PART IX.

We are now called to consider the intensely interesting subject of

Simon Peter's restoration, in which we shall find some points of the

utmost practical importance. If in his fall we learn the frailty and

folly of man, in his restoration we learn the grace, wisdom, and

faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fall was, indeed, deep,

terrible, and humiliating. The restoration was complete and marvelous.

We may rest assured that Simon Peter will never forget either the one

or the other; nay, he will remember them with wonder, love, and

praise, throughout the countless ages of eternity. The grace that

shines in Peter's restoration is the same which is displayed in his

conversion. Let us glance at some of the salient points. It can be but

the merest glance, as our space is limited. And first let us look at

THE PROCURING CAUSE.

This we have given us with peculiar force by the pen of the inspired

evangelist Luke. "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath

desired to have thee, that he may sift thee as wheat." If Satan had

been suffered to have his way, poor Simon would have been hopelessly

ruined. But no; he was merely employed as an instrument, as he had

been in Job's case, to do a needed work, and, when that work was done,

he had to retire. He dare not go one hair's breadth beyond his

appointed sphere. It is well to remember this. Satan is but a

creature--crafty, wily, powerful, no doubt, but a creature who can

only go as far as he is permitted by God. Had Peter walked softly, had

he humbly and earnestly looked for divine help, had he been judging

himself in secret, there would have been no need of Satan's sifting.

Thanks be to God, Satan has no power whatever with a soul that walks

humbly with God. There is perfect shelter, perfect safety, in the

divine presence; and there is not an arrow in the enemy's quiver that

can reach one who leans in simple confidence upon the arm of the

living God. Here our apostle failed, and hence he had to pass through

a very severe process indeed, in order that he might learn himself.

But, oh, the power and preciousness of those words, "_I have prayed

for thee_!" Here assuredly lay the secret--here was the procuring

cause of Simon's restoration. The prayer of Jesus sustained the soul

of His erring servant in that terrible hour when the enemy would fain

have crushed him to powder. What could Satan do in opposition to the

all-powerful intercession of Christ? Nothing. That wonderful prayer

was the ground of Peter's safety, when, to human view, all seemed

hopelessly gone.

And for what did our Lord pray? Was it that Peter might not commit the

awful sin of denying Him? Was it that he might not curse and swear?

Clearly not. What then? "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail

not."

Can aught exceed the grace that shines here? That gracious, loving,

faithful Lord, in view of Peter's terrible sin--knowing all he was

about to do, all the sad forgetfulness--could actually plead for him

that, spite of all, his confidence might not give way--that he might

not lose the sense of the eternal stability of that grace which had

taken him up from the depth of his ruin and guilt.

Matchless grace! Nothing can surpass it in brightness and blessedness.

Had it not been for this prayer, Peter's confidence must have given

way. He never could have survived the awful struggle through which his

soul passed when thinking of his dreadful sin. When he came to

himself, when he reflected upon the whole scene, his expressions of

devotedness, "Though all should deny Thee, yet will I never deny

Thee"--"Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee"--"I

am ready to go with Thee to prison and to death"--to think of all

these words, and yet that he should deny his beloved Lord with cursing

and swearing, was overpowering.

It is a dreadful moment in the soul's history when one wakes up to the

consciousness of having committed sin--sin against light, knowledge,

and privilege--sin against divine grace and goodness. Satan is sure to

be specially busy at such a crisis. He casts in the most terrible

suggestions--raises all manner of questions--fills the heart with

legal reasonings, doubts, and fears--causes the soul to totter on the

foundation.

But, thanks and praise to our God, the enemy cannot prevail. "Hitherto

shalt thou come, and no further." The all-prevailing intercession of

our divine Advocate sustains the faith so sorely tried, carries the

soul through the deep and dark waters, restores the broken link of

communion, heals the spiritual wounds, lifts up the fallen one, brings

back the wanderer, and fills the heart with praise and thanksgiving.

"I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; and when thou art

restored, strengthen thy brethren." Here we have set before us in the

most touching way _the procuring cause_ of Simon Peter's restoration.

We shall now look for a moment at

THE PRODUCING MEANS.

For this, too, we are indebted to the evangelist Luke. Indeed it is

through him the inspiring Spirit has given us so much of what is

exquisitely human--so much of what goes straight to our very hearts,

in subduing power--so much of God coming out in loveliest human form.

We have already noticed Peter's gradual descent--his sad progress,

from one stage to another, in moral distance and culpable

decline--forgetting to watch and pray--following afar off--warming

himself at the enemy's fire--the cowardly denial--the cursing and

swearing. All this was down! down! down! shamefully and awfully down.

But when the erring, straying, sinning one had reached the very lowest

point, then comes out, with heavenly lustre, the grace that shines in

the procuring cause and the producing means of his restoration. The

former we have in Christ's _prayer_; the latter in Christ's _look_.

"The Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word

of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou

shalt deny Me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

Yes, here it is; "The Lord _looked_"--"Peter remembered"--Peter

wept--"wept bitterly." What a look! What a remembrance! What a

weeping! What human heart can conceive, what tongue express, what pen

portray, all that is wrapped up in that one look? We can well believe

that it went right home to the very centre of Peter's soul. He will

never forget that marvelous look, so full of mighty moral power--so

penetrating--so melting--so soul-subduing.

"Peter went out, and wept bitterly." This was the turning point. Up to

this all was darkly downward. Here divine light breaks in upon the

deep moral gloom. Christ's most precious prayer is having its answer,

His powerful look is doing its work. The fountain of the heart is

broken up, and penitential tears flow copiously forth, demonstrating

the depth, reality, and intensity of the work within.

Thus it must ever be, and thus it will ever be when the Spirit of God

works in the soul. If we have sinned, we must be made to feel, to

judge, and to confess our sin--to feel it deeply, judge it thoroughly,

and confess it fully. It will not do merely to say, in levity,

flippancy, or mere formality, "I have sinned." There must be reality,

uprightness, and sincerity. God desires truth in the inward parts.

There was nothing light, flippant, or formal about our beloved apostle

in the hour of his fall and repentance. No, all was intensely real. It

could not but be so with such a procuring cause, and such a producing

means. The prayer and look of Peter's Lord displayed their precious

results in Peter's restoration.

Now the reader will do well to notice that the prayer and look of our

Lord Jesus Christ set forth, in a very striking and beautiful manner,

the two grand aspects of Christ's present ministry as our Advocate

with the Father. We have the value and prevalency of His intercession,

and the power and efficacy of His word in the hands of the Holy Ghost,

that "other Advocate." Christ's _prayer_ for Peter answers to His

intercession for us. His _look_ upon Peter answers to His word brought

home to us in the power of the Holy Ghost. When we sin--as, alas! we

do in thought and deed--our blessed and adorable Advocate speaks to

God on our behalf. This is the procuring cause of our repentance and

restoration. But He speaks to us on God's behalf. This is the

producing means.

We shall not dwell upon the great subject of the advocacy here, having

recently sought to unfold it in our papers on "The All-sufficiency of

Christ." We shall close this paper with a brief reference to two or

three of the moral features of Peter's restoration--features which,

be it well remembered, must be looked for in every case of true

restoration. In the first place there is

THE STATE OF THE CONSCIENCE.

Now, as to the full and complete restoration of Peter's conscience

after his terrible fall, we have the most unquestionable evidence

afforded in his after history. Take the touching scene at the sea of

Tiberias, as given in John xxi.[4] Look at that dear, earnest,

thorough man, girding his fisher's coat around him, and plunging into

the sea, in order to get to the feet of his risen Lord! He waits

neither for the ship nor for his companions, but in all the lovely

freshness and liberty of a divinely restored conscience, he rushes to

his Saviour's feet. There is no tormenting fear, no legal bondage, no

doubt, darkness, or distance. His conscience is perfectly at rest. The

prayer and the look--the two grand departments of the work of

advocacy--had proved effectual. Peter's conscience was all right,

sound, and good; and hence he could find his home in the presence of

his Lord--his holy, happy home.

[4] We have no record of Peter's first meeting with his Lord, after

the resurrection.

Take another striking and beautiful evidence of a restored conscience.

Look at Peter in Acts iii. There he stands in the presence of

assembled thousands of Jews, and boldly charges them with having

"denied the Holy One and the Just"--the very thing which he himself

had done though under circumstances very different. How could Peter do

this? How could he have the face to speak so? Why not leave it to

James or John to prefer this heavy charge? The answer is blessedly

simple. Peter's conscience was so thoroughly restored, so perfectly at

rest, because perfectly purged, that he could fearlessly charge the

house of Israel with the awful sin of denying the Holy One of God. Was

this the fruit of moral insensibility? Nay, it was the fruit of divine

restoration. Had any one of the congregation gathered in Solomon's

porch undertaken to challenge our apostle as to his own shameful

denial of his Lord, we can easily conceive his answer. The man who had

"wept bitterly" over his sin would, we feel assured, know how to

answer such a challenge. Not that his bitter weeping was the

meritorious ground of his restoration; nothing of the kind, it only

proved the reality of the work of repentance in his soul. Moral

insensibility is one thing, and a restored conscience, resting on the

blood and advocacy of Christ, is quite another.

But there is another thing involved in a true work of restoration, and

that is

THE STATE OF THE HEART.

This is of the very utmost importance in every instance. No

restoration can be considered divinely complete which does not reach

the very depths of the heart. And hence, when we turn back to the

scenes on the shore of the sea of Tiberias, we find the Lord dealing

very closely and very powerfully with the state of Peter's heart. We

cannot attempt to expatiate, much as we should like to do so, on one

of the most affecting interviews in the entire volume of God. We can

do little more than quote the inspired record, but that is quite

enough.

It is deeply interesting to notice that there is no allusion--not the

most remote--to past scenes, during that wonderful dinner, provided,

cooked, and dispensed by the risen Lord! But "when they had dined,

Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more

than these?" Here Simon is recalled by the words of his faithful Lord

to his self-confident profession. He had said, "Though all shall be

offended, yet will not I." Then the searching question, three times

repeated, evidently calls back the threefold denial.

Peter's _heart_ is touched--the moral _root_ of the whole matter is

reached. This was absolutely necessary in Peter's case, and it is

absolutely necessary in every case. The work of restoration can never

be thorough unless the roots of things are reached and judged. Mere

surface work will never do. It is of no use to crop the sprouts; we

must get down to the depths, the hidden springs, the moral sources,

and judge them in the very light of the divine presence.

This is the true secret of all genuine restoration. Let us ponder it

deeply. We may rest assured it demands our most solemn consideration.

