of an exhortation by the apostle : "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth (from Mount Sinai), much more shall not they escape who turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. . . . Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." They escaped not who refused him that spake from Sinai. One whole generation fell in the wilderness from this very cause; for they could not enter in (to the promised land) through unbelief. The apostle mentions this in an earlier part of this epistle as a warning to the believing Hebrews. Individual instances are also instructive. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them; and they died before the Lord. And Moses said unto Aaron, "This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people will I be glorified." For rebellion against Moses as the chosen servant of God, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all the men that appertained to them were swallowed by the earth, and went down alive into the pit; while "two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly famous in the congregation, men of renown" who had conspired with them, were at the same time consumed by fire from the Lord.

The apostle warns the Hebrew disciples that even greater severity should be exercised against disobedience under the Gospel than under the law. "Much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." In a former part of this epistle, he says: "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace." And again: "If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?"

And although judgment under the Gospel is postponed to the future beyond the present life, it is not the less certain on that account. The criteria by which that judgment shall be determined are now being furnished. If we turn away now from him that speaketh from heaven, we shall not escape. We have no guarantee that an opportunity of listening to it shall be afforded in the next state. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" "He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My word," saith the Lord himself, "hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day."

Let us see then that we refuse not him that speaketh from heaven." If faithful and approved, we shall inherit the kingdom which cannot be moved, including "the things that cannot be shaken." Like that immovable kingdom, "he that doeth the will of God shall abide for ever." By nature the creatures of a day, whose very "foundation is in the dust," the inheritors of the kingdom shall, through Christ, be endued with immortality. The promise is: "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." And again: "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."

The apostle seems to have had in mind the fate of Nadab and Abihu, and also the two hundred and fifty men of renown who conspired with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when he penned the closing words of the warning we have been considering: "For our God is a consuming fire." They escaped not who refused the Divine speaker, much more shall not we if we turn away from him. "Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire." Let the example of the rebellious be a warning to us, for the same God who spoke to them, speaks to us, and although he is as he always was, a God of love, he is also a consuming fire. The glad tidings concerning his kingdom, and the name of his Son, the Messiah of Israel, who gave his life a ransom for many, will be a savour of life unto life in them that are saved; but it will as truly be a savour of death unto death in them that perish. May all who read this magazine, seek and find that coming immovable kingdom, and rest assured that in so doing all other things shall be added to them. Edinburgh, 4, Melville Terrace.

J. CAMERON.

"THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS."

REVELATION i. 1.

WITHIN a few pages of each other in Holy Writ these words

are found, as it were in response to the words of the scoffer (2 Peter iii. 4), "Where is the promise of his coming, for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." And every year that things continue as they are, the scoffer of the last days grows bolder, for there are those who are ready to say, "What about your things that were shortly coming to pass 1800 years ago?" Without caring, however, to answer the scoffer, it may be well to fortify our own faith and the faith of others by calling to mind that the term "shortly" in the mouth of God, and in the mouth of man, admits of widely different meanings. When he speaks, whose time for work is eternity, with

whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years no more than one day, we can well understand that when already four thousand years had sped their way, and but two thousand, more or less, remained—if our reckoning be admitted-to complete the world's history of sin and sorrow, the things which were to end that history were to him "things which must shortly come to pass."

It may be well then, in the brief space of time that yet remains, to consider these things in their nature, order, and design as set forth in the Scriptures of truth, that thereby our interest may be stirred, our faith strengthened, and our expectation quickened, that as wise virgins we may be found of him awake, with our lamps trimmed and burning when he comes.

What then of the "things which must shortly come to pass may we look for as the first thing that is likely to happen? It is surely that which is to take place suddenly, coming at unawares, overtaking as a thief. "As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed, the one shall be taken and the other left; two women shall be grinding together, one shall be taken and the other left; two men shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left;" showing that the same moment that it shall be night with some, early morning with others, and high day with others, something shall happen which shall be unique in the history of our race, some taken others left. Well might the disciples ask in astonishment, "Where, Lord ?” Whereto shall they be taken ? "And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, there also the eagles will be assembled." (Luke xvii. 27-37. Emphatic Diaglott.)

