemblies" 1 Corinthians 7:17.

-- It is not in chapter 10 but in chapter 11 that it says, "As often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come" 1 Corinthians 11:26. That supports the thought of the general fellowship in chapter 10, and of the local fellowship in chapter 11.

-- The gathering together is not mentioned in chapter 10, while chapter 11 says, "When ye come therefore together into one place" 1 Corinthians 11:20.

-- In chapter 10 it is a question of the fellowship in its general bearing. There ought not to be therefore a formal expression of local fellowship without the support of the general fellowship.

-- It says at the beginning of chapter 10, "that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink" 1 Corinthians 10:1 - 4. That takes in all the saints in fellowship on earth.

-- Might it not happen sometimes that the local fellowship does not correspond with the general fellowship?

-- Some time ago, I was in a locality where a brother whispered in my ear before the commencement of the meeting for worship, It is our custom to make the collection immediately after the Supper. I agreed with doing that, but I did not agree with the idea of a local custom.

-- I have noticed that, in certain localities, the symbols are covered with a napkin. Where did that custom come from? The twelve stones taken from the Jordan (Joshua 4) were set up in Gilgal before the eyes of the children of Israel.

-- The memorial ought to be seen; if it is not to be seen, it is not necessary at all.

-- We ought not to follow the customs of those who have not returned to Christian fellowship, although they are Christians.

-- We might have brought with us customs which come from that which we have judged in leaving it. In chapter 16 of Matthew, the Lord left the Pharisees and Sadducees: "And he left them and went away" Matthew 16:4. But it says that the disciples passed over to the other side, which means that a new position had been taken, and then, the Lord said to them, "See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Matthew 16:6.

They had separated from them; moreover, the Lord did not say to them, Beware of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But it was a question of their leaven "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Matthew 16:6. We might leave men and carry away their leaven with us, and "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" 1 Corinthians 5:6. We may be outwardly separate from religious organisations, and it might still be that there is not a great difference between us and them, because we have their leaven.

-- In us, everything ought to be new. There is "a new lump": "Purge out the old leaven" (1 Corinthians 5:7), says the apostle.

-- Where do these customs come from of covering the symbols? From popery?

-- That is all seen, in principle, in the case of the new cart on which David had put the ark; 2 Samuel 6. The most spiritual man of that time himself failed. The idea was a Philistine idea, and God showed by that incident -- the death of Uzza -- how He abhors things that are borrowed from the enemies of His people.

-- In the Roman Catholic system, they adore the Mass. This mysterious covering has a popish character, and the symbols are not in evidence; if they are not in evidence, there is nothing. What are hidden symbols?

-- In Egypt, in the Coptic church, the women are separated from the men by a partition. The same is done in our meetings.

-- Chapter 11 shows that it is not a matter of hiding the symbols, but of something that is to be seen. A symbol should typify something.

-- In these last days, the Lord has wrought to cause all these human customs to disappear. He has recovered the truth to us in all its simplicity. The Lord has brought heavenly customs. Do our customs come from heaven? That is the touchstone.

-- The Lord's supper as we have it is that which the apostle Paul received.

-- He received it from the Lord.

-- Chapter 11 shows the order in which the Supper is celebrated.

-- "In the ordered manner", it says in Judges 6:26.

-- Chapter 10 speaks of our public relations, that we may be preserved from things which would tend to defile us, idolatry in particular. Chapter 11 speaks of the saints in their more private relations, and in the first place of what is suitable in the man or woman who prays or prophesies, and then what is specially suitable when we are gathered together in assembly, because now it is a question of adornment. It is "the assembly of God" (1 Corinthians 1:2), and it must not be despised in allowing irregularities.

-- In some localities there is not a whole loaf, but a slice of bread. Is not that an irregularity?

-- The question was raised at Beauvoisin. Someone has remarked that in this version of the Bible it says that the Lord "took bread", which might be taken to justify the practice of using a slice of bread, but the expressions usually employed indicate that the Lord took a whole loaf.

-- In Luke it says "bread".

-- Chapter 10 would govern the position, because it says, "one loaf, one body". "Because we, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf" 1 Corinthians 10:17.

-- I do not think that a loaf means a piece or a slice of bread, because, in the same gospel of Luke, it speaks of five loaves.

-- What would be very serious would be to take a slice, taking the assembly as a part of a thing, while in this chapter, and specially in chapter 12, the assembly is one body. "We, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf" 1 Corinthians 10:17.

-- If there is not a whole loaf on the table (when that is possible) the symbol fails.

-- Matthew says, "And as they were eating, Jesus, having taken the bread and blessed, broke it and gave it to the disciples" Matthew 26:26.

-- We desire what is correct, what is in order.

-- A slice of bread might be considered as the symbol of a division.

-- Certainly the brethren have not that thought, but others see the thing in that way.

-- It is a question of public testimony, what is before us as a symbol.

-- We have the formal expression, "We, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf" 1 Corinthians 10:17.

-- The apostle says, "I praise you ... that as I have directed you, ye keep the directions" 1 Corinthians 11:2. The Lord bears with many irregularities among us when the intention is good. But if the Lord has given us certain teaching, we ought to be governed by that teaching, and this is what the apostle has particularly before him in this chapter. He speaks of what is comely in a man who prays or prophesies, and he adds that "if any one think to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the assemblies of God" 1 Corinthians 11:16. He was desirous that the brothers and the sisters should reflect the order of creation when prophesying or praying.

-- It is "on account of the angels" (1 Corinthians 11:10), is it not?

-- The apostle refers to their gathering, when he says, "In this ... I do not praise" 1 Corinthians 11:17.

-- But he praised them in connection with the directions he had given them.

-- The apostle insists on this point that is essentially important: there must be outward order.

-- One might consider that it was not absolutely necessary for a woman to be covered, but it is very important before God, because it is the order of creation.

-- Creation itself is introduced to teach us.

-- The Greek word kosmos (world) means 'order'.

-- It is not a matter of criticising what is done in certain localities; but what occupies us is that which is comely in the house of God. Formerly, it used to happen in England that one saw four cups on the table. There were no bad intentions in that, but it was not correct, for it only speaks of one cup -- the cup. It is the same as to the slice of bread for which we would give thanks.

-- The bread and the cup are symbols. If they are covered, they cannot be seen; and if they are not in accord with what is said of them, there is a lack of order. One aspect of the teaching of the Lord's supper is unity, that is to say, that the bread, before it is broken, represents the one body; and the cup is that into which we have all been given to drink, having all been "given to drink of one Spirit".

-- In chapter 11, all that teaching was given to the Corinthians before they gather together in verse 20.

-- You are speaking of the teaching concerning the man and the woman?

-- According to this passage, a woman who prophesies at home ought to have her head covered, likewise if she prays, with her children, for example.

-- Married or unmarried, she stands in relation to the man. The first part of the chapter points out God's order according to nature. The Head of Christ is God. Authority descends, from God to Christ, from Christ to the man, and from the man to the woman. All that exists individually; but in verse 20, it is a question of the saints collectively. It is remarkable to see how God causes the testimony of nature to blend with the testimony of the death of Christ.

The epistle to the Romans, which corresponds with that to the Corinthians, includes the same thing. There was a testimony, and there is a testimony in nature, and this testimony is reflected in the man and the woman, whether they pray, or whether they prophesy.

-- Is it the means by which God is expressed?

-- In Romans 1, it says that what may be known of God is "apprehended by the mind through the things that are made" Romans 1:20. In the incarnation, the true relation of God with man is seen clearly; so the Lord, in becoming Man, stood in relation to the creation.

-- Psalm 104 is the great Psalm relating to nature. "Covering thyself with light as with a garment" Psalm 104:2. It is what man wears, and man is the vessel of testimony as to the light of God in creation.

-- "Man indeed ought not to have his head covered, being God's image and glory" 1 Corinthians 11:7. That is connected with our position, whether individual or collective. Then there is new creation, where this order does not appear, because in new creation there is neither man nor woman, but it is quite another thing, something entirely new. We find nothing of what we have here when we read Colossians or Ephesians. We are occupied at this moment with teaching that refers to the assembly in a locality, and this teaching is to embrace every testimony given by God in the whole creation. And in the midst of all that, while maintaining the testimony of creation, we announce the death of the Lord until He comes. We maintain the testimony of creation, but we do not live in relation to creation. The light that has come to us has been brought to us by the Lord. Indeed it is in that light that we understand the testimony of creation. The Lord's supper has no reference to what has been produced in creation which is His handiwork as Creator.

-- It does not say, 'our Lord', but "the Lord". Every man who rejects Jesus rejects the Lord.

-- What renders the testimony so much more important is His rights as Lord, that is to say His rights over every man. As it says, "He is Lord of all" Acts 10:36. According to this chapter, He is Head of every man; and it is a question of "the death of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:26) not the death of the Head. In presenting Himself as Head, He manifested all that God was, and He has made it available to all men, but the testimony on the cross was not that. The Spirit insists on the inscription that was there: "Jesus the Nazaraean, the king of the Jews" John 19:19. Men cannot escape from the obligation implied by that inscription. Pilate said to Him, "Thou art then a king?" And He answered him, "Thou sayest it, that I am a king. I have been born for this, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth" John 18:37. Such was the good confession of Jesus. Our action in eating the bread and drinking the cup is the witness to it. If others wish to hide it, we announce it. The assembly does not hide the death of the Lord; on the contrary, she announces it. "Ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come" 1 Corinthians 11:26.

-- "They have taken away my Lord" (John 20:13), said Mary. But Paul says, "The Lord".

-- The writing on the cross announced that He was the King; and the world cannot escape its obligations. This fact might involve our death for Him. We stand, so to speak, by the cross. According to John, there were three Marys by the cross. If 'Mary' has any meaning, it must be 'mara', or 'bitterness'.

-- Three witnesses of the bitterness of the death of the Lord.