We are all too apt to rest satisfied with cropping off the sprouts

that appear above the surface of our practical daily life, without

getting at the roots; and the sad consequence is that the sprouts

quickly appear again, to our sorrow and shame, and the dishonor of our

Lord's name. The work of self-judgment must be more profound if we

would really make progress. We are terribly shallow, light, and

flippant. We greatly lack depth, seriousness, and moral gravity. We

want more of that heart-work which was wrought in Simon the son of

Jonas on the shore of the sea of Tiberias. "Peter was grieved because

He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me?" The knife of the

divine Operator had reached the root of the moral disease, and that

was enough. It was needful, but it was enough; and the grieved and

self-judged Simon Peter has only to fall back upon the great fact that

his Lord knew all things. "Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest

that I love Thee." It is as though he had said, "Lord, it demands the

eye of Omniscience itself to discern in the heart of the poor erring

one a single spark of affection for Thee."

Reader, this truly is real work. We have before us a thoroughly

restored soul--restored in conscience, restored in heart. And if it be

asked, "What remains?" the answer is, We see a servant

RESTORED TO HIS WORK.

Some would tell us that if a man falls, he can never recover his

position; and no doubt, under _government_, we must reap as we sow.

But _grace_ is another thing altogether. Government drove Adam out of

Eden, and never replaced him there, but grace announced the victorious

Seed of the woman. Government kept Moses out of Canaan, but grace

conducted him to Pisgah's top. Government sent a perpetual sword upon

David's house, but grace made the son of Bathsheba the wisest and

wealthiest of Israel's kings.

This distinction must never be lost sight of. To confound grace and

government is to commit a very grave mistake indeed. We cannot attempt

to enter upon this weighty subject here, having done so in one of our

earlier volumes. But let the reader seek to understand it, and bear it

ever in mind.

As to Simon Peter, we not only see him restored to the work to which

he was called at the first, but to something even higher. "Feed My

lambs--shepherd My sheep"--is the new commission given to the man who

had denied his Lord with an oath. Is not this something beyond

"catching men?" "When thou art restored, strengthen thy brethren." Can

anything in the way of service be more elevated than shepherding

sheep, feeding lambs, and strengthening brethren? There is nothing in

all this world nearer or dearer to the heart of Christ than His sheep,

His lambs, His brethren: and hence He could not have given Simon Peter

a more affecting proof of His confidence than by committing to his

care the dearest objects of His deep and tender love.

And then mark the closing words, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

when thou wast _young_, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither

thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be _old_, thou shalt stretch forth

thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou

wouldest not. This spake He, signifying by what death he should

glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, FOLLOW

ME."

What weighty words are these! Who can tell their depth, power, and

significance? What a contrast between Simon, "_young_," restless,

forward, blundering, boastful, self-confident; and Peter, "_old_,"

subdued, mellowed, passive, crucified! What a difference between a man

walking whither he would, and a man following a rejected Lord along

the dark and narrow pathway of the cross, home to glory!

CONCLUSION.

We could not close this series of papers without glancing, however

cursorily, at the way in which our apostle discharged his various

commissions. We see him "catching men;" opening the kingdom of heaven

to the Jew and to the Gentile; and, finally, feeding and shepherding

the lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ.

Elevated services these, for any poor mortal to be called to, and more

especially for one who had fallen so deeply as Simon Peter. But the

remarkable power with which he was enabled to fulfil his blessed

service proved beyond all question the reality and completeness of his

restoration. If, at the close of the Gospels, we see Peter restored in

heart and conscience, in the Acts and in his epistles we see him

restored to his work.

We cannot attempt to go into details; but a point or two must be

briefly noticed. There is something uncommonly fine in Peter's address

in the third chapter of Acts. We can only quote a sentence or two:

"The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our

fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and

_denied Him_ in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let

Him go. But _ye denied the Holy One and the Just_."

What a splendid evidence we have here of Peter's complete restoration!

It would have been utterly impossible for him to charge his audience

with having denied the Holy One if his own soul had not been fully and

blessedly restored. Alas! he, too, had denied his Lord; but he had

repented, and wept bitterly. He had been down in the depths of

self-judgment, just where he desired to see every one of his hearers.

He had been face to face with his Lord, just where he longed to see

them. He had been given to taste the sweetness, the freeness, the

fulness, of the pardoning love of God, to prove the divine efficacy of

the atonement and the prevalency of the advocacy of Christ. He was

pardoned, healed, restored; and as such he stood in their presence a

living and striking monument of that grace which he was unfolding to

them, and which was amply sufficient for them as it had proved for

him. "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be

blotted out."

Who could more distinctly and emphatically utter such precious words

than the erring, restored and forgiven Peter? If any one of his

audience had ventured to remind the preacher of his own history, what

would he have said in reply? Doubtless he would have had little to say

about himself, but much, very much, to say about that rich and

precious grace which had triumphed over all his sin and failure--much,

very much, about that precious blood which had canceled forever all

his guilt, and given perfect peace to his conscience--much, very much,

about that all-prevailing advocacy to which he owed his full and

perfect restoration.

Peter was just the man to unfold to others those glorious themes in

which he had so thoroughly learnt to find his strength, his comfort,

and his joy. He had proved in no ordinary way the reality and

stability of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was no mere empty

theory, no mere doctrine or opinion, with him. It was all intensely

real to him. His very life and salvation were bound up in it. He knew

the heart of Christ in a very intimate way. He knew its infinite

tenderness and compassion, its unswerving devotedness in the face of

many stumbles, shortcomings, and sins; and hence he could bear the

most distinct and powerful testimony to the whole house of Israel to

the power of the name of Jesus, the efficacy of His blood, and the

deep and infinite love of His heart. "His name, through faith in His

name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith

which is by Him hath given him _this perfect soundness_ in the

presence of you all."

What power in these words! How refreshing is the testimony to the

peerless name of Jesus! It is perfectly delightful at all times, but

specially so in this infidel day in which our lot is cast--a day so

marked by the determined and persistent effort of the enemy to exclude

the name of Jesus from every department.

Look where you will, whether it be in the domain of science, of

religion, of philanthropy, or moral reform, and you see the same

sedulous and diligently pursued purpose to banish the name of Jesus.

It is not said so in plain terms, but it is so nevertheless.

Scientific men, the professors and lecturers in our universities, talk

and write about "the forces of nature" and the facts of science in

such a way as practically to exclude the Christ of God from the whole

field of nature. Scripture tells us, blessed be God, that by the Son

of His love "All things were created that are in heaven, and that are

in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or

principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him:

and He is before all things, and _by Him all things consist_." And

again, speaking of the Son, the inspiring Spirit says, "Who being the

brightness of God's glory, and the express image of His person, and

_upholding all things by the word of His power_, when He had by

Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on

high." (Col. i., Heb. i.)

These passages lead us to the divine root of the matter. They speak

not of "the forces of nature," but of the glory of Christ, the power

of His hand, the virtue of His word. Infidelity would rob us of

Christ, and give us, instead, "the forces of nature." We vastly prefer

our own beloved Lord. We delight to see His name bound up,

indissolubly, with creation in all its vast and marvelous fields. We

vastly prefer the eternal record of the Holy Ghost to all the

finely-spun theories of infidel professors. We rejoice to see the name

of Jesus bound up in every department of religion and philanthropy. We

shrink with ever-increasing horror from every system, every club,

every order, every association, that dares to shut out the glorious

name of Jesus from its schemes of religion and moral reform. We do

solemnly declare that the religion, the philanthropy, the moral

reform, which does not make the name of Jesus its Alpha and its Omega,

is the religion, the philanthropy and the moral reform of hell. This

may seem strong, severe, ultra, and narrow-minded, but it is our deep

and thorough conviction, and we utter it fearlessly, in the presence

of all the infidelity and superstition of the day.

But we must return to our apostle's discourse, which has wakened up

those glowing sentiments in the very depths of the soul.

Having charged home their terrible sin upon the consciences of his

hearers, he proceeds to apply the healing, soothing balm of the

gospel, in words of marvelous power and sweetness: "And now, brethren,

I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But

those things which God before had showed by the mouth of all His

prophets that Christ should suffer, _He hath so fulfilled_." Nothing

can exceed the grace of this. It recalls the words of Joseph to his

troubled brethren: "It was not you that sent me hither, but God." Such

is the exquisite grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, such the infinite

love and goodness of our God.

"Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted

out, when the time of refreshing shall come from (or by) the presence

of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was

preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of

restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all

His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the

fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your

brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He

shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which

will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.

Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as

many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the

children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our

fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds

of the earth be blessed. _Unto you first_ God, having raised up His

Son Jesus, _sent Him to bless you_, in turning away every one of you

from his iniquities."

Thus did this dear and honored apostle, in the power of the Holy

Ghost, throw wide open the kingdom of heaven to the Jews, in pursuance

of his high commission as recorded in the sixteenth chapter of the

Gospel of Matthew. It is what we may well call a splendid testimony,

from first to last. Most gladly would we linger over it; but our

limited space forbids. We can only commend it to the earnest study of

the reader, and pass on, for a few moments, to the tenth chapter of

Acts which records the opening of the kingdom to the Gentile.

We assume that the reader understands the truth in reference to the

keys of the kingdom of heaven being committed to Peter. We shall not

therefore occupy his time or our own in combating the ignorant

superstition which attributes to our apostle what we may rest assured

he would have rejected with intense and holy horror, namely, the power

to let souls into heaven. Detestable folly! which, while it

obstinately refuses Christ, who is God's _only_ way to heaven, will

blindly build upon some poor sinful mortal like ourselves who himself

was a debtor to the sovereign grace of God and the precious blood of

Christ for his entrance into the Church on earth and into heaven

above.

But enough of this. All intelligent Christians understand that the

apostle Peter was commissioned, by his Lord and ours, to open the

kingdom of heaven to both Jew and Gentile. To him were committed the

keys, not of the Church, nor yet of heaven, but of "the kingdom of

heaven;" and we find him using them in Acts iii. and x.

But he was by no means so alert in taking up the latter as he was in

taking up the former. Prejudice--that sad hindrance then, now, and

always--stood in the way. He needed to have his mind enlarged to take

in the divine purpose in respect to the Gentiles. To one trained amid

the influences of the Jewish system, it seemed one thing to admit Jews

into the kingdom, and quite another to admit Gentiles. Our apostle had

to get further instruction in the school of Christ ere his mind could

take in the "no difference" doctrine. "Ye know," he says to

Cornelius, "how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew

to keep company or come unto one of another nation." Thus had it been

in days gone by; but now all was changed. The middle wall was broken

down--the barriers were swept away; "God hath shewed me that I should

not call any man common or unclean." He had seen, in a vessel which

came from heaven, and returned thither, "_all manner_ of fourfooted

beasts," and a voice from heaven had commanded him to slay and eat.

