when he graciously shines upon the hearts and minds of men, give them permission to hide his truth or to conceal his loving-kindness from their fellow men. The sacred trust is betrayed, and the duties of stewardship are neglected, if we do this. It is the duty and privilege of Christians to reflect the light with which they have been entrusted, and thus to be witnesses, like John the Baptist, of whom John the Apostle writes, "He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."

With all Christian courtesy and affection we would commend this subject to the attention of brethren in Christ-and we know that their number is considerable-who have searched and are unable to find the revelation of natural immortality in the Bible, but who, for various reasons, have hitherto kept silence respecting the startling fact that one of the fundamental doctrines of theology is utterly unscriptural. "The immortality of the soul" appears everywhere in religious books, is heard in almost every sermon, forms the argument in evangelistic appeals, is dwelt upon in Sunday-school addresses, interwoven with hymns, and made prominent in millions of religious tracts; and yet the only book in the world that has the credentials of Divine authority to speak on the subject not only does not teach it, but uniformly teaches the opposite, while the very heart of Christ's redemption, the impartation of "eternal life," or immortality as a gracious gift, proceeds upon the very principle that man by nature is merely a mortal creature. Now, we have nothing to do with the reasons that induce these brethren to keep silence, nor have we any right to ask what they are; but upon the fact itself we may say a word or two in illustration of the position that the sons of God should be about their Father's business.

1. A theological dogma which is not revealed in Scripture should be opposed by every intelligent Christian man who has, by searching the wonderful book, found out the fact for himself. The personal, domestic, social, or ecclesiastical consequences of such opposition to current notions should not occupy a moment's consideration. We have nothing whatever to do with the results of service. All that we have to attend to is the service itself. In every case our commission ends with the faithful delivery of our message. Our Father is quite able to provide for his servants, who-be it never forgotten, as it is essential to the argument—are also his "sons," should the message be distasteful to those to whom it is delivered. He who came to reveal the Father has told us that he knows what things we have need of; and this fact, if the filial principle is alive within us, should be enough to make us brave for duty, even though poor human nature should see danger as its sequel.

2. A revealed truth which is not found in current theology should be declared by every man who sees it, on the simple ground that it is a portion of divine revelation. To his children our Father has entrusted his word. They, of all men, should loyally and lovingly see that its

supremacy among books is maintained. A church that does not make the Bible its standard of doctrine and rule of practice is an imposture and impertinence. A "Christian " that does not make the word of the Lord the guide of his life, has assumed a name to which he has no right. And a theology which refuses to accept a doctrine of Scripture which previous systems of theology had not recognised, thereby forfeits its claim to public confidence. Every true disciple of our blessed Lord is under the most solemn obligation to speak for him. In all that concerns the Master's glory the servant is personally interested. "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully, saith the Lord."

The conclusion of this matter then is obvious. Stewardship, discipleship, sonship unite their argumentative forces in urging us to be faithful to our Father in heaven. Fidelity to him is our first duty, cost what it may in the way of hard speeches, scorn, rejection, or persecution; and if we are faithful to him, sooner or later our brethren who opposed us will embrace the very truths for which we suffered, and unite with us in glorifying God and heartily attending to "OUR FATHER'S BUSINESS."

CONSOLATION.

"Brethren, concerning them who are asleep,"

....

Comfort one another." 1 THESS. iv. 13-18.

"COMFORT one another." We are accustomed to say that the believer needs comfort, specially when suffering from affliction, bereavement, or persecution. But indeed there are no times in his history when the consolation which may be derived from the passage under review may not be suitable.

It contains the "consolation with which we are comforted of God." In it "Life and Immortality are brought to light." Let us open our hearts to welcome the things which are wrapped up in these gracious and prophetic words.

The Thessalonian Church seems to have been greatly approved by the apostle Paul; it was a pattern Church; it embraced men who had turned from the servitude of "idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven." They were not waiting for what is termed the out-pouring of the Spirit; not waiting for the fulfilment of predicted troubles, nor for the conversion of the world; but they were waiting for the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ; they knew that when He came from heaven their true dignity and happiness would commence, that Christ's waiting, watching, living saints would be changed.

But what of the dead? Paul meets their anxiety: he "would not

have them ignorant concerning them who are asleep," and proceeds to make the following statements, viz.

1. That those dying in the faith, sleep in Jesus.

2. That these sleeping ones shall arise at the coming of the Lord in the air, and before the change of those then living.

3. That after their resurrection, the living waiting, watching ones, shall be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air,-and

4. That those raised, and those changed, shall ever be with the Lord. Other things are also implied which yield material for comfort. But these statements are emphatically made by the apostle as affording great consolation to the church. We will briefly examine them.