-- John says that two others were crucified with Jesus, but he does not say that they were robbers.

-- The position is made very clear with regard to Christians, for it says, "As often as ye shall eat

this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come" 1 Corinthians 11:26.

-- It is "ye". The emphasis is on "ye", in contrast with the world.

-- We are publicly identified with a Christ who died in this world. In this verse, it is not a question of recalling Him to our remembrance, but it is to be seen that He has died. It is a question of a dead Christ. The breaking of the bread, that is to say, that which the Lord did Himself, is another thing, a commemorative act. He Himself is thus presented to our hearts.

-- The public testimony is that we announce His death.

-- We assemble together, not only to announce His death, but to remember Him.

-- How do we link the collection with that?

-- Up to this point, we are occupied with our position in this world, in the wilderness; and the gifts of the saints are the fruit of their love, having in view the needs of the testimony; so that the collection is quite connected with the symbols.

-- The symbols and the collection are, in themselves, material things; but we finish with that side, in order to pass to another.

-- Then chapter 12 brings the Spirit forward. Chapters 12, 13 and 14 are taken up with the fruit of the Spirit in relation to all these public things. Thus, in these three chapters, 12, 13 and 14, it is a question of the anointed vessel, whence the pre-eminence given to the Holy Spirit.

-- Speaking of the collection, one thinks of the widow who gave the two mites to the temple. One gives to the testimony. The collection is made in relation to the universal needs of the testimony.

-- The teaching that we have regarding the collection refers to the needs in distant localities, which

brings us to the subject of the general, and not merely local, fellowship.

-- The brethren in Germany have been excessively touched by the thought of the brethren in France who have sent for their needs. It is beautiful to see those of the nations sending money to their needy brethren in Judaea. "And they determined, according as any one of the disciples was well off, each of them to send to the brethren who dwelt in Judaea, to minister to them; which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul" Acts 11:29,30.

-- The first cause of murmuring in the assembly was that the widows of the Hellenists were neglected. National feeling was one of the first features of defection in the assembly, while that feeling was fully overcome at Antioch in the freshness of the Spirit.

-- When we have the symbols, the Lord is before us, is He not? "Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it" (Ephesians 5:25); that is what we have in the bread and the cup. Then, with regard to the collection, we act like the Lord, in love, and we are not thinking only of local needs, but of all the saints.

-- It is very beautiful to see how the apostle unfolds this principle of giving. He shows that those who carried the collection of the brethren at Corinth were "Deputed messengers of assemblies, Christ's glory" 2 Corinthians 8:23. It is another heavenly custom given by the Lord; and the apostle concludes his subject by these words: "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable free gift" 2 Corinthians 9:15. I find the collection raised to quite an elevated level.

-- The Lord said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35.

-- The Lord left this scene sacrificing Himself, and if the saints are going to disappear into their spiritual

domain, their last public act should be on the ground of sacrifice.

-- It is very interesting to see, in the gospel of Luke, the place material things have in chapter 16, after the reception of the prodigal son in chapter 15. The rich man who lived luxuriously was living for himself; he is seen in his affairs. The unrighteous steward made use of what was to his hand in view of the future. It says that the lord praised that steward because he had done prudently. Then, we have Zacchaeus who was rich and who gave the half of his goods to the poor; Luke 19. The Lord acknowledged him as a son of Abraham. Later, we have the widow who gave to God all the living that she had; Luke 21. So, in the gospel of Luke, the Holy Spirit takes account particularly of gifts.

-- Again, Joseph of Arimathaea is spoken of (Luke 23), who was a rich man. He devoted himself to the testimony in the day of the greatest reproach.

-- There must be a liberal spirit.

-- "For God loves a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:7.

-- "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35.

Reading with J.T. at Valence, 13th May, 1926, afternoon.

THE RESULT OF A SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Hebrews 11:5; Jude 14; Psalm 133; Psalm 134; Psalm 135:19 - 21

I have chosen Enoch as showing the result of a spiritual exercise. It says that he was the seventh from Adam, and what is seen in him, as being the seventh from Adam, is that he pleased God.

A spiritual exercise is the result of light established in the soul. There had been an apostasy in the line of Cain. The result of the fall of Adam and Eve, as we see it in the fourth chapter of Genesis, presents a very dark picture of pride, lust and violence. But a son was born to Seth; and Seth, in naming his son, indicated that he accepted the judgment of God upon man as the consequence of sin. He had light. In other words, he gave his son the name of Enosh, which means 'Mortal man'. He had not been deceived by the longevity of the men of his time. He recognised that his descendants must die; and after that it is said, "Then people began to call on the name of Jehovah" Genesis 4:26. Light had been brought in. It had come by means of Seth; and in consequence others were enlightened. We see therefore how light spreads; it spreads from one to another. In Cain's line, the name of men was considered as having importance; and it is always so with those who live far from God. Cain built a city and gave it the name of his son. But light having been brought in, "people began to call on the name of Jehovah" (Genesis 4:26); and in that light, Adam is, so to speak, restored. We have therefore the line of Adam, passing through Seth, and in that line Enoch is the seventh -- "the seventh from Adam". It covered a long period of years; but in each of Adam's descendants, including Adam himself

and Seth, the light which the name of Enosh involves is found to be confirmed: each of them died. Men were not to be deceived by the fact that they lived a long time; the judgment of God is sure, and by that judgment He confirms the light that He has given to His people, however aged they might be (some of them reached nearly a thousand years). The testimony is that they died, and that testimony was so to say imposed upon men. But Enoch is the seventh. His name means that he was disciplined. He did not make light of the governmental ways of God. He observed them, and when a son was born to him, he walked with God for three hundred years. What a life his was, beloved! A life that covered three centuries! Every day, during those three centuries, we may say he walked with God. During those years, those three hundred years, his faith was increasing; his vision was becoming clearer; he prophesied, and in his prophesy he was occupied with the holy myriads. He was accustomed to having to do with ungodly myriads. Nobody could undertake to compute the population of that time. The antediluvian world must have been very populous, but there were myriads who were not holy. It was a wicked generation; there were heroes in those days, men of renown, giants. Thus, the earth was corrupt before God. Valiant men led their fellow men without regard to the rights of God. They were therefore unholy myriads; and this disciplined man, this man who walked with God, had to prove the terrible character of the corruption. He had to enter into the thoughts of God with regard to it, but Jude says that he saw the Lord coming with His "holy myriads", and it is these myriads who are going to deal with the unholy myriads. As to communion with the men of this earth, there was little or indeed none at all, for, as we see later, the men of faith in Genesis had to walk alone. So walked Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac.

and Jacob, and Joseph. These men learned to walk alone with God; but we see in this great prototype of what was to follow, that he pleased God.

So, dear brethren, he is a type of those who would follow him in the path of spiritual exercise flowing from light given. In the days in which we live great light has been given; a spiritual exercise has come to light and has continued; and, thank God, it has greatly spread. But if this exercise is of God, it must correspond with the beginning of the dispensation, for God never gives up any of His thoughts. If He did not find in the garden of Eden an Adam with whom He could walk, He nevertheless found an Enoch. And as the dispensation began with the brethren, so also it will close with the brethren. Such is the divine way.

I referred to Psalm 133. This psalm has its place at the end of a spiritual exercise. It is the last but one of the Songs of Degrees. The Songs of Degrees are evidently the product of spiritual exercises; they follow in a suitable order, not only numerically, but also as to their contents. They express the exercises of the earthly people of God in a day to come, as a consequence of light given. They begin at Psalm 120 and finish at Psalm 134. I cannot undertake to go into these psalms in detail; but they express one by one the exercises of the people of God, in a coming day, from the place of their captivity to the sphere of divine blessing and purpose. The ministry of John is intended particularly to cover the present days; that is why in his writings the idea of the family is developed. There is nothing more precious in the Scriptures than the thought of the family; it is a primary idea, and what is primary, for God, is eternal. Therefore in the gospel of John we find the Father's house. We are going to be received eternally into the Father's house -- a place prepared for us. So, in chapter 20, the brethren are

presented: "Go to my brethren" John 20:17. He who describes them as such is He who ascends into the heavens. You see that the thought of brethren is connected with the ascension, even in the passages to which I have referred. The culminating point of ascension is the place of the brethren, so that in John 20 the Lord sends the message as the One who ascends to the Father: "Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God" John 20:17. That is, so to speak, the great terminus of John's ministry, and on that platform -- the platform of brethren, as one may call it -- is developed at the present moment, as will be developed in the future, all that relates to God. Every feature of the service of God is developed, as well as the thought of the family; that is an eternal thought; still it is seen here, in the sphere of testimony which is a means used to attain a certain end. It is there that God finds sympathy with all His thoughts. We are not therefore merely to rest in these blessed affections which we appreciate; if we do not see that the family is the means by which, at the present time, God develops His purpose, we shall fail to lay hold of His thoughts.

Beloved brethren, let us enjoy to the full brotherly affections. That is only to anticipate eternity; but there are the divine thoughts in testimony. Where is God to seek them, if it is not in His family? He desires that we may have free priestly access. If I am in the family, I am a son; I am in liberty; and I ought to be a priest. The son implies liberty. The priest is watchful as to the reverence that is due to God. The priest requires that every divine thought is conformed to. It is to him that the law is committed. He will have the law; he will insist upon every principle that should govern the house of God; he will have consideration for what is of God; he will be concerned with the maintenance of order;

he will require that all that is public shall be according to God.

I might enlarge on all the details concerning the public service and testimony, and draw attention to the priests who watch over each of those details, as it is spoken of in the prophet Malachi, "And now, ye priests, this commandment is for you" Malachi 2:1. Then He refers to Levi, saying, "My covenant with him was of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and trembled before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and at his mouth they seek the law; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts" Malachi 2:5 - 7. I have referred to the side of the priests, because it depends on that of the family. I do not suppose that we shall have need of it in eternity, for nothing will be lawless, or out of order, or wanting in holiness, but it is necessary here where all these things exist.