This was something new to Simon Peter. It was a wonderful lesson he

was called to learn on the housetop of Simon the tanner. He was there,

for the first time, taught that "God is no respecter of persons," and

that what God hath cleansed no man may call common.

All this was good and healthful for the soul of our apostle. It was

well to have his heart enlarged to take in the precious thoughts of

God--to see the old barriers swept away before the magnificent tide of

grace flowing from the heart of God over a lost world--to learn that

the question of "clean" or "unclean" was no longer to be decided by an

examination of hoofs and habits (Lev. xi.)--that the same precious

blood of Christ which could cleanse a Jew could cleanse a Gentile

also; and, moreover, that the former needed it just as much as the

latter.

This, we repeat, was most valuable instruction for the heart and

understanding of Simon Peter; and if the reader wants to know how far

he took it in and appreciated it, he has but to turn to Acts xv. and

read the apostle's own commentary upon the matter. The Church had

reached a solemn crisis. Judaizing teachers had begun their terrible

work. They would fain bring the Gentile converts under the law. The

occasion was intensely interesting and deeply important--yea, solemnly

momentous. The very foundations were at stake. If the enemy could but

succeed in bringing the Gentile believers under the law, all was gone.

But, all praise to our ever-gracious God, He did not abandon His

Church to the power or wiles of the adversary. When the enemy came in

like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord raised up a standard against him.

A great meeting was convened--not in some obscure corner, but at

Jerusalem, the very centre and source of all the religious influence

of the moment--the very place, too, from whence the evil had emanated.

God took care that the great question should not be decided at Antioch

by Paul and Barnabas, but at Jerusalem itself, by the unanimous voice

of the apostles, elders, and the whole Church, governed, guided and

taught by God the Holy Ghost.

At this great meeting our apostle delivered himself in a style that

stirs the very deepest springs of our spiritual life. Hear his words:

"And when there had been much disputing"--Alas! how soon the miserable

disputing began--"Peter rose up and said unto them, Men, brethren, ye

know how that a good while ago God made choice among us that the

Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the

Holy Ghost even as He did unto us, and put _no difference between us

and them_, purifying their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, _why tempt

ye God_ to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our

fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that by the grace of

our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved _even as they_."

This is morally grand. He does not say, "They shall be saved even as

we." No; but "We shall be saved even as they"--on the same ground,

after the same model, in the same way. The Jew comes down from his

lofty dispensational position, only too thankful to be saved, just

like the poor Gentile, by the precious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How those words of the apostle of the circumcision must have refreshed

and delighted the heart of Paul as he sat at this never-to-be-forgotten

meeting! Not that Paul sought in any way the countenance, the support,

or authority of man. He had received his gospel and his commission,

not from Peter, but from Peter's Lord; and from Him, too, not as the

Messiah on earth, but as the risen and glorified Son of God in heaven.

Still, we cannot doubt that the testimony of his beloved

fellow-laborer was deeply interesting and cordially welcome to the

apostle of the Gentiles. We can only say, Alas! alas! that there

should have been aught in the after-course of that fellow-laborer in

the smallest degree inconsistent with his splendid testimony at the

conference. Alas! that Peter's conduct at Antioch should vary so much

from his words at Jerusalem. See Gal. ii.

But such is man, even the best of men, if left to himself. And the

higher the man is, the more mischief he is sure to do if he makes a

stumble. We shall not, however, dwell on the sad and painful scene at

Antioch, between those two most excellent servants. They are both now

in heaven, in the presence of their beloved Lord, where the

remembrance of past failure and sin only enhances the value of that

blood which cleanseth from all sin, and of that grace which reigns,

through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Holy Ghost has thought proper to record the fact that our apostle

failed in frankness and integrity at Antioch; and further, that the

blessed apostle of the Gentiles had to withstand him to the face; but

we are not going to expatiate upon it. We would profit by it, as well

we may, for it is full of deep instruction and solemn warning. If such

a one as the apostle Peter, after all his experience, his fall and

restoration, his long course of service, his intimate acquaintance

with the heart of Christ, all the instruction he had received, all his

gifts and knowledge, all his powerful preaching and teaching--if such

a one as this could, after all, dissemble through fear of man, or to

hold a place in man's esteem, what shall we say for ourselves? Simply

this:

"O Lamb of God, still keep me close to Thy pierced side;

'Tis only there in safety and peace I can abide.

When foes and snares surround me, when lusts and fears within,

The grace that sought and found me, alone can keep me clean."

May the Lord greatly bless to our souls our meditation on the history

of Simon Peter! May his life and its lessons be used of the Holy Ghost

to deepen in our souls the sense of our own utter weakness and of the

matchless grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION:

WHAT IS IT?

There are few thoughtful students of the New Testament who have not,

at some time or another, felt a little perplexed as to the real force

and application of the word "perfect," which is of frequent

occurrence. This word is used in such a variety of connections that it

is deeply important we should be clear as to what the Holy Ghost means

by it in each particular case. We believe the context will, generally

speaking, guide as to a right understanding of the just sense and

application of the word in any given passage. We are aware that the

subject of "Christian Perfection" has given rise to much theological

strife and controversy; but we must at the outset assure our readers

that it is not by any means our intention to take up the question in a

controversial way; we shall merely seek to bring under their notice

the various passages in the New Testament in which the word "perfect"

occurs, or at least some of the leading instances of its use, trusting

the Lord to use what He may give us to write, for the glory of His

name and the profit of those precious souls for whom we ever desire to

write. We shall not trace the word in the order in which it occurs,

but rather in that order which the real need of the soul would

naturally suggest. In this way we shall find that the first great

aspect of Christian perfection is presented to us in the ninth verse

of the ninth chapter of Hebrews, and may be denominated

PERFECTION AS TO THE STATE OF THE CONSCIENCE.

"Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered

both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the

service _perfect_ (τελειωσαι) as pertaining to the

conscience." The apostle, in this passage, is drawing a contrast

between the sacrifices under the Mosaic economy, and the sacrifice of

Christ. The former could never give a perfect conscience, simply

because they were imperfect in themselves. It was impossible that the

blood of a bullock or of a goat could ever give a perfect conscience.

Hence, therefore, the conscience of a Jewish worshiper was never

perfect. He had not, if we may use the expression, reached his moral

end as to the condition of his conscience. He could never say that his

conscience was perfectly purged, because he had not yet reached a

perfect sacrifice.

With the Christian worshiper, however, it is different. He has,

blessed be God, reached his moral end. He has arrived at a point, so

far as the state of his conscience is concerned, beyond which it is

utterly impossible for him to go. He cannot get beyond the blood of

Jesus Christ. He is perfect as to his conscience. As is the sacrifice,

so is the conscience that rests thereon. If the sacrifice is

imperfect, so is the conscience. They stand or fall together. Nothing

can be simpler, nothing more solid, nothing more consolatory, for any

awakened conscience. It is not at all a question of what I am; _that_

has been fully and forever settled. I have been found out, judged, and

condemned in myself. "In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good." I

have got to the end of myself, and there I have reached the blood of

Christ. I want no more. What could be added to that most precious

blood? Nothing. I am perfect, as to the state of my conscience. I do

not want an ordinance, a sacrament, or a ceremony, to perfect the

condition of my conscience. To say so, to think so, would be to cast

dishonor upon the sacrifice of the Son of God.

The reader will do well to get a clear and firm hold of this

foundation-point. If there be any darkness or uncertainty as to this,

he will be wholly unable to understand or appreciate the various

aspects of "Christian Perfection" which are yet to pass in review

before us. It is quite possible that many pious people fail to enjoy

the unspeakable blessing of a perfect conscience by reason of

self-occupation. They look in at self, and not finding aught there to

rest upon--who ever did?--they deem it presumption to think of being

perfect in any respect whatever. This is a mistake. It may be a pious

mistake, but it is a mistake. Were we to speak of perfection in the

flesh (what many, alas, are vainly aiming at), then, verily, true

piety might recoil with just horror from the presumptuous and silly

chimera. But, thank God, our theme is not perfection in the flesh,

through any process of improvement, moral, social, or religious. This

would be poor, dreary, depressing work indeed. It would be setting us

to look for perfection in the old creation, where sin and death reign.

To look for perfection amid the dust of the old creation were a

hopeless task. And yet how many are thus engaged! They are seeking to

_improve man and mend the world_; and yet, with all this, they have

never reached, never understood--yea, they actually deny--the very

first and simplest aspect of Christian perfection, namely, perfection

as to the state of the conscience in the presence of God.

This latter is our thesis, and we want the anxious reader to

understand it in its simplicity, in order that he may see the solid

foundation of his peace laid down by the very hand of God Himself. We

want him, ere he lays aside this paper, to enter into the joyful sense

of sins perfectly forgiven, and his conscience perfectly purged by the

blood of Jesus. The entire matter hinges upon the question of the

sacrifice. What has God found in that sacrifice? Perfection. Well,

then, that perfection is for you, anxious one, and you should at once

and forever enjoy it. Remember, it is not a question as to what you

are, nor yet as to what you think about the blood of Christ. No, dear

friend: the question is, What does God think about the blood of His

own Son? This makes all so clear. Say, is it clear to you? Can you now

rest in it? Is your conscience set free by being brought in contact

with a perfect sacrifice? Oh that it may be so! May God's Spirit now

show you the fulness and perfectness of Christ's atoning work with

such clearness, vividness and power that your whole being may be

emancipated, and your heart filled with praise and thanksgiving!

It makes the heart bleed to think of the thousands of precious souls

kept in darkness and bondage when they ought to be walking in the

light and liberty which flow from a perfectly purged conscience. So

many things are mixed up with the simple testimony of the Word and

Spirit of God as to the value of Christ's work that it is wholly

impossible for the heart to get liberated. You will get a little bit

of Christ, and a little bit of self; a little bit of grace, and a

little bit of law; a little bit of faith, and a little bit of works.

Thus the soul is kept hovering between confidence and doubt, hope and

fear, just as one or other of the ingredients predominates in the

mixture, or happens to be tasted at the moment. How rare is the gem of

full, free, present, and eternal salvation! We would fain cause that

gem to sparkle in all its divine and heavenly lustre under the gaze of

the reader at this moment. Then shall the chains of his spiritual

bondage drop off. If the Son shall make him free he shall be free

indeed, and thus be able to rise in the power of this freedom and

trample the legal system beneath his feet.

The more we ponder the question now before us--and we have pondered it

a good deal--the more we are convinced that the true secret of all

the error, confusion and perplexity in which so many are involved in

reference to it will be found in the fact that they do not clearly

understand death and resurrection--the new birth--the new creation.