1. That those dying in the faith, sleep in Jesus. Such as by the operation of the word of the Lord, and through the power of the divine Spirit have become new creatures in Christ Jesus, have exercised repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, have turned from the service of idols to serve the living and the true God: these also live in a watchful state, waiting for the coming of the Lord. But whilst the Lord tarries, they die. The Thessalonians died; all of them have long since fallen under the power of death; they were waiting for the Lord from heaven, they expected the angelic prophecy would have been fulfilled in their day. (Acts i. 11.) And multitudes have since their time lived a life of faith on the Son of God, lived praying, hoping, expecting, but Jesus did not come, and they died; and unless there be a resurrection, they have perished; the apostle clearly shows this. (1 Cor. xv. 18.) And if so it be with them, they are unconscious, for they are at least as though perished until the morning of the resurrection. Is not this a legitimate conclusion? There can be no consciousness in anything which is as though it had perished. But there will be a resurrection. Yes; and it is because there must be a resurrection, that therefore they are said to be asleep. Beautiful figure, not spoken of the body; that absolutely perishes, and at the resurrection God will give a bcdy as it pleaseth him. (1 Cor. xv. 88.) But the spirit "sleepeth;" at death, it is taken charge of by Jesus, as Stephen's was (Acts vii. 59); it returns to God who gave it, remains hidden in God with Christ, and is, though living,-as we are whilst in deep slumber during the night's dark hours,-unconscious, knowing nothing of aught that passes in the heavens or upon the earth, until recalled by the voice of Jesus. We are at death in the same state and condition as was Lazarus, of whom Jesus said, "Our friend sleepeth." Just such a sleep was that of Lazarus, as a heavy slumberer's after a long day's toil, unbroken by all the din and bustle that may perchance take place around, and at the moment of awaking like Lazarus, utterly ignorant of anything which had occurred during his slumber, and ready to take up life's action from the moment of that life's arrest by death. And so we may, on the great Master's

authority, change the words and say, the believer does not die, he only sleeps.

Jesus died for us-he died, and this death he feared, not the suffering; no, but death he feared, or perhaps more correctly we should say, the result of death; he feared to be left in a state of death, and "he cried with strong cries and tears, to him that was able to deliver," that he might not be left in death; not left to remain dead; and he was heard in that (thing which) he feared. For our sakes he placed himself under the law to which humanity was subject, put himself on a level with mortals: he who knew no sin "was made sin for us," took upɔn him our sins, was treated as a sinner on our account, became amenable to the law against sin-to the penalty of non-immortality, or death. Bit as the result of his life, which was an embodiment of God's righteous law, and of his death, which was the God-demanded atonement, and as the apostle adds, on account of his strong cries and tears, which were based upon his life, and the atonement which he was about to make; he was heard in that thing which he feared; and though he died, which he came from heaven to do, he was delivered out from death, and rose the conqueror, robbing the grave of victory, and taking the sting from death. He ascended, the Immortal One, with power to give immortality to whosoever believeth in him; and thus, when the Christian dies, he does so knowing that he also shall be delivered out from death at the morning of the resurrection, and therefore in the nean time, he only sleeps-only sleeps-has entered a state of REPOSE after life's toil—a state of SAFETY from every foe; a state predictive of RESTORATION at the commencement of the millennial day.

The doctrine of the Resurrection we have not now to prove. Paul has settled that question in his wonderful writing to the Corinthian Church, in the fifteenth chapter of his epistle.

2. That these sleeping ones shall arise at the coming of the Lord into the air, and before the change of the living (v. 15, 16). That the Lord Jesus is coming from heaven to earth, that he will remain for a while over the earth, and summon his saints to meet him there, and farther, that the time of such coming is now approximately near, is the aspect of sacred truth generally accepted by the readers of the RAINBOW.

That the coming of the Lord does not mean death, we think to be clearly shown by the fact that the sleeping ones to whom the apost.e alluded had died, and had not arisen, but were predicted so to do st the advent of the Lord.

The apostle alludes to the personal manifestation of Jesus to his saints at a time prior to the millennial age, for the early Church hoped it would take place in their day. The Thessalonians were 66 waiting," and were full of anxious thoughts relative to those who had died, but Paul assures them that the dead saints must rise again before the living should be

changed. And note well the fact; the apostle did not chide them for their expectation, or intimate that it was a premature hope which must be cut off; neither did he inform them that the world must be converted to Christ before he could come again, but only in his second epistle, did he warn them that they were not to consider the trials to which they were then subjected as indicative that the crisis was upon them, but showed that certain definite and worse troubles would befall the Church before the manifestation of the personal Antichrist. All the teachings of Paul in this, and throughout the whole of his epistles, go to show that he thought the coming of the Lord might be near, and that all Christians were justified in, and to be praised for, such expectation. See the conclusion of the first chapter of his first epistle to the Thessalonians, and also his commendation of the Church at Corinth, that "they came behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," and this because "the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them." (1 Cor. i. 6, 7.)

It would appear from the language of the apostle that those to whom he wrote were sorrowing, even as those might sorrow who had no hope; for whilst the Thessalonians knew that the living believers should be changed at the coming of their Lord, and at once enter upon the glory, and partake of the dignity of Christ, they seemed to think it possible that the dead might be left in the grave until the general resurrection; but to all such erroneous surmises the apostle gives an emphatic negative, "he would not have them ignorant concerning them who slept,"-though a glorious truth that Jesus was coming, and that the living, watching ones, should be changed and raised into his glorious presence; yet, before they could be thus blessed, the dead must rise; those who had fallen asleep in Christ, must have the pre-eminence; "the dead in Christ shall rise first."

3. That after those sleeping ones have been raised from among the dead, the living, waiting, watching ones shall be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air. (v. 17; 1 Cor. xv. 51.)

The testimony of the apostle is very clear upon this point also, and for this, the rapture of the church, they were waiting; they were "looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour of us, Jesus Christ." This is very blessed.

There are many believers who profess to realise pardon and acceptance in Christ, and find it in their hearts to serve the living and true God; but comparatively few see it to be their happy privilege to wait for his Son from heaven.

Many are waiting for the conversion of the nations, and misquoting and misunderstanding the prophetic word; are expecting the heathen to be given to Christ as his inheritance, as the subjects of his grace before he comes to reign.