According to Psalm 134, you will see how all that I have said is introduced. Psalm 133 is the family, and that psalm is very beautiful. I have rejoiced, dear brethren, in the brotherly affections I have found in this country. It is the anticipation of eternity -- the love of the brethren. The Spirit of God compares it here to wonderful things. First, it is "Like the precious oil upon the head". Affections in the family of God do not originate on earth: they flow from the Head; they come from above. It is not what is at present developed among men: liberty, equality, fraternity. Brethren who dwell together in unity are compared to the oil on the head. Whose head? The head of Christ typified in Aaron. How intimately is the priestly order linked with the family, for the family is connected with the priestly order as having been anointed! So the oil runs down upon the beard

and down to the hem of the garments. Then it is compared to "the dew of Hermon". It is again a matter of something which comes down from above. It is the exact opposite of what is current among men. All that is from above has been honoured. In face of the present state of things God insists on His testimony that brethren dwelling together in unity are like that which comes from above. The Lord said, "Ye are from beneath; I am from above" John 8:23. We are thus depicted by the Spirit of God as resembling these wonderful figures, the blessing of which has been commanded, "for there hath Jehovah commanded the blessing, life for evermore". Such is the result of divine and sovereign purposes and counsels!

From the following psalm I wish to show you how the service of God depends on that. It speaks of those who, in the nights, stand in the house of Jehovah. It is not exactly a question of family enjoyment, although that thought is there at the bottom. In the enjoyment of those affections we stand "in the nights". We forgo our comforts in order that the service of God may be maintained in His house during the night. The question arises for us, Do we maintain the service of God during the night? We know how the eyes become heavy during the night. Peter, James and John went to sleep on the mount of Transfiguration, and then also at Gethsemane. "Thus ye have not been able to watch one hour with me?" (Matthew 26:40) the Lord asked them. Family affections are extremely precious and the disciples had enjoyed them at the Supper. But they are now at Gethsemane. Can we watch one hour with the Lord? These things have a voice to us, dear brethren. But what a great favour! We have the privilege of standing in the nights to maintain the service in a priestly way. Nothing is to hinder the service of the house. The darkness thickens more and more, but we still maintain the service.

"Behold, bless Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah, who by night stand in the house of Jehovah. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless Jehovah!"

What we see in Psalm 148 is the maintenance of the divine praise. Our hearts are filled with praise, reading these wonderful psalms. The praise is maintained in an extremely beautiful way. "Praise Jehovah from the heavens; praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens" Psalm 148:1 - 4. You see that, beloved brethren! You see the extent of that which is called upon to praise Him. Is the Psalmist occupied with his own enjoyment? He is so impressed with God that he appeals to the whole creation -- heavens and earth -- to praise Him. What feeling he had for Jehovah! What a tribute for Jehovah! So, dear brethren, I believe that is what God proposes at the present moment. If John's ministry is effectual, it leads the family, it leads the brethren into their most exalted relations. The brethren possess the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is free to act, He will produce what the Psalms present to us; that is to say, the service of God will be maintained in the most exalted manner, and I believe the present dispensation will finish thus.

In Psalm 135, those who are responsible are called upon to praise. "House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah; house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah; House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah; ye that fear Jehovah, bless Jehovah. Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem! Hallelujah!"

Who are those who have the Spirit of God? "House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah!" There are thousands of those who possess the Spirit of God who are occupied with earthly things, but the appeal,

the command, is addressed to them all: "Bless Jehovah!"

"House of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah!" These same persons are really priests. All those who have received the Spirit are priests. They belong to the house of Aaron; but do they exercise their priestly functions?

They are called upon to exercise them.

"House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah!" It is a question here of those who are in active service. Many among us, alas! are thinking of the success of their own service. It is good to be exercised that our service may produce fruit, but that is not all. "House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah!"

Then, "Ye that fear Jehovah, bless Jehovah!"

And finally it says, "Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem! Hallelujah!"

You see, dear brethren, the marvellous end of an exercise produced by divine light, whether we apply it to our times, or whether we apply it to the remnant of Israel in a day to come. God takes pleasure among the brethren; it is among the brethren that the service is carried on; and the testimony of God is maintained in them.

Address by J.T. at Valence, 13th May, 1926, evening.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (6)

1 Corinthians 11:17 - 34

-- The desire of the brethren is that we should have a reading. At Valence we were occupied with the first epistle to the Corinthians. I was thinking that it would be good to pursue the consideration of that book, and to speak of the Lord's supper in chapter 11: we will read verses 17 to 34.

Yesterday, in our consideration of this subject, we referred to chapter 10, verse 15 and onwards, as treating of the fellowship. It speaks of the cup of the Lord's supper as being the communion of the blood of the Christ, and it is said of the bread that it is the communion of the body of the Christ. The bearing of chapter 10 refers to our conduct every day of the week. Chapter 11 gives us light as being gathered together in assembly. In chapter 10, we are to be consistent with the fellowship. In our daily life we are responsible to be consistent with the death of the Lord; and the bread, in the Lord's supper, represents not only Christ's body, but all saints. We are therefore responsible towards all the saints, in our daily life. It says that, "we, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf" 1 Corinthians 10:17. So, as partaking of the bread, we are responsible to be consistent with the death of Christ; and we are responsible, not only to Him, but to all the saints. We must therefore be ready, if need be, to give account of our behaviour to the saints. To stress that principle, Paul says again, "Ye cannot drink the Lord's cup, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons" 1 Corinthians 10:21. If we make light of these instructions, the Lord will have something to say to us as to it. So it says, "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?

are we stronger than he?" 1 Corinthians 10:22. We see therefore that Christendom, in general, in departing from these instructions, will have to do with the Lord, and those who do not observe His rights will see that the Lord is stronger than they.

-- He has acquired His rights over us at such a price, that we can well understand the jealousy of His love which does not allow the presence of a rival.

-- In the second epistle it is said that we have been espoused to one Man. "I am jealous as to you with a jealousy which is of God; for I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ" 2 Corinthians 11:2. The Lord Jesus Christ is jealous; He does not wish our affections to be divided. If therefore, whether in secret or otherwise, we are linked with the world, while partaking of the Lord's supper, we shall be disciplined by the Lord. In the letter to the angel of the assembly in Thyatira, where the Lord's rights had been denied, He speaks as "Son of God, he that has his eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass" Revelation 2:18. In that assembly, the rights that the Lord had over the affections of His own had been denied. As our brother has just said, the Lord has established His rights over our affections through death, and where His rights have been refused Him, He speaks as "The Son of God, he that has his eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass" (Revelation 2:18), which means that He will execute judgment.

-- The jealousy of the Lord is what preserves us, that He may have no rival. "Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol: The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, Flames of Jah" Song Of Songs 8:6.

-- The Lord will deal with the profession around us in the severest manner, because the rights of His love have been refused Him. But, as I said, we have also to do with the saints, because the fellowship is, so to speak, a partnership; those who are in partnership know very well that all the partners are responsible to one another. The brethren have therefore the right to ask us to give account of our conduct; they have also the right to exercise discipline if required. In chapter 5 we are enlightened as to the authority which the assembly possesses; in order to execute discipline, as being gathered together, they have the Lord with them. Paul said that he had judged already to deliver to Satan that person who had sinned, for destruction of the flesh, "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" 1 Corinthians 5:5. We have not now the assembly as it existed at Corinth, for the public body has failed, nevertheless, the responsibility of exercising discipline rests upon us, and the Lord will always be with the twos or threes dealing with evil which manifests itself. Otherwise, all would be corrupted by the leaven of wickedness. And the apostle continues, "But now I have written to you, if any one called brother be fornicator, or avaricious, or idolater, or abusive, or a drunkard, or rapacious, not to mix with him; with such a one not even to eat" 1 Corinthians 5:11. With such, the saints are not even to eat. In that way, this epistle teaches us how we may remain pure and be rid of leaven. All these observations relate to the question of fellowship, and what this epistle says of it shows how that fellowship is worthy of being preserved from all evil. In the first chapter it says that we have been called into the fellowship of God's Son. In chapter 10, we have part in the fellowship of the death of Christ - "the communion of the blood of the Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:16) and "the communion of the body of the Christ" 1 Corinthians 10:16. In the last chapter of the second epistle we have the communion

of the Spirit of God. Those are infinitely precious things, dear brethren, things which it is absolutely necessary to preserve with the greatest vigilance on the part of us all. To lay stress on these thoughts we have, in chapter 5, the feast of unleavened bread. It says that "our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed" 1 Corinthians 5:7. That was His personal part, and what a part! It involved that He was forsaken by God. Our corresponding part is to provide the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Thus the feast is celebrated which continues every day of the week; and it is in eating the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth that we are made fit to partake of the Lord's supper. In Matthew and Mark, it says that it was while the disciples were eating the passover that the Lord's supper was introduced. It says, "And as they were eating, Jesus, having taken bread" Mark 14:22. So these chapters 5 and 10 of the first epistle to the Corinthians are occupied with the celebration of the feast of unleavened bread.

-- Is the unleavened bread the appropriation of Christ?

-- In Christ, sincerity and truth have had their most complete expression. In the Lord's walk there was nothing that was not absolutely true and sincere. So, in us, the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth corresponds to Christ.

-- Would you say that the passover presents the objective side, while the unleavened bread the subjective side?