Were this grand truth only laid hold of in power it would make all

clear as to the state of the conscience. So long as I am seeking to

tranquilize my conscience by efforts after self-improvement, so long I

must be either miserable or self-deceived. It does not matter in the

least what means I adopt in carrying on the process; the issue must be

one and the same. If I attempt to take up the profession of

Christianity for the purpose of bettering _self_--improving nature or

mending my condition in the old creation--I must be a total stranger

to the bliss of a perfect conscience. "All flesh is as grass." The old

creation lies under the withering influences of sin and its curse. A

risen Christ is the Head of the new creation--"the beginning of the

creation of God"--"the first-begotten from among the dead" (εκ

των νεκρων).

Here in very deed is perfection for the conscience. What more do I

want? I see the One who hung upon the cross, charged with the full

weight of all my sins, now crowned with glory and honor at the right

hand of God, amid the full blaze of heaven's majesty. What can be

added to this? Do I want ordinances, rites, ceremonies, or sacraments?

Surely not. I dare not add aught to the death and resurrection of the

eternal Son of God. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper

symbolize and celebrate that grand reality; and, so far, they are

precious to the Christian--most precious. But when, instead of being

used to symbolize and celebrate death and resurrection, they are used

to displace it,--used as patches upon the old creation, as crutches

for the old man,--they must be regarded as a snare, a curse, from

which may the Lord deliver the souls of His people!

We would fain dwell upon this our first point because of its immense

importance in this day of ordinances, traditionary religion, and

self-improvement. We should like to ponder it--to elaborate,

illustrate and enforce it--in order that the reader may get a clear,

full, bold grasp of it. But we look to God the Holy Ghost to do His

own work in this matter; and if He will graciously bring the heart

under the power of the truth which has been so feebly unfolded, then

indeed will there be both ability and leisure to look at the second

great aspect of Christian perfection, namely,

PERFECTION AS TO THE OBJECT OF THE HEART.

Here, again, we are ushered into the new creation. Christ died to give

me a perfect conscience. He lives to give me a perfect object. But it

is very clear that until I have tasted the deep blessedness of the

former, I can never be properly occupied with the latter. I must have

a perfect conscience ere my heart can be at leisure to go out after

the person of Christ. How few of us really taste the sweetness of

communion with a risen Christ! How little do any of us know of that

fixedness of heart upon Him as our one paramount, engrossing,

undivided object! We are occupied with our own things. The world

creeps in, in one way or another; we live in the region of nature; we

breathe the atmosphere--the dark, heavy, murky atmosphere--of the old

creation; self is indulged; and thus our spiritual vision becomes

dimmed, we lose our sense of peace, the soul becomes disturbed, the

heart unhinged, the Holy Ghost grieved, the conscience exercised. Then

the eye is turned in upon self and back upon its actings. The time

that else might be spent in holy and happy occupation with our Object

is, and must be, devoted to the business of self-judgment--heavy, but

needed work!--in order to get back into the enjoyment of what we

should never have lost, even a perfect conscience.

Now, the moment the eye is turned off from Christ darkness must set

in--ofttimes darkness that may be felt. It is only as the eye is

single that the body is full of light. And what, beloved reader, is a

single eye but having Christ for our one object? It is thus that light

divine pours in upon us, until every chamber of our moral being

becomes lighted up, and we become lights for others, "as when the

bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." In this way the soul

is kept happily free from obscurity, perplexity, and anxiety. It finds

all its springs in Christ. It is independent of the world, and can

move on, singing--

"Salvation in that name is found,

Cure for my grief and care;

A healing balm for every wound:

All, all I want is there."

It is impossible for words to convey the power and blessedness of

having Jesus ever before the heart as an object. It is perfection, as

we have it in Philippians iii. 15, where the apostle says, "Let us

therefore, as many as be _perfect_ (τελειοι), be thus minded:

and if in anything ye be differently minded (ετερως), God

shall reveal even this unto you." When Christ stands before the heart

as our absorbing and satisfying object, we have reached our moral end

so far as an object is concerned; for how can we ever get beyond the

person of Christ, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead

bodily, and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge?

Impossible. We cannot get beyond the blood of Christ, for the

conscience; neither can we get beyond the person of Christ, for the

heart; we have therefore reached our moral end in both; we have

perfection as to the state of the conscience, and as to the object of

the heart.

Here, then, we have both peace and power--peace for the conscience,

and power over the affections. It is when the conscience finds sweet

repose in the blood that the emancipated affections can go forth and

find their full play around the person of Jesus. And oh, what tongue

can tell, what pen unfold, the mighty moral results of gazing upon

Christ? "But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the

glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to

glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. iii. 18). Observe,

"_Beholding ... are changed_." There is no legal bondage--no restless

effort--no anxious toiling. We gaze, and gaze, and--what then?

Continue to gaze, and as we gaze we become morally assimilated to the

blessed Object, through the transforming power of the Holy Ghost. The

image of Christ is engraved upon the heart, and reflected back in ten

thousand ways in our practical career, from day to day.

Reader, remember, this is the only true idea of Christianity. It is

one thing to be a religious man, it is quite another to be a

Christian. Paul was a religious man before his conversion; but he was

a Christian afterwards. It is well to see this. There is plenty of

religion in the world, but, alas, how little Christianity! And why?

Simply because Christ is not known, not loved, not cared for, not

sought after. And even where His work is looked to for salvation--where

His blood is trusted for pardon and peace--how little is known or

thought of Himself! We are ready enough to take salvation through the

death of Jesus, but oh, beloved reader, how far off do we keep from

His blessed Person! How little does He get His true place in our

hearts! This is a serious loss. Indeed, we cannot but believe that the

pale, flickering light of modern profession is the fruit of habitual

distance from Christ, the central sun of Christianity. How can there

possibly be light, heat, or fruitfulness, if we wander amid the gloomy

vaults and dark tunnels of this world's pleasures, its politics, or

its religion? It is vain to expect it. And even where we make

salvation our object--when we are occupied with our spiritual

condition, feeding upon our experiences and looking after our frames

and feelings--we must become weak and low, inasmuch as these things

are certainly not Christ.

There are many who, as we say, have retired from the world, have given

up its balls, its parties, its theatres, its exhibitions, its

concerts, its flower shows, its numberless and nameless vanities, who,

nevertheless, have not found their object in a risen and glorified

Christ. They have retired from the world, but have gone in upon

themselves. They are seeking an object _in their religion_; they are

engrossed with forms of pietism; they are feeding upon the workings of

a morbid conscience or a superstitious mind; or they are trafficking

in the experience of yesterday. Now, these persons are just as far

from happiness--as far from the true idea of Christianity, as the poor

pleasure-hunters of this world. It is quite possible to give up

pleasure-hunting and become a religious mope--a morbid, melancholy

mystic--a spiritual hypochondriac. What do I gain by the change?

Nothing; unless, indeed, it be a vast amount of self-deception. I have

retired from the world around, to find an object in the world

within--a poor exchange!

How different is this from the true Christian! There he stands, with

a tranquilized conscience and an emancipated heart, gazing upon an

Object that absorbs his whole soul. He wants no more. Talk to him

about this world's pleasure? Ask him, has he been to this or that

Exhibition? What is his calm and dignified reply? Will he merely tell

you of the sin, the harm, of such things? Nay; what then? "I have

found my _all_ in Christ. I have reached my moral end. I want no

more." This is the Christian's reply. It is a poor affair when we come

to talk of the harm of this or that. It often happens that persons who

speak thus are occupied, not with Christ, but with their own

reputation, their character, their consistency with themselves. Of

what use is all this? Is it not self-occupation, after all? What we

want is to keep the eye fixed on Christ; then the heart will follow

the eye, and the feet will follow the heart. In this way our path will

be as the shining light, shining more and more until it becomes lost

in the blaze of the perfect and everlasting day of glory.

May God, in His infinite mercy, grant to the writer and reader of

these pages to know more of what it is to have reached our moral end,

both as to the state of the conscience and as to the object of the

heart!

* * * * *

In considering the subject of Christian perfection, it might seem

sufficient to say that the believer is perfect in a risen Christ:

"Complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power."

This, surely, comprehends everything. Nothing can be added to the

completeness which we have in Christ. All this is blessedly true; but

does it not still hold good that the inspired writers use the word

"perfect" in various ways? And is it not important that we should

understand the sense in which the word is used? This, we presume, will

hardly be questioned. We cannot suppose for a moment that any

thoughtful reader of Scripture would be satisfied to dismiss the

matter without prayerfully seeking to understand the exact force and

just application of the word in each particular passage in which it

occurs. It is plain that the word "perfect" in Heb. ix. 9 is not

applied in the same way as it is in Phil. iii. 15. And is it not

right--is it not profitable--is it not due to our own souls and to the

sacred volume--to seek, through grace, to understand the difference?

For our part, we cannot question it; and in this confidence we can

happily pursue our examination of the subject of Christian perfection

by calling the reader's attention, in the third place, to

PERFECTION IN THE PRINCIPLE OF OUR WALK.

This is unfolded to us in Matt. v. 48: "Be ye therefore perfect

(τελειοι), even as your Father which is in heaven is

perfect." "How," it may be asked, "can we be perfect as our Father

which is in heaven? How can we reach to such an elevated point as

this? How can we attain to so lofty a standard? We can understand our

being perfect as to the conscience, inasmuch as this perfection is

based upon what Christ has done for us. And we can also understand

our being perfect as to the object of the heart, inasmuch as this

perfection is based upon what Christ is to us. But to be perfect as

our Father in heaven seems entirely beyond us." To all this it may be

said that our blessed Lord does not ask us to do impossibilities. He

never issues a command without furnishing the needed grace to carry it

out. Hence, therefore, when He calls upon us to be perfect as our

Father, it is plain that He confers upon us a holy privilege, that He

invests us with a high dignity, and it is our place to seek to

understand and appropriate both the one and the other.

What, then, is meant by our being perfect as our Father in heaven? The

context of Matt. v. 48 furnishes the answer: "But I say unto you, Love

your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate

you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;

that (οπως) ye may be the sons (υιοι) of your Father which is in

heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and

sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.... Be ye therefore perfect,

even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Here we have a lovely phase of Christian perfection, namely,

perfection in the principle of our walk. We are called to walk in

grace toward all, and in so doing to be imitators of God as dear

children. Our Father sends His sunshine and His showers even upon His

enemies. He deals in grace with all. This is our model. Are we formed

upon it? Reader, search and see. Are you perfect in the principle of

your walk? Are you dealing in grace with your enemies and those who

are in your debt? Are you demanding your rights? Are you, in

principle, taking your fellow by the throat, and saying, "Pay me that

thou owest?" If so, you are not "perfect as your Father." He is

dealing in grace, and you are dealing in righteousness. Were He to act

as you are acting, the day of grace would close, and the day of

vengeance open. Had He dealt with you as you are now dealing with

others, you should long since have been in that place where hope is

unknown.