Now without staying to consider the many opinions advanced by the commentators, to whom this answer of our Lord has been a dark saying, we venture to suggest that the principles of attraction and concentration were all that our Lord intended to convey in the use of this figure, and that it was an equivalent for saying, "Where the head is, thither will the members be assembled." The Jewish mind would be already familiar with the emblem of eagles, as applied to God's elect people in Exodus xix. 4 and Deut. xxxii. 11. The attraction which Christ's bodily presence in the air will have for the raised and changed bodies of his saints will necessitate concentration according to that of Paul, Col. iii. 4, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory," and that of John (1 Ep. iii. 2), "We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." And to the Corinthians the apostle speaks yet more fully, concerning this time of separation, "Behold I show you a mystery, we shall

not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet "-not heard by the world, but only those for whom it is intended-" for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and we shall be changed." And again to the Thessalonians, "For this we affirm unto you by the Lord's word, that we, the living, who are left over to the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who fell asleep. Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with an archangel's voice, and with God's trumpet, and the dead in Christ will be raised first, then we, the living who are left over, shall at the same time with them be caught away in clouds for a meeting of the Lord in the air, and so we shall be always with the Lord." (1 Thess. v. 15, 16, 17. Emphatic Diaglott.)

This then is the first of the things which must shortly come to pass; and now arises the question, Who are they that shall be so favoured? will it be the common lot of all the righteous at that time living on the earth or sleeping in their graves, or will it be an election out of and from among both the living and the sleeping? This is a question of great practical moment, and calls for a deep and prayerful research of the sacred oracles, that without indulging our fancy or favouring some doctrine or dogma of our own or other men's invention, we may earnestly and devoutly inquire, "What hath the Lord answered ? and, What hath the Lord spoken ?"

When, immediately following the words already quoted from Luke, as recorded by Matthew, we find our Lord saying, "Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come;" and again, "Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh;" and again, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom," it surely behoves us to consider whether the mind of our Lord expressed herein does not call us to the exercise of great heart-searching inquiry upon the matter of readiness. For let us observe that five of the virgins denoted as wise went in with the Bridegroom to the marriage, while the five denoted as foolish were shut out. And further let us note that the foolish were virgins, that they took lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom, and that when he came their lamps were still burning, for although our version reads, "gone out," Alford's version and others read, "going out," showing it to be a question of degree of oil, and not of destitution. But they knew where to get oil, and they went and obtained it, and returned only too late. And however threatening the Master's words, "I know you not," may sound, we must remember that there are various orders of knowledge, and since it cannot mean absolute ignorance, it may mean deficient complacency, and that some versions read, "I recognise you not," is certain. Equally certain is it that this parable was spoken to disciples, and contained a teaching for them which it had not for the multitude.

If then this is the first of the things which are shortly to come to pass, and we know not whether his coming may be to-day, two questions are supremely important. First, Wherein consists readiness? and next, Am I ready? for an individual matter as it is, an individual matter should we make it. Now, readiness to meet events of any kind which involve danger, consists in these three essentials-wakefulness, armour, and disentanglement. The watchman must be awake to see the thief coming, he must be armed in order to attack or defend, and moreover he must be free from all claims elsewhere, that he may obey the call of duty. So the good soldier or faithful steward must not be entangled with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath called him into office. Readiness we understand to mean, continuing in his word, and so being his disciples indeed, carrying some cross for him, confessing him before men, walking with him in the path of self-denial, "doing all things without murmurings and disputings, that we may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, shining as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." Readiness also we understand to consist in "loving his appearing" (2 Tim. iv. 8), and "looking for him" (Heb. ix. 28) in the most literal sense of the word. Some indeed may know little or nothing of the doctrine. The appearing of our Lord and Saviour in the clouds may form no part of their creed; no idea of his near approach in person may ever have occurred to them, or been hinted to them by book, sermon, or friend; yet, if he is the chief joy of their hearts, and they love his appearing, and look for him in their closet, in their Bible, in all the means of grace; if their hearts beat at the mention of his name, and they love all those who love him, whatever sect, creed, or denomination they favour; such, without question, without exception, shall be found of the number concerning whom it is said, "Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation," without a sin-offering unto salvation, "the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body." (Rom. viii. 23.)

For all such an overcomer's crown is prepared, according to the apostle's words in anticipating his own, "And not for me only, but also for all such as love his appearing." And here we have an answer to the vexed question, often asked and seldom answered to satisfaction, Who comprise the bride, the Lamb's wife? We reply, "Such as look for him, such as love his appearing, such as go in with him to the marriage, will comprise the bride, the Lamb's wife." If this be true their number surely is small by comparison with the many saved. "Many are invited, but few are selected," is the reading of Matt. xxii. 14. (Emphatic Diaglott.) We expect to find that the elect, the true election of grace, will not be such as the systems of men have taught, an election out of the lost; but rather an election out of the saved, a little flock to whom a kingdom is promised, those who strive to enter in at the strait gate and are