-- Very good. We provide the unleavened bread now. From the outset, the believer begins to provide unleavened bread. All who desire fellowship with the saints should possess unleavened bread; they should show that they are sincere, and that what they desire to do is not with the object of imitating others. When the children of Judah and Benjamin came to David, David went out to meet them, and

he throws out a challenge to their hearts. "If ye come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see it and rebuke it" 1 Chronicles 12:17. If we do not come with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, we shall betray the Lord sooner or later. Unleavened bread tends to keep us humble and small. Unleavened bread would thus characterise all our readings and all our preachings and all our communications with one another. A person who eats unleavened bread will not vaunt himself. He will not wish to appear great in the eyes of others. The Lord's model for the kingdom was "a little child". We are to retain the character of the little child during our whole life down here.

-- Perhaps it would be good if you would dwell further on the unleavened bread and its meaning for us.

-- Leaven, in Scripture, is a figure of what inflates. It is what characterises men in the world. Men naturally have the desire to appear great in the eyes of others, and to attain their end, they sacrifice sincerity and truth. In this respect, there is much dishonesty among men; there is much flattery. All these things are leaven.

-- And it is the world that produces it.

-- The Lord said, speaking of His disciples, "They are not of the world, as I am not of the world" John 17:16. So the believer is maintained in correspondence to Christ by eating unleavened bread. He maintains sincerity and truth in all his circumstances and in all his relations. He does not cause trouble among his brethren because he is happy to be the least. The Lord said, "Whosoever would be great among you, shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first of you shall be bondman of all" Mark 10:43,44. It is after this manner that we are together to eat the Lord's supper.

We are in correspondence with the Lord. So we are prepared to partake of that which shows His love for us.

-- We are the little flock, and the Lord said, "Fear not, little flock" Luke 12:32.

-- In chapter 53 of Isaiah, it speaks of the Lord; it says that there was no guile in His mouth, and immediately God salutes Him as "my righteous servant" Isaiah 53:11. One must be without guile, if one would serve according to God.

-- And now, answering to that spirit of humility, the saints gather together. In those who are small God would display what He considers as being great and marked by dignity. So therefore, before the saints are viewed as met together, we have, in chapter 11, teaching which applies to the saints in their houses, that is to say, order according to God in creation, now that Christ has become Man. It says, "I wish you to know that the Christ is the head of every man, but the woman's head is the man, and the Christ's head God" 1 Corinthians 11:3. God preserves thus His public order, now that Christ has become Man. It is by observing this section of our chapter that we shall be preserved, in our houses, from the spirit that characterises the world at the present moment -- the spirit that would set aside all authority that comes down from above.

-- God, in the children of wisdom, vindicates Christ as the One who, at each step of His path, depended on His Head, God.

-- We shall not be in the assembly as the body of Christ, unless there is in us correspondence with the teaching of the first part of this chapter. Sometimes a clerical spirit is shown among the saints; but we shall learn to live in subjection, if we see that the Christ is the Head of every man, and that the man is the head of the woman, and that God is the Head of Christ. This order will be seen in the millennium,

because God will have taken away all lawlessness; but at present, lawlessness remains in the world, and God desires to present now in the saints in testimony that which will be seen later, during the millennium. So, each brother, in his own house, takes the place of head; he confesses thus that Christ is his own Head, and that God is Christ's Head. Wisdom comes down then from God through Christ, and through the man, who is head in his house. And the woman, recognising man as her head, herself also expresses this wisdom. The divine order is seen in the saints, although it is not yet seen in the world. The man ought to be uncovered when praying or prophesying, and the woman ought to be covered, as a sign of subjection, and that not only for the eyes of men, but for the eyes of angels.

-- "On account of the angels" (1 Corinthians 11:10), it says.

-- The testimony of God in us is not only for the world, but also for the angels.

-- What is the sense of the expression, "the Lord's supper"?

-- The word is only used twice, the first time in this passage, and the second time in the Revelation, where we have "the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10) (or "the dominical or lordly day" -- see note, Revelation 1:10). In each passage it is a question of the Lord's authority. That expression is used here because the Corinthians had set aside the Lord's authority in the way in which they were observing the Supper. They were coming together for the worse. It is a sad thing if, in gathering together, we lose, when we ought to gain much. And the apostle Paul observes that the cause of it was that there existed divisions among them. One of the evidences of division was that each was taking his own supper: one was hungry and another drank to excess. They considered the occasion of the Lord's supper as an ordinary occasion of eating and drinking. They were eating and drinking to excess.

-- It is evident that in our day the saints would not do anything so gross, but we might all the same meet together in a party spirit.

-- A man who was eating his own supper before others was selfish; he was eating to excess and allowing his brother to be hungry. Although these gross things are not done now, we might nevertheless meet in a selfish way; if, for example, a brother takes the whole meeting into his own hands, he shuts out others. The basic principle of the Lord's supper is mutuality.

-- Nobody ought to be specially distinguished.

-- When the saints met together at Troas, Paul was with them. It does not say, 'Paul and his company being assembled', but "We being assembled to break bread" Acts 20:7. Paul, among them, was as one of them. It is true that afterwards he made a discourse, but that was in his apostolic capacity, and that discourse had a prophetic bearing; but the brethren had met together, Paul among them, to break bread. It is a question therefore of mutuality, and each brother here present ought to be free to take part according to his measure. The sisters are to remain silent, according to this chapter; nevertheless, they partake of the Supper like the brothers.

-- But we must not forget to eat the unleavened bread, in order to be suitable.

-- We assemble "to break bread". But in assembling thus, we are already eating, for we keep the feast of unleavened bread.

-- Immediately before the passage that we were quoting from the Acts, it says, "after the days of unleavened bread" (Acts 20:6); each had partaken of unleavened bread; it is mutuality.

-- I believe that what we have said as to unleavened bread helps us much when we meet together. No brother claims to be great, and in partaking of the Supper, he does not shut out others. At the end of

the chapter it says, "When ye come together to eat, wait for one another". There were other things which were to be adjusted; the apostle does not adjust them in writing; he will set them in order when he comes to them. It reminds us how great was the need of order in the assembly. The Lord's supper has been the greatest cause of controversy among Christians, and all kinds of absurdities have enveloped it. In a great religious system, the Supper has been carried to such a point that it has become an object of idolatrous worship. In another, it has been so obscured by human innovations that it can no longer be recognised. Concerning all these observations, we can only say, "It is not to eat the Lord's supper". If the apostle had to say that to the Corinthians, how much more does that apply to the religious organisations of our day. But he says, "I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you". There was no addition. That which the Lord did in the room at Jerusalem is what He communicated to Paul. So it was with the ark of the covenant, when David set it at Jerusalem. The ark had passed through the hands of the Philistines, but nevertheless it contained the tables of the covenant; nothing had been added. It was preserved in its original simplicity, as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, the Lord's supper was presented to the Corinthians as the Lord Himself had instituted it.

-- As the ark had been preserved intact, although it had been in enemy hands, so the Lord's supper is found in our hands in our day, freed from every human innovation.

-- We have no hesitation in saying that we possess it as the Lord gave it to Paul. And how important it is for us to preserve it from every human innovation! It is a memorial that the Lord has Himself instituted; that is why the apostle Paul says, "I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you, that the

Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was delivered up, took bread, and having given thanks broke it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after having supped, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come". There is the Supper in its simplicity as it was given to Paul! And I believe it is right to compare it to the ark as David established it at Zion. The ark had been in the house of a certain man, Obed-Edom, but it did not belong to a man's house. Its place was in the holiest, in the tabernacle or the temple. So, in this chapter, Paul distinguishes between our houses and the assembly. He places the Lord's supper in relation to the assembly; he separates it formally from ordinary meals in a believer's house. The Lord's supper therefore is not an ordinary meal; it is a memorial having a spiritual significance. Now, it is for us to consider if what has been given to us is kept and preserved from all local custom, from all routine, from all human innovation. Paul said, "And thus I ordain in all the assemblies" 1 Corinthians 7:17. Therefore, wherever I go, I ought to see the Lord's supper entirely free from local customs; the same order, down to its smallest details, ought to characterise it in each locality. There should be only one loaf, and only one vessel containing what is to be drunk.

-- The breaking of bread recalls to us our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, "This do in remembrance of me".

-- A piece of bread would not set out the thought of "one loaf", would it?

-- That seems to me quite clear. A piece of bread is a part of a thing. That would rather suggest a division. Several of the sects in Christendom pretend

to be part of a whole; but in the face of such a suggestion the apostle says, "Is the Christ divided?" 1 Corinthians 1:13. So, a piece of bread reminds us rather of these divisions, instead of what is one whole. In these epistles the assembly is viewed as "one body", and the human body is a figure. Every human body is an organism complete in itself. The assembly is a complete organism. Therefore a piece of bread could not correctly symbolise the body. For that, a whole loaf is necessary.

-- What is the meaning of these words: "Not distinguishing the body"?

-- I believe that refers to Christ's body. In chapter 16 of Matthew, we have a reference to bread. The disciples reasoned among themselves saying, Because we have taken no bread. The Lord had warned them against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, "and they reasoned among themselves, saying, Because we have taken no bread" Matthew 16:7. The Lord says to them, "Why reason ye among yourselves, O ye of little faith, because ye have taken no bread?" Matthew 16:8. The disciples were themselves the bread. On their part, it was unbelief to wish to carry material bread. The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees would be in danger of inflating them. So the Lord speaks of "the five loaves" Matthew 16:9. He was not speaking at all of material bread, but He was speaking of them, and, pursuing the thought of the leaven, they themselves were to form the bread which was in danger of being inflated by the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And we read in the tenth chapter of Corinthians: "We, being many, are one loaf, one body; for we all partake of that one loaf" 1 Corinthians 10:17.

-- Would you tell us what is the difference between Luke and this epistle? In Luke, it says, "This is my body which is given for you" (Luke 22:19), and in Corinthians, "This is my body, which is for you".

-- I believe that in Luke, the Lord wished to bring

out the thought that His body was sacrificed for them. There is another translation which says, This is my body which is broken for you; that is to say, that it is for our enjoyment, as it says again, "Take this: this is my body" Mark 14:22.