Let us ponder this. Let us see to it that we are not misrepresenting

our heavenly Father. Let us aim at perfection in the principle of our

daily walk. It will cost us something. It may empty the purse, but it

will fill the heart; it may contract our pecuniary resources, but it

will enlarge our spiritual circle. It will bring us into closer

contact and deeper fellowship with our heavenly Father. Is not this

worth something? Truly it is. Would that we felt its worth more

deeply! Would that we felt more of the dignity conferred upon us in

our being called to represent, in this evil, selfish, dark world, our

heavenly Father, who pours in rich profusion His blessings upon the

unthankful and the unholy. There is no use in preaching grace if we do

not act it. It is of little avail to speak of God's dealing in

long-suffering mercy if we are dealing in high-handed justice.

But, it may be said by some, "How ever could we carry out such a

principle? We should be robbed and ruined. How could business be

carried on if we are not to enforce our rights? We should be imposed

upon and plundered by the unprincipled and the designing." This is not

the mode in which to arrive at a just conclusion on our point. An

obedient disciple never says, "How?" The question is, "Does the Lord

Jesus call upon me to be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect?"

Assuredly. Well, then, am I aiming at this when I summon my

fellow-creature to a bar of justice? Is this like my Father? Is this

what He is doing? No; blessed be His name! He is on a throne of grace.

He is reconciling the world. He is not imputing trespasses. This is

plain enough. It only needs full subjection of heart. Let us bow our

souls beneath the weight of this most glorious truth. May we gaze upon

this most lovely aspect of Christian perfection, and seek to aim at

the attainment of it. If we pause to reason about results, we shall

never reach the truth. What we want is, that moral condition of soul

that fully owns the power and authority of the Word. Then, though

there may be failure in detail, we have always a touchstone by which

to test our ways, and a standard to which to recall the heart and

conscience. But if we reason and argue--if we deny that it is our

privilege to be perfect in the sense of Matt. v. 48--if we justify our

going to _law_ when our Father is not going to law, but acting in the

most unqualified _grace_, we deprive ourselves of that perfect model

on which our character and ways should ever be formed.

May God the Holy Spirit enable us to understand, to submit to, and

carry out in practical life, this perfect principle! It is most

lamentable to see the children of God adopting in daily life a course

of acting the direct opposite of that adopted by their heavenly

Father. We ought to remember that we are called to be His moral

representatives. We are His children by spiritual regeneration, but we

are called to be His sons in moral assimilation to His character and

practical conformity to His ways. "Do good to them that hate you ...

_that ye may be_ the sons of your Father which is in heaven." Striking

words! In order to our being morally and characteristically the sons

of God, we are called to do good to our enemies. This is what He does,

and we are called to be like Him. Alas, how little we enter into this!

How unlike we are! Oh for a more faithful representation!

Time and space would fail us to dwell, as we should like to do, upon

this deeply practical part of our subject; we must therefore pass on,

in the fourth place, to the consideration of

PERFECTION IN THE CHARACTER OF OUR SERVICE.

"I have not found thy works perfect (πεπληρωμενα) before God"

(Rev. iii. 2). The English reader should be informed that the word

here rendered "perfect" is not the same as that used in the three

passages already referred to. It is usually translated "fulfilled"--

"finished"--"accomplished." Its use in reference to the works of the

Church of Sardis teaches us a deeply solemn and heart-searching

lesson. There was a name to live; but the works were not fulfilled

under the immediate eye of God. There is nothing more dangerous to a

Christian than to have "_a name_." It is a positive snare of the

devil. Many a professor has fallen by means of being occupied with a

name. Many a useful servant has been destroyed by the effort to keep

up a name. If I have gotten a reputation in any department of

service--as an active evangelist--a gifted teacher--a clear and

attractive writer--a man of prayer--a man of faith--a person of

remarkable sanctity, or great personal devotedness--a benevolent

person--a name for anything, in short--I am in imminent danger of

making shipwreck. The enemy will lead me to make my reputation my

object instead of Christ. I shall be working to keep up a name instead

of the glory of Christ. I shall be occupied with the thoughts of men

instead of doing all my work under the immediate eye of God.

All this demands intense watchfulness and rigid censorship over

myself. I may be doing the most excellent works, but if they are not

fulfilled in the presence of God they will prove a positive snare of

the devil. I may preach the gospel--visit the sick--help the poor--go

through the entire range of religious activity--and never be in the

presence of God at all. I may do it for a name--do it because others

do it, or expect me to do it. This is very serious, beloved reader.

It demands real prayer--self-emptiness--nearness to and dependence

upon God--singleness of eye--holy consecration to Christ. Self

continually intrudes upon us. Oh this self, self, self, even in the

very holiest things; and all the while we may appear to be very active

and very devoted. Miserable delusion! We know of nothing more terrible

than to have a religious name without spiritual life, without Christ,

without a sense of God's presence possessing the soul.

Reader, let us look closely into this. Let us see that we begin,

continue, and end our work under the Master's eye. This will impart a

purity and a moral elevation to our service beyond all price. It will

not cripple our energy, but it will tend to raise and intensify our

action. It will not clip our wings, but it will guide our movements.

It will render us independent of the thoughts of men, and fully

deliver us from the slavery of seeking to maintain a name, or keep up

a reputation--miserable, degrading bondage! May the good Lord grant us

full deliverance from it! May He give us grace to fulfil our works,

whatever they may be, few or many, small or great, in His own blessed

presence!

Having said thus much in reference to the _character_ of our service,

we shall close with a few lines on

PERFECTION IN OUR EQUIPMENT FOR SERVICE.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for

doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in

righteousness: that the man of God may be _perfect_ (αρτιος)

thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. iii. 16,

17). Here, again, we have a different word, and one which only occurs

in this one place in the entire New Testament. It is most expressive.

It signifies _present readiness_ for any exigence. The man who is

acquainted with, and subject to the word of God, is ready for every

emergency. He has no need to go and cram for an occasion--to consult

his authorities--to make himself up on a point. He is _ready now_. If

an anxious inquirer comes, he is ready; if a curious inquirer comes,

he is ready; if a skeptic comes, he is ready; if an infidel comes, he

is ready. In a word, he is always ready. He is perfectly equipped for

every occasion.

* * * * *

The Lord be praised for all these aspects of Christian perfection!

What more do we want? Perfection as to the conscience; perfection in

object; perfection in walk; perfection in the character of service;

perfection in our equipment. What remains? What wait we for? Just

this--perfection in glory--perfect conformity in spirit, and soul, and

body, to the image of our glorified Head in heaven!

May the Lord so work on our hearts by His Spirit, producing that which

is well-pleasing in His sight, that we may stand "perfect and complete

in all the will of God!"

C. H. M.

THE TRIBE OF LEVI ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THEIR FAMILIES.

First Class.

GERSHON, meaning, _A stranger, or exile_.

LAEL " _Dedicated, or belonging to God_.

ELIASAPH " _God hath added_.

SHIMEI " _Renowned_.

LIBNI " _White_.

Second Class.

KOHATH " _Assembly_.

HEBRON " _Association, communion_.

AMRAM " _Exalted people, or of the exalted One_.

IZHAR " _Oil_.

UZZIEL " _The strength of God_.

Third Class.

MERARI " _Bitter_.

MAHLI " _Sick, sickly_.

MUSHI " _Yielding, forsaking_.

ABIHAIL " _Father of strength_.

ZURIEL " _My rock is God_.

THE HISTORY OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI CONSIDERED

There are few exercises more profitable for the Christian than that of

reflecting upon the character of God as unfolded in the history of the

saints and fathers of ancient times recorded in the scriptures of the

Old Testament: and indeed this might be expected from the very nature

of the subject, which is such that, whatever be its extent, it unfolds

principles to us which stand intimately connected with all that is

important for us to know or be established in. Thus, whether we get

the dealings of God on a limited scale, as with any one of the fathers

_personally_, or more widely extended, as with the seed of Israel

afterwards, it is nevertheless the same lesson we are called upon to

learn, namely, _God and man_. Now, this is what should enhance

exceedingly the value of the Old Testament to the Christian; almost

the great body of its teaching is of the above character: and not only

so, but it also (as looked at in this point of view) guards

effectually against the mere exercise of imagination; for when we

consider the history of any man or people, it is not necessary that we

should decide positively what is _shadowed out_ therein;[5] it is

enough for us to see that we have before us a more or less extensive

development of the character and actings of God and man; and this,

without ever descending beneath the surface of Scripture, cannot fail

of being instructive and edifying to the soul.

[5] In many of the Old Testament narratives, however, the instruction

is so manifestly typical that even the most cautious reader, if at all

familiar with Scripture, cannot refuse to look at it in that point of

view.

But, of all the histories of the Old Testament embodying instruction

of the above character, I believe there are few more copious, deep and

varied than that which is about to engage our attention. If the

narrative of a soul taken up by sovereign and eternal grace from the

pit of corruption and deep depravity, carried through the various

stages which grace and truth had enacted for sinful man, until at last

he is set down in the very sanctuary of God and established in the

enjoyment of the covenant of life and peace forever; if, I say, such a

narrative would possess charms and present attractions to us, then

does the history of Levi abound in this. It is only a matter of

astonishment that a history fraught with such rich and varied

instruction has not occupied more of the thoughts of those luminaries

of the Church whose writings have been a source of comfort and

instruction to all who have been taught to value the truth of God.

Yet, much as I see in the history of Levi, and much as I admire what I

do see, I could not think of directing the reader's thoughts to the

subject without informing him that I purpose doing little more than to

bring before his mind in a connected way the various scriptures which

treat of this most interesting question; however, these scriptures are

so plain and striking that no one who is at all familiar with

Scripture truths can fail to enter into them. Now, as I purpose, with

the Lord's blessing and grace, to follow the history of Levi through

all the scriptures in which it is brought before us, I will commence

with

HIS BIRTH,

As recorded in GENESIS xxix. 34.

"And she (Leah) conceived again, and bare a son: and said,

Now this time will my husband be _joined_ unto me, because I

have borne him three sons: therefore was his name called

Levi" (that is, 'joined;' see margin).

