condition of the Jewish nation, as under the Gentile yoke; but not yet given up to the unrestrained will of their enemies under the full weight of the judgment of God. This condition they were in when the Lord was upon earth, had they but felt and owned it.

2ndly. The smoking flax is an emblem of the internal or moral condition of the Jews, full of that envy and hatred to the Lord which betrayed itself so early and so constantly, which led to His crucifixion, and which is still leading onward to the reception of the Antichrist; under whose hand as the instrument of God, the bruised reed will be emphatically broken, and the smoking flax quenched (i.e.), the Lord shall visit His judgment upor the full-blown enmity of His people; but, in the midst of judgment remembering mercy, He shall save them from utter destruction, making them willing in the day of His power, and leading them to say, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" so that the judgment shall end in victory, "and in His name shall the Gentiles trust." In Is. vii. 4, Rezin and the son of Remaliah are called, because of their "fierce anger," "smoking fire brands." And ver. 8, in three score and five years Ephraim was to be "broken, that it be not a people;" passages almost suggestive of the view here taken. In Luke xii. 49, 50, the Lord said, "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished." There were many tokens of this kindling, and Matthew quotes the passage from Is. xlii,, as illustrative of the Lord's charging them not to make Him known; but in connection with the fact that He withdrew Himself from thence, etc., upon learning that the Pharisees had gone out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him." Here was a tuft of the smoking flax; but the time of its judgment and quenching had not yet come. It must smoulder and increase, till it should compass His death-that baptism by which the flood-gates of divine love should be opened, and He, who was the expression of that love being glorified, should be the unfettered Dispenser of eternal life to as many as the Father hath given to Him.

No. XI.

TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GLORY.

is the practical effect of "looking on the glory of the ith unveiled face" (2 Cor. iii. 18). Paul is here conthe ministration of death with the ministration of sness. Though the glory in the former consumed, it only appeared with a claim on man who was unable it (for Righteousness was not fully established); yet, bore in his face marks of its transforming power. of man's condition, it was fearful in its bearing on et, as we see in Moses, no one could be in it without g of its excellency; Moses' face therefore bore traces of it. Israel refused even to gaze on the f it on Moses' face. Man, when seeking to maintain righteousness before God shrinks from admiration of sforming power of God; Israel, therefore, in asking o place a veil on his face, only declared the moral of their own hearts from God. Hence the veil is ed to their hearts.

ow, says Paul, there is a wonderful contrast. It is ministration of righteousness, and that from the same So was it announced (in Luke ii.) when the glory of shone round about the shepherds. The Son of God

to establish righteousness from the same glory ich had come the claim of righteousness. And, if the glory had the power to produce such effects ce of Moses, when man in his then condition could at it, how much more now, when it is a ministration busness! Hence the "apostle declares that we use dness, and, looking on the Lord with unveiled face," ormed according to the same image from glory to effects a moral transformation into its own likeness. though it be to admit it, any association with that norally superior to us must have this effect on us. line to inferior associations, we deprave our better ; but if we are occupied with moral superiority, adopt rather than improve. We adopt a new habit

of action instead of only improving any existing one, and as the glory of God is unique and morally supreme, if we are conversant with it, we naturally and almost unconsciously adopt its characteristics and qualities, so that we are really in the process of transformation, and not merely of improvement.

I turn now to the traces of these effects, and how we may notice them. It is remarkable how differently we view the same things at different times. This may be even when we feel them most, but then we are in the spirit of our mind most above them. The same painful question occupied the mind of the Psalmist when outside the sanctuary and when inside; but it is evident, that he was a totally different man as to feeling, when in one and when in the other. The light of the glory had so transformed Stephen, that he was prac tically superior to the violence levelled against him, but he was all the more affected for those who perpetrated it; so that I should say, that the chief traces of the moral effect of the glory are a greater sensitiveness to the evil afflicting me, but a marked and sensible elevation above it.