-- If we have the thought of the Lord, there are no divisions in the body of Christ.

-- Why are there so many Christians, in our meetings, who abstain from the Supper?

-- Do you ask them sometimes why they do not break bread? They ought to be able to answer that question.

-- Do you not think that the first part of the tenth chapter is not realised? The state of soul is not suitable.

-- With persons whom I know to be Christians, I always seize the opportunity to put the question to them, Why? I sometimes ask them, Why should you be the last to bring king David back to his house? David had been rejected. Now the men of Judah are ready to bring him back, according him his place. The Lord has a right to my heart, and if others have opened their heart to Him, why should I be the last to open my heart to Christ? The Lord's supper is the appointed way for calling Him to remembrance, in order that He may have His place in my heart. Do you not think that would help Christians who do not break bread, if one raised this question in their heart? Another thing: Why should I keep the Lord waiting? He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and am knocking" Revelation 3:20. Why should I leave the Lord at the door? Why not open the door? Why not let Him come in? "If any one hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him, and he with me" Revelation 3:20. I think those who are outside the circle have shut the door to the Lord. It may be they have love for Him, but they do not give evidence of it. In the Song of Songs, the spouse says, "Why

should I be as one veiled beside the flocks of thy companions?" Song Of Songs 1:7. Her love for the Lord was doubtful. Also He says, "If thou know not, thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' booths" Song Of Songs 1:8. She was to follow the footsteps of the flock. She wanted to know where the Lord was, because she wanted to be near Him. That is why she is told to take her place by the footsteps of the flock and to feed beside the shepherds' booths. Then, she says, "While the king is at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth its fragrance. A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; he shall pass the night between my breasts" Song Of Songs 1:12,13. The Lord is now her Object; and I think that those who have affection for the Lord, but who do not partake of the Lord's supper, cause us to infer that they have doubts.

-- They cannot testify to the reality of their affection in answering to His desires.

-- "He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me" John 14:21. The Lord died for me, and He desires that I should remember Him in that way. If I do not announce His death, I am not observing His commandments, for it says, "As often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come". It does not say merely that the death of the Lord is announced, but ye announce it. That must be carefully noticed: it is you who announce it. Those who do not break bread have no part in it. They may say that the Lord died for them, but they do not announce His death.

-- In that the Lord loses something; and we also lose something. There is sometimes a little timidity, and in that case there would be need to encourage.

-- The fault is perhaps with those who break bread, if they do not encourage their brethren.

-- If I "go ... forth by the footsteps of the flock" (Song Of Songs 1:8),

I shall be encouraged by the fact that there are others. It is very sad that those who are Christians here, may not be included in the "we" and "ye" of this chapter.

-- Partaking of the Supper may be regarded as answering to the Lord's commandments.

Reading with J.T. at La Varenne (Haute-Loire), 14th May, 1926, afternoon.

THE ANOINTED VESSEL (7)

1 Corinthians 12

-- In our reading yesterday afternoon we read part of chapter 11. We considered the question of fellowship and the Lord's supper. We remarked that the celebration of the feast of unleavened bread, spoken of in chapter 5, preserves us from being inflated. Leaven is what inflates. Unless we celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, we shall be selfish. In such circumstances, the part that we might take in the assembly will have in view our personal importance, while the unleavened bread is intended to keep us humble, and we can thus consider others as better than ourselves. It says that at Corinth, when they came together, certain were taking their own supper before others. The one who was doing that was not considering the others; he was selfish. As we were saying yesterday, we have not, in our days, the gross things spoken of in that chapter; but nevertheless, it might be that a brother only thinks of himself, not taking account of others, in the part that he takes in the assembly. So it says, at the end of the chapter "When ye come together to eat, wait for one another" 1 Corinthians 11:33. Waiting for one another implies consideration for one another. If I wait for my brethren, I give them liberty, and they have opportunity to take part. If each one is governed by this principle of waiting for one another, each one will also be able to act. Being freed from ourselves, and delivered from our own importance, the Lord's supper has its voice to remind us that the Lord Jesus devoted Himself for us even to death. So there is developed what we learn in chapter 12. The members function in their relative place; and there are no divisions in the body.

Thus the body becomes a vessel for Christ and for God.

-- In chapter 11, we serve Him in love, according to the desires of His heart. In chapter 12, we are collectively a vessel which is at His disposal for testimony. It is impossible to be for Him according to chapter 12, if we are not to Him in chapter 11.

-- We can see how the Spirit of Christ is developed in unity, when we sit down together to take the Supper, corresponding to that which the gospel of Luke presents in our Lord Himself.

-- A Vessel anointed with the Spirit.

-- The Lord said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor ..." Luke 4:18. We see how the anointing, in the case of the Lord, led Him to be occupied in the first place with the poor. The natural man is not occupied with the poor. The apostle speaks of the one who takes his own supper before others, and who drinks to excess, but he also says, There is one who is hungry. It may even be that one of them has not a house. The one who has not a house, nor food, belongs to the poor. Thus, the spirit of the anointing was not in evidence at Corinth. However, it is said to us elsewhere, that God has called the poor.

-- In Luke 15 there is someone who is poor, the prodigal son. He had neither food nor lodging. But those who have the character of the house of God welcome such an one, and receive him according to the heart of God.

-- So, Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says that God had not chosen the rich of this world. Proof of the anointing is seen in that one has regard for the poor.

-- In the Psalms, speaking of Christ as the poor Man, it says, "This afflicted one called, and Jehovah heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" Psalm 34:6.

-- "Blessed is he that understandeth the poor" Psalm 41:1.

-- The twelfth chapter presents all these thoughts, because it is a question of "spiritual manifestations". It is evident that the Corinthians had written to the apostle about this matter, and in answering their questions the apostle develops the subject of the body. At the end of the chapter he introduces the gifts, saying that God has set them in the assembly; it does not say that they are set in the body. Nevertheless, the truth of the body governs the exercise of gift, to the end that we are saved from clericalism. However gifted a brother may be, unless he learns to hold himself as a member of the body, he will act independently and in a clerical spirit.

-- What is the difference between the body and the assembly?

-- The body is an organism which functions so to speak automatically, while the assembly suggests a number of intelligent persons. Each member of the assembly must have answered a call. The word 'assembly' means those who are called out of some place. They must be called. As an example, Members of Parliament might assemble in the House of Parliament at their own will, but they would not form Parliament unless they were convened. In England, it is the King who convenes Parliament, and it cannot function without the Speaker and other Officers. Each member has received a summons and he acts in his place in Parliament according to the functions he possesses. It is supposed that he is intelligent as to the purpose for which he is there. So, "God has set certain in the assembly: first, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers; then miraculous powers; then gifts of healings; helps; governments; kinds of tongues". Consequently, the gifts operate intelligently. The Corinthians were acting in a childish way; they had gifts,

for it says that they came short in no gift. There were gifts among them, but they were using their gifts to distinguish themselves, and they were acting without regard to the intelligence of the assembly in which they were found, which gave occasion to Satan. A man was seen standing up pretending to speak with spiritual power, when it was only a matter of the power of Satan. The apostle remarks to them at the outset that they had been led away to dumb idols, "in whatever way ye might be led", says the apostle. When it is a question of idolatry, it is not a matter merely of idols of wood or stone, but there is a power hidden behind the idol. In their idolatrous practices, men come directly under the power of Satan who acts upon men, and the Corinthians were allowing this principle even among them. It is a terrible thing, that Satan had an entry into the assembly. Then, the apostle gives them a test, a touchstone, to verify whether the man was speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God or under the influence of the spirit of Satan. If he was speaking under the influence of the spirit of Satan, he might even say, "Curse on Jesus". He will never say, 'Lord Jesus', for that influence never recognises the lordship of Jesus. It is by the Spirit that we say "Lord Jesus:" Of course, we may not have these gross excesses in the countries where we live, but, in these verses, we are warned against the danger of speaking so as to exalt ourselves.

-- Someone might have the desire to be "chief" among us, as there were "chiefs" of Edom. Edom had its "chiefs" and its "kings" before Israel, for the natural man always has before him to be first.

-- God, in introducing a King, has in view to meet such movements.

-- He had in view a King after His own heart, a King who would abide. In the Old Testament scriptures, we see that Edom becomes the subject of

the severest judgments, and it is to Israel that the execution of the final judgment on Edom is reserved. Let us glance at Isaiah 63: "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with deep-red garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? -- I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. -- Wherefore is redness in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples not a man was with me; and I have trodden them in mine anger, and trampled them in my fury, and their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all mine apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed had come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: and mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I have trodden down the peoples in mine anger, and made them drunk in my fury; and their blood have I brought down to the earth" Isaiah 63:1 - 6. The day of vengeance was in His heart, and the year of His redeemed had come. It was the King of Israel who punished Edom. Here we are warned not to exercise a gift in order to distinguish ourselves and be known among the saints in that way.

-- "As unknown, and well known; as dying, and behold we live; as disciplined, and not put to death; as grieved, but always rejoicing; as poor, but enriching many; as having nothing, and possessing all things" 2 Corinthians 6:9,10. It is in that spirit that we should be found, is it not?

-- In the book of Ecclesiastes, the poor wise man delivered the city by his wisdom, in the face of those who had much pretension -- like the "chiefs" and "kings" of Edom. Whence does deliverance come, if not from this spirit of poverty?

-- The saints will not be edified by a spirit of

pretension. It is in the spirit of humility and poverty that the Spirit develops the testimony, as the Lord said, "I am in the midst of you as the one that serves" Luke 22:27. "But let the greater among you be as the younger, and the leader as he that serves" Luke 22:26. Having spoken of these necessary tests, the apostle traces the outline of the divine operations: and they are divided into three: there is that which depends on the Spirit, and that which depends on the Lord, and that which depends on God.