Here, then, we are presented with the birth and name of this most

remarkable character--a name of wondrous significance as looked at in

connection with his after history, whether in nature's wild and

lawless extravagance, in which we find him "_joined_" with his brother

in the perpetration of a deed of blood and murder (Gen. xxxiv.), or in

the day when he was called to drink deeply and largely of the cup of

God's electing grace, when "_joined_" with Aaron in "the work of the

tabernacle" (Num. viii.).

GENESIS xxxiv. 25, 26.

"And it came to pass on _the third day_, when they were

sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,

Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the

city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor

and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took

Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out."

As the Spirit of God in Jacob has furnished us with a striking

commentary on the above piece of cruelty, we will consider the

scripture in which the commentary is given, namely:

GENESIS xlix. 5-7.

"Simeon and Levi _are brethren_; instruments of cruelty are

in their habitations. O my soul, _come not thou into their

secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou

united_: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their

self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger,

for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; _I

will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel_."

We have here a truly humbling view of human nature as looked at in the

light of the holiness of God. It is as if the Lord would say to us,

Look here! behold a man clothed in nature's blackest garb, and

presenting nature's most forbidding aspect. Examine him closely, in

order that you, seeing what _man is_ when stripped of all that false

clothing which ignorance or vain self-righteousness would put upon

him, may know the rich aboundings of My grace, which can avail to lift

even such a one into the loftiest heights of communion--heights which

human conception would utterly fail to mount, but which My grace,

through the blood of the cross, can make available to the very chief

of sinners.

In reading such a description as that which the above passage presents

to us, how needful it is for the sinner to bear in mind that it is

not only in the light of _God's holiness_ that he is called to look at

himself, but also in the light of _His grace_. When this is learned he

needs not be afraid to penetrate deeply into the dark recesses of his

heart's corruption; for if God in grace _fill_ the scene, the sinner

(so far as his own righteousness is concerned) must necessarily be

_out_ of the scene; and then it is no longer a question of what _we_

think about sin, but how _God_ will deal with it in grace, and that is

simply to put it away forever--yea, to bury it forever in the waters

of His forgetfulness: thus it will be placing _our sin_ side by side

with _God's grace_; which is what the gospel invites us to do, and

which, moreover, is the only way to arrive at a proper settlement of

the question of sin. On the other hand, where this saving principle is

not known--not believed--the sinner will undoubtedly seek to make the

load of his guilt as light as possible, in order that he may have as

little to do as he may. This will ever lead to the most unutterable

and intolerable bondage; or if not to this, to that which is much

worse, even to detestable religious pride, which is of all things most

truly abominable in the sight of God.

Reader, if you have not as yet got the question of sin settled between

your conscience and God, ponder, I do beseech you, what I have now

stated; for to know this principle in spirit is life eternal. Christ

has, _once for all_, borne sin's deepest curse in His own body on the

tree, and now even _Levi_ can lift up his head; for although he be by

nature only conversant with "_instruments of cruelty_," things which

must have kept God forever at a distance from "his secret and his

assembly;" although he be by nature _cruel_, _fierce_, _self-willed_,

_scattered_, _and divided_, yet God can, in the exercise of His mercy,

make him conversant with "the instruments of the tabernacle," bring

him into the enjoyment of the covenant of _life_ and _peace, in union_

with the great head of the priestly family, and, in the power of this

blessed union, cause him to have his "_lights and perfections with his

Holy One_" (Deut. xxxiii. 8; Mal. ii. 4, 5). However, we must not

anticipate the teaching of passages which are yet to come under our

notice; I will therefore close my remarks on this part of our subject

by requesting my reader to compare attentively the character of Levi,

as above recorded, with that which the apostle Paul, quoting from the

Psalms, has given of man generally, whether Jew or Gentile: "There is

_none_ righteous, no, not one; there is _none_ that understandeth,

there is _none_ that seeketh after God. They are _all_ gone out of the

way, they are _together_ become unprofitable; there is none that doeth

good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their

tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips,

whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: _their_ FEET ARE SWIFT

TO SHED BLOOD: _destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way

of peace have they not known_: there is no fear of God before their

eyes" (Rom. iii. 10-18).

EXODUS xxxii. 25-29.

"And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron

had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is

on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons

of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said

unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man

his sword by his side and go in and out from gate to gate

throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and

every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the

children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and

there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to the

Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother;

that He may bestow upon you a blessing this day."

Here a new scene opens to us, and we are called to witness the dawning

of a new day upon Levi; a day, moreover, which may justly lead us to

anticipate great things. It is true we get him here likewise with his

sword by his side, but, oh, for what a different purpose, and in what

a different cause! It is not now in anger and self-will slaying a man,

but in holy jealousy and care for the honor of the Lord God of Israel,

and in simple obedience to His command; and although this may, and

will, lead to the very cutting off of a brother, a son, or a friend,

Levi cares not; for the word is, "Consecrate yourselves to the Lord,

that He may bestow upon you a blessing." This was enough for Levi; and

although by nature he was vile and utterly unfit either for the

fellowship or service of God, yet is he now the foremost in jealous

vindication of His holy name and worship against those who would seek

to "turn their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass."

Nor is Levi now seen "_joined_" with his brother Simeon--no, he might

join in league with him in the days of his wickedness for the

perpetration of deeds of blood; but here, as I before observed, we get

the opening of a new scene, and therefore he is seen "joined" with the

Lord and His servant Moses for the execution of righteous judgment

upon idolatry.

And henceforth, in following the footsteps of Levi, we shall find

that, instead of being "swift to shed blood," they are to be "swift"

in following the movements of the cloud, and "swift" in performing the

service of the tabernacle.

It would, of course, be quite foreign to our subject to dwell upon the

sad and humbling scene that called out the above act of service on the

part of Levi. Suffice it to say that it was, as we know, on the part

of Aaron and the camp, a ceasing to exercise faith in the fact that

Moses was _alive_ in the presence of God for them. The consequence of

which was an entire forgetfulness of the mighty Hand and stretched out

Arm that had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and of their

present position _in the wilderness_; hence, as might be expected,

"the people _sat down to eat and drink_ and rose up to play." May the

Lord preserve us from like forgetfulness; and, seeing "those things

were written for our admonition," may we be truly admonished thereby

not to "lust after evil things."

We shall now pass on to the next scripture, where we get the Lord's

own thoughts upon the above act of service, namely,

DEUTERONOMY xxxiii. 8-11.

"And of Levi he (Moses) said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim

be with thy Holy One, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and

with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; who

said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him;

neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own

children: for they have observed Thy word and kept Thy

covenant. They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel

Thy law; they shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt

sacrifice upon Thine altar. Bless, Lord, his substance, and

accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of

them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that

they rise not again."

In this passage we have real Levite service brought before us in the

words, "who said unto his father and mother, I have not seen him,"

etc. The _true_ and _decided_ servant of God will ever have to

experience something of this; indeed, the measure thereof will just be

in proportion to the faithfulness and power of his walk: "flesh and

blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" therefore every heir of that

kingdom must show himself in readiness to deny all the claims which

"flesh and blood" would make on him, whether in himself or in others.

Most happily does the address to "the queen," in Ps. xlv., connect

itself with this point: "_Harken_, O daughter, and _consider_, and

_incline thine ear; forget also thine own people_ and thy father's

house; so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy

Lord, and worship thou Him" (vers. 10, 11). We have all to watch

against a tendency to be influenced by the claims of flesh and blood,

in our testimony for Christ. He Himself has said on this subject that

"no man having put his hand to the plow and _looking back_, is fit for

the kingdom of God" (Luke ix. 62). And, as some one has observed, it

was upon this point that the prophet Elisha's character seemed a

little defective, for when Elijah cast his mantle over him, or, in

other words, when he had put upon him the high honor of making him a

prophet of the Lord God, Elisha's heart seemed to yearn after home,

and he said, "Let me, I pray thee, _kiss my father and my mother_, and

_then_ I will _follow thee_" (1 Kings xix. 20). Now this was most

natural, and, as some would say, amiable and affectionate; but, oh,

amiability and natural affection have often hindered people from

entering as they should into the Lord's service; and although it is

one of the marks of the latter-day apostasy to be "without natural

affection," yet does Moses, in the above-cited passage, ask the Lord

to bless Levi, because "he said unto his father and his mother, I have

not seen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his

own children." How grossly inconsistent would it have been for Levi to

have said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother," when called to enter

upon the Lord's work; and not less so is it for us to allow the claims

of "flesh and blood" to interfere with our true hearted Levite service

to our God, who has done so much for _us_.

But let us carefully observe the blessed consequences of this decision

of character on the part of Levi. These are, first, "They shall _teach

Jacob_ Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law." Secondly, "They shall put

incense before Thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon _Thine altar_."

Thirdly, "Bless his substance." Fourthly, "Accept the work of his

hands." Fifthly, "Smite through the loins of them that rise against

him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again." All these

fruits are distinct, and yet intimately connected, as springing from

the same source, namely, simple, devoted and uncompromising obedience

to the Lord. As to the first of these fruits, how true it is that it

is only the man who himself endeavors to walk in power before God that

can speak with effect to the hearts and consciences of others; nothing

else will do--nothing else will tell, either upon the hearts or in the

lives of Christians. There may be, and, alas, is much of mere

systematic teaching and preaching of things which the mere intellect

may have received, and which, by a natural fluency of language, we may

be able to give out; but all such teaching is vain, and had much

better be avoided in the sight of God. True, it might often give to

our public assemblies an appearance of barrenness and poverty which

our poor, proud hearts could ill brook; but would it not be far better

to keep silence than to substitute mere carnal effort for the blessed

energy of the Holy Spirit?

True ministry, however, the ministry of the Spirit, will always

commend itself to the heart and conscience. We can always know the

source from which a man is drawing who speaks in "the words which the

Holy Ghost teacheth," and with the ability which God giveth; and while

we should ever pray to be delivered from the mere effort of man's

intellect to handle the truth of God amongst us, we should diligently

cultivate that power to teach which stands connected, as in Levi's

case, with the denial of the claims of flesh and blood, and with

entire devotedness to the Lord's service.

In the second consequence above referred to we have a very elevated

point: "They shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt sacrifice

upon Thine altar." This is worship. We put incense before God when we

are enabled, in the power of communion, to present in His presence the

sweet odor of Christ in His person and work. This is our proper

occupation as members of the chosen and separated tribe.

But it is particularly instructive to look at both the above mentioned

consequences in connection; i.e., the Levites in ministry to their

brethren, and the Levites in worship before God: it was as acceptable

in the sight of God, and as divine an exercise of his functions, for a

Levite to instruct his brethren as it was for him to burn incense

before God. This is very important. We should never separate these two

things. If we do not see that it is the same Spirit who must qualify

us to speak _for_ God as to speak _to_ Him, there is a manifest want

of moral order in our souls. If we could keep this principle clearly

before our minds, it would be a most effectual means of maintaining

amongst us the true dignity and solemnity of ministry in the Word:

having lost sight of it has been productive of very sad consequences.