Again, how can I distinguish "looking on the glory of the Lord" from any other spiritual exercise? If this be difficult, it is so, simply because the soul is so slow to enter into the counsel of God in His Grace to us, or to realise that counsel as s manifestation of His own heart, in the person of His only begotten Son, from the very centre of the glory. The Grace which has reached us, has its origin in the glory; it belongs to it, so to speak; and it is not answered, according to its native interest, until it connects us with the glory. If I understand the origin of this Grace and how I am bound up with it, I must understand its associations. Its origin is the centre of the glory; its association is the Person of the glory: and when I find myself in this association, through the Grace of God manifested to me, I am "looking on the glory of the Lord." If the light made Paul blind (as a man ), he never lost the remembrance of it in his soul; therefore, he called "the mark."

a Sir Isaac Newton was so affected by looking at the sun with erir one eye, that for three weeks, in a darkened chamber, he was haut by a circular glare and image of it. May we be by faith so full of the glory of the Lord, that it may be ever before us, making us practical! like Him, supplying us with power for our difficulties, and with abo¤7ing praise to Him who has blessed us with such a rich salvation.

No. XII.

EMARKS ON MODERN RATIONALIST

VIEWS.

D you a few remarks on modern rationalist views eir bearing on Christianity (just as I penned them for myself), that Christians may not lightly suffer ht of such views to approach them; whatever may r patience with those who may be deceived.

not think that I will accuse you to the Father: one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, all ye believe my words" (John v. 45-47).

we have more than one point. First-Moses' s are attributed to him; next-it is declared that e of Christ, of Jesus; thirdly-his writings are of, and because they are writings as of authority as far as form goes, to Christ's words. If, theredo not receive his writings,- Christ's words have ority;-Christ made a mistake as to his writing of His whole interpretation of Scripture is un-His estimate of Himself is false as the object testimony. Who can guarantee its being wellon any other ground? He supposed God's as in the written word; the modern doctrine is a mistake: He was not the object of Moses' nor did Moses write them! can tell, then, that there was a Christ to come, or was not the subject of this testimony, He was, if s any such testimony, deceived as to Himself. le authority of Christ and His words is gone 1's mind and as to Himself. Christianity and imself are without foundation. For if Christ's IV. PT. III.

9

own testimony is unfounded and Moses's too as to Him,or rather if there is none such, as Christ supposed there was, what foundation have I for anything in Christianity as a revelation of the mind of God and of His Son as the truth?

Again He says, on the most solemn occasion as to the repentance or ruin of the Jews: "They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them." All this was mis leading they were not authentic. But further, i they are not heard, Christ declared His resurrection has no force to persuade. If they hear not Moses, and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rose from the dead. But all this was a blunder. There was n real power in Moses and the Prophets. Christ made s mistake. Whatever His resurrection might do, Moses writings were a forgery and had no authority whatever so that there was no adequate ground to be persuaded by the resurrection itself. This was all Christ's solemn attestation was worth. Yet here the Lord was taking the out of the whole system of Jewish legalism. The ever proved the truth of His words. They did not believe,! though one rose from the dead; but, then, it was a mistake of the Lord from that to blame them for no receiving the testimony of Moses and the Prophets, fat they were of no value at all. It was not Moses at all. So, when He said: "Search (or ye search) the Scriptures they are they which testify of me," the business. He declares, of the Scripture was to testify of Him Jesus, as the Christ. On whose part? Was it Godtestimony, or the wild notions, previsions, or interpreta tions of fanatics that Christ appealed to? What was the person testified to, or who appealed to their worth if they were? But, if of God "The Scriptures" are so. We all know what that meant in a Jew's mouth.

...

Again in Luke xxiv., and beginning at Moses and I the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scrip tures the things concerning Himself. What was H doing? And here no stupid blasphemous pretext about His having the prejudices of the Jews is of any avail He was risen. I suppose He was freed from prejudo by that time. But what shall we say: It was not Moses