-- You are speaking of verses 4, 5 and 6, are you not? "But there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are distinctions of services, and the same Lord; and there are distinctions of operations, but the same God who operates all things in all".

-- We see then how great are the thoughts which are before us, since the three Persons of the Godhead are working; and They are working on the principle of an infinite unity. It says that there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are distinctions in these gifts, but all tend to unity. There are distinctions of services, but all the services depend on the same Lord. If we have a gift, we are at the same time servants. The Holy Spirit leads us in the exercise of our gifts: there is therefore spiritual power. But then the Lord intervenes; His authority has to be recognised in it, for these gifts are developed in services. Then, there are distinctions of operations. The operations lead to these results. All these operations depend on God. One plants; another waters, but God gives the increase; it is God who operates all things in all. Everything harmonises in the great field of divine operations, so that there may be a great result according to God. One service may be linked with another, but it leads to a great end according to God who "operates all things in all". There is no doubt that in the creation of the physical

world, various influences may have been employed, but the great result is one and the same thing. When we consider the immensity of the bodies that exist in the universe and the immense extent of their influence, we see how necessary it is that all should depend on God, because the influences act and react, but the result is one whole. It is the same in the moral system where those who compose it are characterised by individual influence, how necessary it is that we should be subject and dependent on God, in order that our services may all tend to one great end; that is to say that the little part that I provide belongs to the great system of operations, and my desire is that my part should be in keeping with the whole.

-- So Paul uses the illustration of building, because it is a question of the hewn stone which has its place beside another.

-- Does love reign behind all these operations?

-- I think that is what comes out in chapter 13 -- "a way of more surpassing excellence". Chapter 12 gives us light as to the organism. Chapter 13 is the power for movement in us. In chapter 14, there is the functioning, and what is essential is intelligence.

-- "To each the manifestation of the Spirit is given for profit".

-- Then we have this list which includes the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, operations of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues.

-- Do we see miracles in our day?

-- The power is here in the Spirit, but miracles are not necessary.

-- Mr. T. has said that these particular gifts (such as the operations of miracles) are like the church bells to call the congregation, and when it is gathered, the bells are no longer needed.

-- If a Christian went into heathen countries now, would it not be the time of miracles for him?

-- I have heard of it, but they are not necessary in the assembly.

-- The gifts of miracles were rather to draw people together. In the assembly, it is a question of edification.

-- We see in chapter 14 that the gift of tongues was rather a sign for those who did not believe.

-- What is the greatest gift to be desired?

-- Prophecy. At the beginning of chapter 14 it says, "Be emulous of spiritual manifestations, but rather that ye may prophesy" 1 Corinthians 14:1.

-- The prophet is the one who can present the mind of God.

-- That is what we all need!

-- What are we to understand by "every woman ... prophesying" 1 Corinthians 11:5?

-- The woman might communicate the mind of God. It says that Philip had four daughters who prophesied. It does not say that they were prophetesses, but merely that they prophesied. "This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied" Acts 21:9. They were not on the list of prophets, but they prophesied: they communicated the mind of God. I believe that the prophets who were formally recognised were men; however, it says that these four daughters prophesied, and if the mind of God is communicated in that way, it must be accepted.

-- They cannot prophesy in assembly.

-- Women are to be silent in the assembly.

-- Then in what sense can they prophesy?

-- In the passage where the daughters of Philip are spoken of, they would have prophesied individually of events to come; it does not mention what they said, nor even that they said anything to Paul. Agabus was there -- "a prophet named Agabus" (Acts 21:10) and it was he who told what would happen to Paul.

It seemed to be a characteristic feature of Philip's house; it was his own house. He himself was an evangelist. Where evangelical power and its results are found, it is most necessary that there should be prophecy, because the mind of God must be brought in when you have a certain number of converted persons.

-- Immediately after redemption -- the Red Sea -- you have at Horeb the thoughts of God as to the tabernacle; they are necessary to a redeemed people.

-- In the list that is given here, we have first apostles, and then prophets.

-- The fact that the woman is commanded to keep silence in our assemblies might result in a lack of exercise; the sisters might lose the sense of exercise. But Scripture provides sisters with a great sphere, even for prophesying. You see how Priscilla, in her faith with her husband, was able to be useful, in her right place, to a great preacher like Apollos. If she takes her place in subjection, a woman may be used by God in a wonderful way. We have, in Anna, the formal title of prophetess, but she belonged to the old economy. It was the same with Miriam, and with Deborah. It is wonderful to see how Scripture holds us, so to speak, in balance; and the divine intention is that things with us should be in faith, in a living way, so that each sister may be available to the Holy Spirit. "All these things operates the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each in particular according as he pleases".

-- You think that this results from the fact that "we ... have all been given to drink of one Spirit".

-- That is what is said immediately after, Mr. F. "For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body,

whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit".

-- "So also is the Christ". There is the secret of all that!

-- And then, "in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised ... and have all been given to drink of one Spirit".

-- Is the one for our deliverance and the other for our enjoyment?

-- Baptism with water separates us from the world positionally; but the baptism of the Spirit separates us from the world in power. Baptism is the act of another, and it is to the end that we should all be merged or absorbed into one body. It is the Lord who baptises us; but in order to show that we enter into the thing that we enjoy ourselves, it says, "We ... have all been given to drink".

-- The fact of drinking expresses satisfaction.

-- It is the Lord who baptises us, but when can we say that we enter into it?

-- We enter into it when we receive the Spirit, and we see how we can enjoy it together as brethren. It is remarkable that our physical bodies are so constituted that there is much enjoyment incidental to the functions of the body. How much pleasure is procured to us by seeing, by hearing, by smell, by taste! God, in His great goodness, has made things in this way as compensation in nature. God would have us understand that in creating He was not hard or severe; He was good, and everything continues, in the physical creation, with a certain sense of enjoyment. No doubt, sin has spoilt everything; but at the outset the idea was such; and when we apply the principle to what God has shown in redemption, we see how the thing is developed. "We ... have all been given to drink of one Spirit"; having part in the thing, we enjoy it.

-- The same principle that governs the unity in the Godhead is going to be witnessed in the body.

-- "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and love is at the foundation of everything. The apostle presents the figure of the body to show, in the first place, that no member ought to isolate himself. The foot cannot say that it does not belong to the body because it is not a hand. And then, one member cannot say to another, 'I have no need of thee'. Of these two cases, the first applies to each one of us; a brother could not isolate himself and say, I do not belong to the body. In the second case, I might say to a brother: I have no need of you.

We have prolonged the meeting a little, but it was for the benefit of many brethren who have come a distance. The thought of this chapter 12 is to preserve us from the spirit of independence which would separate us from the body, and from the clerical spirit that would do without certain ones. It speaks of consideration for those that are weak -- "But much rather, the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those parts of the body which we esteem to be the more void of honour, these we clothe with more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; but our comely parts have not need". It is a most beautiful feature, that those that are weak and do not appear necessary should be clothed with more abundant honour. Paul applies all that he has just said to the local company at Corinth. "Now ye are Christ's body, and members in particular".

-- Was the company at Corinth Christ's body?

-- There, they were characteristically Christ's body. The thought of God is that there should be a vessel in which Christ is expressed. As we said at Valence, the divine idea is that there may be a vessel, in each locality, for testimony and for service. It is set up,

according to these chapters, in intelligence and dignity.

-- The thought was that there should be here a complete representation of Christ in each locality. Now we cannot hope to have a complete representation in a large town. All that we can do is to take these chapters as light, and to seek to walk in that light, doing it in such a way that the light operates in those who are walking together.

-- Can it be said that in verse 26 there is evidence that we realise our place in the body? "If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it".

-- Quite so. It is easier to suffer with a member than to rejoice with him; and that is humbling.

-- Why, Mr. T.?

-- Because we are lacking in love. If we had more love we should rejoice when God honours a brother. "If one member be glorified, all the members rejoice with it". If God glorifies one of us, God is testing me myself to see if I can rejoice with him.

-- And I cannot rejoice with someone who is morally greater than I, if I have not first rejoiced in Christ.

Reading with J.T. at Bronac (Haute-Loire), 15th May, 1926, morning.

PREPARATION AND FURNISHING

Luke 22:7 - 13; 1 Chronicles 15:1 - 4

I have in mind, dear brethren, to speak of preparation and furnishing, in connection with the service of God.

God has made particular use of the evangelist Luke in this regard. He lays emphasis on method, on order and on furnishing. The passage we have read relates the fact that it was the Lord Himself who had the thought of preparation for the passover. In Matthew and Mark, the thought arises with the disciples. It is a true sign of exercise before God, when we are exercised with regard to preparation and furnishing in relation to the service of God. Luke has in mind the vessel of service. So he begins his gospel with the presentation of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were both of the priestly family. It says of Zacharias that he was serving God according to the order of the priesthood; "he fulfilled his priestly service before God in the order of his course" Luke 1:8. Then, we have the angel Gabriel, who must have been very well acquainted with divine order in heaven. Without doubt he had had his part in the celebration of praise, when the foundations of the earth were laid. It says that at that time "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" Job 38:7. The "sons of God" spoken of in the book of Job, are angels. So, in carrying out his service, Gabriel would have had in mind that order of things in which God is praised. He appeared to Zacharias in the temple. Then he appeared to Mary. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, as well as Mary, unite in a tribute of praise at the beginning of Luke's gospel.

In the second chapter, we have the angelic choir who celebrate the marvellous event which had just taken place; they celebrate the birth of Jesus. An

angel comes to the shepherds who were keeping watch by night over their flocks, and announces the glorious gospel of that moment. "Behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people; for today a Saviour has been born to you in David's city, who is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:10,11. Then, "Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men" Luke 2:13,14. Heaven, so to speak, was giving expression to its emotions in accents of praise to God in the highest. There must have been an order, a perfect harmony, in the praise that went up to God. But God's intention was that these praises should ascend to Him from the lips of men, and that there should be upon earth a harmonious choir which should be in accord with the heavenly choir. So, at the end of Luke's gospel, after the Lord had gone up to heaven, we find the disciples continually in the temple, filled with joy, "praising and blessing God" Luke 24:53.