If we imagine for a moment that we can teach Jacob by any other power

or ability than that by which we put incense before God, or if we

imagine that one is not as acceptable before God as the other, we are

not soundly instructed upon one of the most important points of truth;

for, as some one has observed, "Let us look at this point illustrated

in the personal ministry of Christ, and we shall no longer say that

teaching by the Holy Ghost is inferior to praise by the same, for

surely the apostleship of Christ when He came _from God_ was as sweet

in its savor to God as His priesthood when _He went to God_ to

minister to Him in that office. The candlestick in the holy place

which diffused the light of life--God's blessed name--was as valuable,

at least in His view, as the altar in the same place, which presented

the perfume of praise."

We now come to speak of the third point, namely, "Bless, Lord, his

substance." This is just what we might have expected; an _increase_ of

blessing will ever be the result of real true-hearted devotedness to

Christ. "Every branch in Me that beareth fruit He purgeth, that it may

bring forth more fruit;" "The diligent soul shall be made fat;" and

"To him that hath shall _more_ be given." Levi had exhibited much

diligence of soul in the Lord's service--he had shown himself in

readiness to vindicate His name in strong and decided opposition to

every mere human thought and affection; and now the Lord will show

Levi that He is not unrighteous to forget his work and labor of love,

"for He will bless his substance." We find the apostle Paul bringing

forward the same principle to his son Timothy when he tells him to

"meditate on these things; _give thyself wholly_ to them, that _thy

profiting may appear to all_." Here he connects the "profiting" with

the "giving himself wholly:" this will ever be the case; and if we

would experience more than we do the meaning and power of the words,

"Bless, Lord, his substance," we must first endeavor to enter into the

meaning of what goes before, namely, "who said to his father and to

his mother, I have not known him," etc. "Every one that hath forsaken

houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or

children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold,

and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matt. xix. 29).

Not less striking is the connection between what has just been stated

and our fourth point, namely, "Accept the work of his hands." This I

conceive to be a point of the greatest importance to us, and one which

involves a question upon which we frequently display much want of

intelligence. We often find it difficult to reconcile the idea of

salvation through free grace with that of an increase of blessing and

power for walking in obedience; and yet we find the two things

constantly maintained in Scripture; thus we read, "He that hath My

commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that

loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and _will

manifest Myself_ to him." And, again, "If a man love Me, he will keep

My words; and My Father will love him, _and We will come unto him and

make Our abode with him_" (John xiv. 21, 23).

This is very clear and decided upon the subject: we see here that the

manifestation of the Son is made to depend on our keeping the

commandments of Christ. Grace takes up a sinner and leads him into the

knowledge of the full forgiveness of his sins through faith in the

blood of the Lord Jesus Christ: but all this is simply a means to an

end: it is, in a word, to set him down in a position of responsibility

to Christ, which position he by nature could never have sustained,

because "the carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to

the law of God, neither indeed can be." If, then, a man be put into a

place of responsibility, it is clear that the more faithfully and

diligently he maintains that place, the more enlarged will be his

communion.

A father may have two children, the one obedient, the other the very

reverse; now, they are both his children; neither the obedience of the

one nor the disobedience of the other can interfere in the least with

the relationship existing between them; but can we have a question as

to which of them would enjoy most of the father's presence and

affection? Surely not; a father likes to be obeyed, and will love the

obedient child. There may be extraordinary cases where, from a warped

judgment or a blind and unmeaning partiality, the disobedient, lawless

son may have more of the heart of the parent than the other; but this

is not so with God: His judgment is clear and unerring: He can

accurately distinguish between the one that honors Him and the one

that despises Him: the former "He will honor," the latter He will

"lightly esteem." The Lord does not ask a sinner _dead_ in trespasses

and sins to serve Him, for all such a one could do would be polluted

with sin--his very prayers are polluted--his meditations are

polluted--his acts of benevolence are polluted; in a word, he is all

polluted, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, and

therefore can do nothing acceptable in the sight of God. But the Lord

quickens those that are dead in trespasses and sins, and then teaches

them to "walk worthy of Him as dear children," and to be fruitful in

every good word and work, to the praise of His name: and when we do

this He graciously condescends to "accept the work of our hands." But

not only does Scripture abound with precepts which confirm what has

been above stated, it also affords numerous examples and illustrations

of the same; thus, for instance, the case of Abraham and Lot, in the

opening of the book of Genesis. These were both servants of God, but

yet how differently they walked! one loved God; the other loved the

well-watered plains of Sodom: and the consequence was, that while the

Lord Himself could meet with Abraham, and sup with him, and, moreover,

unfold to him His counsels with reference to Sodom, He merely sends

_angels_ to Sodom, and we can plainly perceive in their manner toward

Lot their marked disapproval of his circumstances, for when he invites

them into his house, they reply, "_Nay, but we will abide in the

street all night_."

This is plain: the angels of the Lord would rather abide all night in

the streets of guilty Sodom than go in to a child of His who was not

walking in obedience; nor does the fact that they afterwards consented

to go in at all interfere with the point which I am seeking to

establish; no, their answer speaks volumes of the most solemn and

practical instruction to us; they enter into _Lot's house_, it is

true; but if they do, it is only to counteract the sad effects of

_Lot's sin_. May we, then, seek, by prayer and communion with God, to

keep ourselves in the path of obedience, so that we may prove in our

soul's happy experience the meaning of the prayer in our text, "Accept

the work of his hands."

We have now arrived at the fifth and last point in this branch of our

subject, namely, "Smite through the loins of them that rise against

him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again." This is

properly the last point, when there shall be neither "adversary nor

evil occurrent," we shall rest from our labor and conflict, and enter

into possession of that upon which hope now feeds; therefore, when it

can be said of our enemies "that they rise not again," we shall be

happy indeed.

However, there is much of practical value in this point in the

connection in which it stands here, i.e., as _a consequence_ of

obedience; there is nothing that gives the soul such marvelous power

over enemies as an obedient, holy walk. Every step we take in real

obedience to Christ is, so far, a victory gained over the flesh, and

the devil; and every fresh victory ministers fresh power for the

conflict which follows; thus we grow. And on the other hand, every

battle _lost_ only serves to weaken us, while it gives power to our

enemies to attack us again. Thus we see that the man whose heart is

truly devoted to the Lord will have power to teach--power to worship;

he will increase in substance, for Christ causes those that love Him

"to inherit _substance_" (Prov. viii.). He will enjoy more of God's

favor and of the light of His countenance, for "them that honor Me I

will honor;" and, finally, he will have enlarged power over all

enemies. All these are the fruits of that true Levite devotedness

which will enable a man to say "to his father, and to his mother, I

have not seen him;" or, in other words, those fruits can only be

enjoyed by one who is ready to "leave all and follow Christ." This

being the case, then, we can have little difficulty in accounting for

the poverty in gifts of ministry--the poverty in worship--the

meagreness of growth--the many interruptions in the enjoyment of

divine favor--the almost total lack of power over enemies of which we

have all to complain. Many seek to satisfy themselves by saying that

we cannot expect the same power in gifts and worship now as that which

fell to the lot of the saints in the apostolic day, and this, of

course, we are not going to deny; but then, the question is, Have we

as much power and freshness in these things as we might have? I

believe we have not--and why? Is not Levi's God our God? Yes, He is,

blessed be His name, and the same everlasting and abundant fountain of

blessing as ever He was, but we, alas, are _far behind_ in the matter

of Levi's true devotedness; and this is the root of it all, for it

remains unalterably true that "to him that hath shall _more_ be

given," and "we cannot serve two masters." This is true--solemn--and

practical.

We are now called to consider a scripture which will unfold to us at

once the wondrous secret of how a sinner so degraded as Levi could

hold a place of such elevation and nearness to God as that which he

afterwards occupied. There is nothing in a sinner by nature with which

God could hold any intercourse; therefore, if ever He brings any one

into a place of blessing and high communion, He does so in _pure

grace_, and thus _excludes_ "boasting" altogether, for "no flesh shall

glory in His presence." Those who look upon it as presumption in a

sinner to speak of holding a place of such nearness to God, seem to

lose sight of this completely. It could never be _pride_ that would

lead any one into a place where _he_ would be broken to pieces, and be

shown that he was altogether corrupt and worthless; if God were to

elevate _flesh_, and bring flesh into a place of nearness to Himself,

then indeed there would be some force in the objection on the ground

of presumption; but God does no such thing: the flesh is so far gone

in ruin that it cannot be improved, and therefore God declares in the

Cross His mind about the flesh, namely, that it is a condemned thing;

but He, by the same Cross, gives the poor sinner _life_, and in the

power of _that life_, and not in the power of life in the flesh, He

brings the sinner into His presence and sets him down at His table; so

that it is not the presumption of a poor prodigal that assigns the

place which he is to occupy, but the _grace_ and boundless

lovingkindness of the father: thus, God says to Noah, "The end of all

flesh is come before Me," and what then? "Make thee an ark of gopher

wood"--and in that ark is Noah raised up beyond the region of

judgment, and a judged world, into a place of undisturbed communion.

Now, we shall find the very same principles developed in God's

dealings with Levi, in the scripture which is about to engage our

attention. I shall first consider their cleansing; and, secondly,

their position and service. First, their cleansing as recorded in

NUMBERS viii. 5-14.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites

from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. And

thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle

water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their

flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make

themselves clean. Then let them take a young bullock with

his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil; and

another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.

And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of

the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly

of the children of Israel together: and thou shalt bring the

Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall

put their hands upon the Levites: and Aaron shall offer the

Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of

Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord. And

the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the

bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering,

and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make

an atonement for the Levites. And thou shalt set the Levites

before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an

offering unto the Lord. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites

from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be

Mine."

This passage furnishes us with a very rich and blessed branch of our

interesting subject. We were enabled to see, in looking at Levi by

nature, that such was his character that God would have no fellowship

with him whatever, and that, so far as Levi was concerned, he should

abide forever in _his own habitation_, in company with the

"instruments of cruelty" which were therein. But God will not leave

him there, and therefore God must Himself provide the remedy--God

Himself must cleanse this self-willed, cruel and fierce man. And here

we are invited to recall a thought which occurred to the mind in the

opening of this paper, viz., that man's sin must ever be brought into

the presence of God's grace. Levi had nothing else to look to; his

sin was such as to preclude every thought of human remedy; the law

condemned Levi's nature; and God had pronounced him unfit for His

presence. And what, then, had Levi to do? Could he set himself with

heart and soul to keep the law? Impossible: the law had not only

condemned his works, but pronounced the curse of God upon his very

nature. The law said, "Thou shalt do no murder;" and having said this,

it added, "_Cursed_ is every one that continueth not in all things

that are written in the book of the law, to do them." But Levi had

murder in his nature, therefore Levi's nature was cursed.