Simeon in the second chapter begins this song. He comes into the temple, led by the Spirit. He takes the Child Jesus into his arms. He praises God that his eyes have seen the salvation of the Lord. See how this feature of order in regard to the praise of God appears in the gospel of Luke! It is true that at the outset the song was found with "the sons of God" at the creation of the world, but if sonship belongs to men also in that the Son of God had come into manhood, nevertheless the service of God depends, in Luke, on priesthood, because of what we are still as in the flesh, and because of the world in which we are found. Priesthood is to be understood and taken up in order that this service may be maintained. I hope to come back to that later, but I wish to speak of this preparation for the passover. It was the Lord Himself who took the initiative, according to this gospel; and He chose the two

disciples who had most intelligence and experience to prepare it. The importance of the preparation was such that He chose these two principal apostles. We may therefore learn from that what importance attaches to these external things, and see how necessary order and spiritual furnishing are in the mind of God. We may say that that is in view throughout the epistle to the Corinthians. The apostle refers to commandments, to directions, and to customs, and he makes it clear that he had not mentioned everything in the letter, because he says, "But the other things, whenever I come, I will set in order" 1 Corinthians 11:34. Further, he refers elsewhere to Ephesus, saying that he had left Timotheus there that he might set in order certain things; and in writing to the Colossians, he says that he rejoiced, seeing their order. The details of which the apostle speaks are so minute that he is even occupied with the necessity that a woman should have her head covered; he appeals to nature to teach these principles.

So, the Lord sent Peter and John to prepare: "Go and prepare the passover for us". And it says, "And having gone they found it as he had said to them; and they prepared the passover". We may be assured, dear brethren, that they omitted nothing of what the celebration of the passover for our Lord Himself required. Then we see that the place of the preparation was to be "a large upper room". It was a large room, an upper room, and it was furnished. The largeness of the room suggests the increase that the Lord contemplated. He was indicating beforehand that the apostles were to be prepared for many conversions. These converts were not to remain without a home, and the largeness of their number was not to occasion any uneasiness, any embarrassment. So we find that after Peter's first preaching, on the day of Pentecost, a large number of persons were converted; and the Holy Spirit tells us that

"there were added in that day about three thousand souls" Acts 2:41. These persons had heard Peter's words; they had repented, according to his word, and they had been baptised. No doubt, according to the word, they had received the Holy Spirit. A wonderful company of three thousand souls, were they to remain homeless? Were these persons to return to their different religious associations, as some of our modern so-called evangelists advise their hearers? No, beloved. Their entry had been anticipated by the great Shepherd of the flock. The "large" upper room would give us the idea that there was room for them. When the Lord came into this world He was laid in a manger. No suitable place had been prepared to receive Him. But if He has to provide for the needs of His own, He provides for them in a suitable way. I cannot say what will be the number of the redeemed who will enter into heaven, but I can say with confidence that there will be ample room for them. That place will be prepared, and prepared by the Lord Himself. He says, "I go to prepare you a place" (John 14:2); and what a place, dear brethren! The Lord showed beforehand, as regards those who were converted through the gospel, that there was to be room for them in the upper room. In chapter 14 of this same gospel of Luke, we see, in the parable of the great supper, that after many guests had been brought in, there was still room. "And there is still room" Luke 14:22. Then the master of the house said, "Go out into the ways and fences and compel to come in, that my house may be filled" Luke 14:23. So, beloved, provision was made for those three thousand converts on the day of Pentecost. They were not to go hither or thither to seek a spiritual refuge. During the Lord's life down here, the disciples had been accustomed to provide for the needs of many persons. When it was a question of feeding five thousand persons, the disciples would have sent them here and

there into the villages, but the Lord said to them, "Give ye them to eat" Mark 6:37. Then they had to be made to sit down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties; they were to eat in comfort and in happy communion with one another. Thus the apostles had had all this education and experience. Peter and John therefore ought to have understood. We find that these three thousand were added. The first time it is spoken of, it does not say that the Lord added them; it simply says, "There were added in that day about three thousand souls" Acts 2:41. That is to say, they were added to those who were already there. They were at least a hundred and twenty already. They were abiding, according to what is told us, in the upper room -- "the upper chamber"; it was upon these that the Holy Spirit descended; and it was to these that three thousand souls were added in one day. We may be sure that the hundred and twenty had not taken the place that the newcomers were going to occupy. They were in "the upper chamber", and they had not reserved the best of anything for themselves. The others were added, and became a part of the whole. The three thousand were to be welcomed among the hundred and twenty and share in the conditions in which these already were. Thus, we find a description of the whole company at Jerusalem, and that description includes the hundred and twenty and the three thousand. We are told that "they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers" Acts 2:42. They had been baptised in the power of one Spirit into one body, and on their part, they persevered. They formed one whole. No one said that anything of what he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them. You can therefore see, beloved, that the element of preparation was in the company. So, as the company increased, the preparation, the room and the furnishing increased as well. It also

says that every day they were constantly in the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in the house, they received their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. The breaking of bread in those days, was a concentration of affections and intercourse. We cannot say how many houses were used for this purpose; seeing that the Holy Spirit mentions the fact, it is certain that it occupied a great place. The preparation, the suitable place, and the furnishing contributed to what was to give pleasure to God. There was not the least evidence of uneasiness, for the element of provision was among them. Since the furnishing was there, they were free to praise God.

The question arises, Is this element of preparation and furnishing found among us? If God places within our reach those whom He wishes to bless and encourage, do we give them to understand that there is abundant room for them, for the development of their thoughts and of their affections? Why should a true believer in Christ not be publicly in this sphere, so as to take part in this happy community where the love of God and the love of Christ are the portion of all our hearts?

It should be evident that, however large may be the number of those whom God exercises, there is room enough for them. One is conscious of one's own weakness in that respect. How little sense we have of the elevation and largeness of the chamber, and of the furnishing which is suitable! There is abundant room for all the children of God; each one of them may there find room for the development of his mind, of his spiritual thoughts, of his affections. All who belong to the "house of Israel" and to the "house of Aaron" should have part in it.

I refer for a moment to the first book of Chronicles, where we have the same thought of preparation.

David had been reminded of the divine claims in a very serious manner, when he placed the ark of God upon a cart; in the thirteenth chapter it says that "they carried the ark of God on a new cart" (1 Chronicles 13:7); then it says that "the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he had put forth his hand to the ark" 1 Chronicles 13:10. The oxen had stumbled, and he had put forth his hand to hold the ark. It was a, solemn warning to David, that God took great account of the furnishing. And we find, in chapter 15, that David "prepared a place for the ark of God, and spread a tent for it". Then he said, "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for them has Jehovah chosen to carry the ark of God, and to serve him for ever". We see that David had profited by the severe discipline occasioned by the death of Uzza. This is for us, dear brethren, that we may not neglect the divine principles and divine customs that ought to characterise us in the service of God. So it says that "David assembled all Israel to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Jehovah to its place that he had prepared for it. And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites". We see how David had understood what Jehovah had done to Uzza, and how he had profited by it. He sees that the ark can only be carried by the Levites. From this point of view the Levites are in effect priests. So in our days, God would assemble the sons of Aaron and the Levites. The ministry of John introduces the family; but the ministry of Paul, supported by Luke, introduces the priestly order. As possessing the Spirit, we must know that we have to do with the service of God; and the apostle says, "If any one thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognise the things that I write to you, that it is the Lord's commandment" 1 Corinthians 14:37. There is therefore an appeal to the saints; we are to have part in the service of God, and the

service is to be according to the established order, the due order.

Now, before I stop, I would ask you to read Psalm 115:9 - 15. "O Israel, confide thou in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield". If the priests are conscious of having need of furnishing, the word is: "O Israel, confide thou in Jehovah". "Israel" refers to the saints as having the Spirit.

Then we have the house of Aaron. "House of Aaron, confide in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield". As having the Holy Spirit, if I call upon God, He helps me: "Ask and ye shall receive" John 16:24. But then, viewing me as a priest, I confide in Jehovah, who is "their help and their shield". I ask Him, and He gives me what I need.

"Ye that fear Jehovah, confide in Jehovah: he is their help and their shield. Jehovah hath been mindful of us: he will bless, he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless them that fear Jehovah, both the small and the great". All the resources of God are at our disposal, in relation to His service. "Prove me ...", He says later, "if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it" Malachi 3:10. According to verse 14, we can expect increase: "Jehovah will add unto you more, unto you and unto your children. Ye are blessed of Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth".

Let us read again Psalm 135:19 - 21. "House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah; house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah; house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah; ye that fear Jehovah, bless Jehovah. Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem! Hallelujah!" We see how the service of God reaches its climax, according to these thoughts, by way of the furnishing, and those who have part in this service appeal to those who should have part in it; they engage them to join with them.

After having suffered the discipline of God, David introduces the service by the priests and the Levites. The first book of Chronicles therefore shows us the wonderful result for God, the result seen in David who learnt what was suitable to God for His service. It is as introducing this service that he is called the "man of God".

May God bless these thoughts to our hearts!

Address by J.T. at Bronac (Haute-Loire), 15th May, 1926, afternoon.