What, then, could Levi do? Might he not cast himself over upon the

mercy of God, with the hope that He would deal lightly with his sins?

No; by no means: God had given forth His solemn and unalterable

decree, "O my soul, come not thou into their secret;" God could not

come into a habitation wherein were "instruments of cruelty."

Thus, then, Levi was completely shut up, without a single means of

escape; the law nailed him down to this one point, "Answer my

demands." And all that Levi had towards the discharge of these demands

was, "anger, fierceness, murder, self-will, cruelty," etc.: poor

resources, alas! Nor would the law of God enter into any composition

with the sinner; it should have "the uttermost farthing," or else the

word was, "_cursed art thou_." Therefore Levi, _as a man alive in the

flesh_, or, in other words, Levi, as seeking to get life through the

law, was judged, condemned, and set aside, and it only remained for

him to take thus the place of _one dead_, in order that God might _in

grace_ quicken him into new life, which God was ready and willing to

do, and which, as we shall see, He graciously did, according to His

own marvelous thoughts, and in His own way.[6] Levi, then, had just to

see himself as one that was, in God's account, _dead_, as we read,

"for they (i.e., the Levites) are wholly given unto me from among the

children of Israel; _instead_ of such as open every womb, even

_instead_ of the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I

taken them unto me: for all the first-born of the children of Israel

are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every first-born

in the land of Egypt, _I sanctified them for myself_; _and I have

taken the Levites for all the first-born of the children of Israel_"

(chap. viii. 16-18).

[6] The reader will, of course, bear in mind that what is stated about

Levi in this paper is to be regarded as _typical_ of that which the

believer now knows in _reality_ through the Holy Ghost.

The Lord passed through the land of Egypt with the sword of justice

unsheathed, to smite _all_ the first-born, nor would Israel's

first-born have escaped, had not the sword fallen upon the neck of the

spotless victim; and thus, as some one has beautifully observed,

"There was death in every house, not only in the houses of the

Egyptians, but also in those of the Israelites: in the former, it was

the _death of Egypt's first-born_; in the latter, the death of God's

Lamb."

The Levites, then, were taken _instead_ of those upon whom the sword

of the destroying angel should have fallen; or, in other words, _the

Levites were_, _typically_, _a dead and risen people_, and thus were

no longer looked at in the circumstances of nature, but of _new life_

through grace, in which they were placed by God Himself. And here let

me observe that this is the path which every sinner must travel if he

would know experimentally anything of Levi's after history. There is

no other way in which to escape from the judgment of the law on the

one hand, or from the horrid workings of indwelling corruption on the

other, than simply to see ourselves "_dead_" to both, and "_alive_

unto God through Jesus Christ." "How shall we," says the apostle,

"that are _dead to sin_ live any longer therein? Know ye not that so

many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His

death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that,

like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,

even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. vi. 2-4). And,

again, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become _dead_ to the _law_

by the body of Christ, that ye should be _married to another_, even to

Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto

God" (chap. vii. 4). But not only are death and resurrection the only

possible means by which a sinner can escape the condemnation of the

law and the tyrannical sway of sin, they are also the only means by

which he can acceptably serve God. The flesh, or carnal mind, cannot

serve God, for it is not subject to His law, neither indeed can be;

therefore we infer that the sources of that life by which we can serve

God are not to be found in the flesh, but only in union with the Lord

Jesus in resurrection. "If a man abide not _in me_, he is cast forth

as a branch and is withered" (John xv. 6). Consequently, when God

would bring Levi into a place of nearness and service to Himself, He

shows him to us as passing through those circumstances which, in the

clearest manner, illustrate _death and resurrection_; for they are

taken instead of those that were as dead, but who escaped through the

death of the lamb: and then, having thus passed through the

circumstances of death, they are told in chap. viii. to "_put off the

old man and put on the new_"--for that is the meaning of the "washing

of water," and "shaving of the flesh," etc. This is in full keeping

with what the apostle states to his son Titus: "For we ourselves also

were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and

pleasures, _living in malice and envy_, hateful, and hating one

another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour

toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done,

but according to His mercy He saved us, by the _washing of

regeneration_, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Titus iii. 3-6).

But in order that we may have a clearer and more comprehensive view of

the ground upon which the Levites stood before God, I would refer, in

as brief and concise a manner as I can, to the offerings connected

with their consecration: these were the burnt offering, the meat

offering, and the sin offering; all, as we shall see, showing out the

Lord Jesus Christ in His varied aspects.[7] And first, the burnt

offering: the principles unfolded in this offering are brought out in

the first chapter of Leviticus, where we read, "If his offering be a

burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he

shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle

of the congregation before the Lord" (ver. 3).

[7] It may be well just to observe here that in considering the

offerings above referred to I have merely looked at them with

reference to the question of Levi's history.

Here, then, is something real for the soul to feed on and rejoice in.

We have in the burnt offering the Lord Jesus Christ, in all His

fulness and perfections, as offering Himself "_without spot to God_,"

and also as accepted before God _for us_. In this He was found to be

"_a male without blemish_;" so much so, that the One in whose sight

the very heavens are not clean, could say, "In whom I am well

pleased;" and again, "Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth."

But further, this unblemished offering presents Himself voluntarily at

the door of the tabernacle. "No man," says the Lord Jesus, speaking of

His life, "taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I have

power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again: this

commandment have I received of My Father." And truly, in tracing the

way of the blessed Jesus through this defiled world, we can recognize

this feature of the burnt offering in a very striking manner. From

first to last His course was marked with all the steadiness and divine

uninterrupted calmness of true devotedness to God. The billows of dark

and fierce temptation might roll and toss themselves with a rage and

fury which would have crushed one less than God. The devil might stir

up all his deadly malice against Him; man might display all his

enmity--enmity which could only be outdone by the eternal friendship

of this devoted One. His disciples, moreover, may refuse to "watch

with Him one hour." Death may arm himself with all his ghastly

terrors, and pour out a cup mixed with hell's bitterest ingredients;

and further, display his deadly sting in all its infernal keenness and

power to wound. The grave may conjure up all its unutterable horrors

to make one grand struggle for "_victory_," but _all_ in vain. The

answer of this unblemished voluntary offering to all these was, "My

meat and my drink is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish

His work." He had His eye upon one object, and that was "the joy that

was set before Him." He looked forward to the moment when He would be

able to draw forth from the inexhaustible treasuries of eternal love

the rich and princely fruits of His hard-bought victory, and pour

them forth in divine profusion upon the "travail of His soul;" even

the Church, which He loved, and purchased with His own precious blood.

He eagerly anticipated "the morning without clouds," when, surrounded

by the myriads of His ransomed brethren, He will sound forth in

everlasting strains the mighty answer to all the foul aspersions of

the enemy as to the love of God toward the sinner. All these

attractions, I say, He had before Him, and therefore He marched onward

in the greatness of His strength; "He _steadfastly_ set His face to go

to Jerusalem." Lord Jesus Christ, invigorate our poor cold hearts to

sound forth the eternal honors of Thine adorable name; and may our

lives be more and more the decided evidence of our hearts--love to

Thee, for "Thou alone art worthy!" All this is surely most blessed for

us; but, blessed as it is, it is not all; there are other strokes from

the pencil of the Divine Artist, calculated, in the highest degree, to

captivate our spiritual tastes, yea, more, to feed our souls. "He

shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and _it shall

be accepted for him_, to make atonement for him" (ver. 4). Here, then,

is grace! Levi, the self-willed, cruel, fierce, and blood-shedding

Levi, is accepted in all the perfectness and acceptableness of this

"unblemished male" before God: whatever of excellency, whatever of

value, whatever of purity, God beheld in this offering, that did He

likewise behold in Levi as "accepted _in_ the offering." Thus, look at

Levi _apart from_ the offering, and you will find him such that God

could not come into _his_ assembly: but look at him as _in the

offering_, and you find him, through grace, as pure and as perfect as

the offering itself. Nothing could surpass this most excellent grace.

The grace that could take up a sinner from such a pit of corruption as

that in which Levi lay groveling, and lead him into such high

elevation, deserves the highest note of praise; and, blessed be God,

it shall, ere long, have it from all who, like Levi, have felt its

sacred power.

However, we must not enter too minutely into the detail of this burnt

offering, and there are just two points further to which I will refer.

The first is presented to us in ver. 6: "And he shall flay the burnt

offering, and cut it into his pieces." Here we see at once to what a

process of strict, jealous and uncompromising scrutiny the Lord Jesus

exposed Himself in offering Himself before God. It was not enough that

the animal should be APPARENTLY "without blemish," for the skin, or

_outward surface_, might look very well, and at the same time the

offering be not at all fit for God's altar; therefore the _outward

surface_ must be removed, in order that this offering may be examined

in all its sinews, joints and veins, and thus be found, as to _the

springs of action_, _the structure of his frame_, and the source and

channels of the life that animated him, a perfectly unblemished

offering. But further, "_he shall cut it into his pieces_," i.e., take

the offering asunder, and examine its various parts, in order that it

may not only form a perfect whole, but that each distinct joint may

be found perfect. Thus, in whatever aspect we look at the Lord Jesus,

we get divine perfection. He could say to God, "Thou hast tried Me,

and shalt find nothing;" and God could answer, "I am well pleased." He

could say of the devil, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath

nothing _in Me_;" and the devil could reply, "I know Thee, who thou

art, the _Holy One of God_." He could say to men, "Which of you

convinceth Me of sin?" and man could answer, "Truly this was a

_righteous man_." Thus, I say, our divine burnt-offering, who

voluntarily presented Himself at God's altar, and there poured forth

His most precious blood, was found, in every feature and in every

aspect, pure and perfect in the very highest sense of the word, and

confessed so by heaven, earth, and hell.[8]

[8] We may also observe, in the act of cutting the offering into his

pieces, this important truth, that in whatever relationship of life we

contemplate the Lord Jesus, we find the same unsullied perfection;

whether we consider Him as a public or as a private character, in one

position or another, all is alike. Not so with man--here there must be

failure in one way or another. If a man is a good public character, he

may be the very plague of the family circle, and _vice versa_. And,

surely, in all this we learn the glorious truth which shall shortly be

owned by all created intelligences, that "He _alone_ is worthy."