THOSE WHO ARE ADDED

Acts 2:41 - 47; Acts 3:1 - 11

The four gospels give us the account of the way in which the Lord Jesus did His service down here; the book of the Acts describes how the apostles fulfilled theirs, bringing out the results produced. The converts were added to what already existed. That which existed was the fruit of the ministry of Christ. Now, a company is seen of men and women who have received blessing through our Lord Jesus Christ and who love Him; they are seen together in an upper room at Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and sat upon each of them. They were therefore affected by the presence of the Holy Spirit in such wise that several who saw them said, "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13); but they were not drunk with wine, as was supposed. So Peter, whom the Lord had formed to preach, stands up with the eleven apostles and explains to the Jews that they were not drunken, but that the Holy Spirit had come down from Christ, out of heaven. He says, "Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which ye behold and hear" Acts 2:33. He says further on, "Let the whole house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him, this Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" Acts 2:36. In other words, Peter explains in his discourse the marvellous fact that the Holy Spirit had come down out of heaven, from Christ, and that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in persons who were actually at Jerusalem. Those who heard these words were pricked in heart, and said to the apostles, "What shall we do, brethren?" Acts 2:37. Peter answered them, "Repent, and be baptised, each one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:38. That is the point that things reached on that great day, the day of Pentecost! There was a company who loved Christ; each one of them had received the Spirit of Christ, from heaven. Then, there was a preacher, for God, in setting forth His testimony, qualifies men to preach. The Lord had taken Peter, with certain others, on to a mountain, and had appointed twelve of them to be with Him, and to send them to preach. Now, we see one of them preaching, and the effect of his preaching is such that those who hear him are pricked in heart, and say to Peter and the others, "What shall we do, brethren?". Such was the result of his preaching. These men were guilty, as inhabitants of Jerusalem, of the death of the Lord Jesus. The Lord had been to Jerusalem; He had done miracles there; He had taught in the temple, and He was crucified by those who were at Jerusalem, as it is said later on, "where also their Lord was crucified" Revelation 11:8. It was indeed rightly that they said, "What shall we do, brethren?" being convicted, for the preaching is in view of bringing about conviction.

We who are of the nations were not so directly guilty of the death of Christ. Nevertheless, the testimony of God is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The preaching of the gospel to the nations has also brought about repentance, as it says, "God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now enjoins men that they shall all everywhere repent" Acts 17:30. As being repentant, we desire to know what we must do. "What shall we do?" "He has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed, giving the proof of it to all in having raised him from among the dead" Acts 17:31. According to the measure in which the light penetrates into our souls, we see that we have to do with that Man, for God has

ordained that He shall execute judgment because He is the Son of man. Then, we desire to know what we must do. "What shall we do?" Peter's answer to the Jews at Jerusalem is the answer for us at this moment. "Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" Acts 2:38. A man of the nations, having been convicted, said to Paul and Silas, "What must I do that I may be saved?" Acts 16:30. The answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house" Acts 16:31. What I have said, dear friends, includes in few words, the foundations of the gospel, "that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3,4); it was necessary "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem" Luke 24:47. Those who repent and believe in His name receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All that I have said is by way of introduction to what I have particularly before me, for I have no doubt that all who are present know these facts well. I may even say that I believe that all those who are in this hall are believers.

So I would like to speak of the way in which believers are received, and how they walked and lived after having been received into the bosom of the assembly. What I have in mind is connected with the word 'add'. There is another in chapter 9 which is very much like it; it is the word 'grow' or 'multiply'. I will perhaps speak of it later on, but I would like first to speak of the word 'add'. I wish to show you in the first place those who were added. It may be that there are some here who have not been added, although they have repented. It may be that they know forgiveness, that they have been baptised, that they have the Spirit of God.

In spite of that, they are not added in the sense used in this passage. It says in verse 41 of chapter 2, "Those then who had accepted his word were baptised". They were subject to what Peter had indicated and required. He had told them to repent and be baptised; that was an individual thing -- "be baptised, each one of you". Then it says, "Those then who had accepted his word were baptised". If I receive the testimony of God into my soul, I act according to His requirements; if it is necessary that I should be baptised, I am baptised. When Philip preached to the eunuch, later on, it says, "They came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders my being baptised?" Acts 8:36. He is subject to the demands of the testimony, "And they went down both to the water" Acts 8:38. If the testimony requires that I should be baptised, I submit to baptism; and no one can be considered as being publicly added before being baptised. Then, there is another thing that the Lord requires of the believer; this is also a public thing: it is that the believer as baptised should partake of the Lord's supper. I am not acting according to the requirements of the testimony, unless I partake of the Lord's supper; and in that case, I cannot be considered as added publicly to the people of God. You see that it says that those who were added "persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers". They had received Peter's word which was the word of God for that moment. They were baptised, and it says that "there were added in that day about three thousand souls". These converted persons did not stop half-way. They did not wait a week, or a month, or a year, before ranging themselves publicly on the side of the testimony. They were "added" in that day. Why should they not have been added "in that day"? They had repented; they had been forgiven; they

had been baptised; they had received the Spirit. Why should they not be identified publicly with the saints? "There were added in that day about three thousand souls". They would not be sitting on the back seats when the saints were partaking of the Supper. They would be able to partake of the Supper, as well as Peter, for the Supper is for all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. So it is in verse 42 that "they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers". It is a question of what they themselves did. They could not baptise themselves; another had to baptise them. But, on the other hand, no one can break bread for me: that action is therefore presented as being their personal action; and they persevered in all those things. Is there a Christian here who does not do them? Then, I will say to him, You are not acting according to the word of God; up to a certain point you are governed by your own thoughts; you are not wholly following the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not identified with the Lord Jesus in His rejection, and you are not in the fellowship of the saints. So the Holy Spirit tells us with joy that all these persons persevered in the doctrine and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers.

It also says that "all that believed were together". It was a wonderful company; they loved one another and resorted frequently to one another's company. Their baptism had separated them from the world, and the breaking of bread had brought them into the fellowship of the apostles. They were there happily, and there was no lack among them. It says that they sold their possessions and substance, and distributed them to all, according as anyone might have need. Such was the practical unity that characterised them! No one considered his substance as belonging to himself alone, but as belonging to all. Then, it says, "And every day, being constantly in

the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in the house, they received their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people". You see, dear brethren, what there was in that company. They praised God. According to this passage, there was not a single one among those three thousand who was sitting outside. They broke bread in their houses. When the bread and the cup passed before them there was some for all, and all partook of it. Why not partake of it? We see therefore the force and bearing of the word 'add' used in verse 41 -- they were truly added. In the last verse of the second chapter, "The Lord added to the assembly daily those that were to be saved". Each one having been added became a part of the company. They participated in all its privileges and in all its responsibilities. That is what the Lord had on earth, and He Himself added to it those who were to be saved.

Now, as to what I have to say regarding chapter 3, my exercise is rather for those who are already in the company. The question is this, Can we attract souls? As possessing these great privileges, we ought to possess that which is attractive to souls. "Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, which is the ninth hour". These two apostles represented, so to speak, the best that God had upon earth. The Thessalonians were only young believers when the apostle Paul wrote to them; he says of them, "Ye became models to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia" (1 Thessalonians 1:7): and the testimony had sounded out from them. I refer to the Thessalonians to show that, although there may be no Peters and Johns, those of us who are in fellowship ought at least to be attractive to others. So, Peter and John say to this man who was at the Beautiful gate of the temple, "Look on us". That word is for our hearts, and I hope it will touch the hearts of all who are in

this hall. If I tell an exercised soul to look on me, I must be prepared for my life to be scrutinised, as well as my ways and my circumstances. Is my life in conformity with the word of God? But I also apply that to a company such as this. If this company says to an exercised soul, "Look on us", what does he see? It is an invitation to scrutinise us, for which I ought to be prepared myself. Do my walk and ways conform to the word of God? Are we together in the enjoyment of Christian privileges? Do we appreciate them? Here are two brothers going up to the temple at the hour of prayer. Do we meet together at the hour of prayer? Is there an hour of prayer? At Philippi, there was a place where it was customary to gather for prayer; those who had burdens met together to pray. They were together before God in prayer. With regard to all the other features that should characterise the assembly, are we directed by the word of God? Do we forsake the assembling of ourselves together, or do we testify that we appreciate the fellowship? We are together as often as possible, are we not? These things are so practical!

If we are not attractive to young converts, how will they be attracted? It is true that they should be attracted to the Lord; but Peter and John do not say, Look on the Lord. They say that it is in the name of the Lord Jesus that this lame man will be healed; but they also say, "Look on us". There was something spiritually attractive in Peter and John. There was more than that, dear brethren. Peter says to the man, "Silver and gold I have not; but what I have, this give I to thee: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazaraean rise up and walk". Peter speaks of the Lord as being the only One able to help whomsoever it may be. But there is still something else, and I wish you to take note of it. He held out to the man his right hand, or rather,

as it says, he took hold of him by the right hand: "And having taken hold of him by the right hand he raised him up". Are we accustomed to act thus? It is not only a question of giving light. The preaching of the gospel is what gives light. But there is also "the right hand". Each of the young persons present has a right hand. Have I taken their right hand? It is true that one can do nothing without the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, but every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has power, and the essential thing is to take the right hand of the one whom we desire to see saved, whom we wish to see baptised, whom we would like to see in fellowship. You make him feel that, as a believer, he possesses a link with you. We see further on that it speaks of the right hand of fellowship given to Paul. Here, Peter takes the right hand of this lame man. I think that refers to what there was in the man; he must have more power in his right hand than in his left. He had no power to walk, but he had some power in his right hand. If I am concerned with some converted person, I know that he possesses some power, and he ought to be attached to the company according to the power that he has. I am perfectly sure that if we proceed in this way, many will be added. "Having taken hold of him by the right hand he raised him up". You see how that is done. You say the Lord will do it; but He will not do what you ought to do. That is how I ought to regard the thing. Peter did not leave the care of it to the Lord; he took him by the hand; and not only did he take him, but he lifted him up. That is to say there was a measure of power in that man; and there was power in Peter. He took him; he lifted him up; and then God operated. It says, "Immediately his feet and ankle bones were made strong". That was the operation of God. We can be assured that if we take young Christians by the right hand, God will work immediately.