unworthy of one who is called to walk in the light of the divine presence.

53. "I. L. P.," H.M.S. "Shannon," Channel Fleet. There is no question as to the true reading of Romans viii. 1. The last clause should be omitted. The apostle is speaking of the positive standing of the believer, and not of his walk. If you think of your walk, be it ever so upright, ever so pure, ever so elevated, you will find something to judge; hence if it be a question of walk, we could not possibly say, "no condemnation." Is it then implied that the question of walk is not one of capital importance ? God forbid that any one should say or think so; but our walk could never be the basis of "no condemnation," inasmuch as it is not perfect; but our standing is perfect, because it is "in Christ Jesus." In verse 4, we have the subject of our walk introduced, "That the righteousness [dikaiwμa] of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Here, the clause is divinely suitable, but to insert it in verse 1, involves not only redundancy in style, but error in doctrine. It is interesting and instructive to notice that verse 1 gives the condensed statement of chapter v. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." Verse 2 sums up chapter vi., "The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Verse 3 condenses chapter vii., "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Mark the marvellous precision of scripture. It does not say, "In the likeness of flesh," for then He would not have been a real man at all. Neither does it say, "In sinful flesh," for then He could not be a perfect Saviour. His humanity was as real as it was pure and spotless. All homage to His peerless Name! Universal and everlasting praise to His glorious Person!

54. "F. A. F.," Christchurch.

We do not con

sider Luke xiv. 26, applicable to your case at all. 1 Timothy v. 4, we should judge a more suitable scripture. If your dear invalid mother needs your careas, judging from your letter, we assuredly consider she does your place is at her side. If she could be left alone for a couple of hours, and were willing to spare you, then we feel assured, dear friend, you would delight to be at the table of your Lord. But for a child to neglect a sick mother-to leave her alone, not knowing what might occur, we should judge to be most reprehensible. You must act before the Lord in this matter, regardless of human thoughts.

As to what you say in reference to "nature,” we may remark that many err exceedingly through not distinguishing between "nature" and "flesh.' We find in 1 Corinthians xi., that nature is admitted as a teacher. "Doth not even nature itself teach you." So also in Mark x., Jesus, beholding the young ruler, loved him, although there was nothing but nature in him. Nature needs to be watched; flesh must be judged and ignored. We all need the adjusting power of divine truth. We are so sadly prone to be one-sided. We run some principles to seed, while others, equally important, are not even allowed to take root. We want to have our character, our conduct, our whole course, brought under the government of “all truth.' It is very sad and very humiliating to see some professors talking largely of their high position; but, as to their ways, failing in common righteousness. Let us remember that," The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men."

We cannot but judge, dear friend, that we all need to give more earnest heed to "The white linen which is the righteousness of saints." "I counsel thee," says our Lord Christ, "to buy of me gold tried in the fire" -divine righteousness- "that thou mayest be rich; aud white raiment"-human righteousness-" that thou

mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear."

May the Lord give us to apply our hearts to these things! There is a terrible amount of sham in the professing church-high profession and low practicethe head in the clouds; but the feet anywhere and everywhere, but in the path of obedience.

There are

55. "A Perplexed One." Take a case. two men in yonder life-boat; one was picked up after two hours' terrible struggling with the waves, and the most awful mental agony through fear of death. The other was picked off the wreck, a few minutes after she struck, and hardly had time to feel his danger. Both are in the life-boat-both are safe, the one as safe as the other. They are saved by the life-boat. It is not a question of their previous feelings, but simply of their being in the life-boat.

No doubt, the former will have a deeper sense of the value of the life-boat: but that is a matter of experience and not a question of salvation. There are hardly two cases of conversion alike. Some go through exercises of soul before they come to Christ, others after. It is the Christ I reach, and not the way I reach Him, that saves my soul. We cannot lay down a rigid rule. We believe that all must, sooner or later, learn what the flesh is; and the sooner and the more thoroughly we learn it the better. We have invariably found that those who have gone through the deepest ploughings at the first, make the steadiest and most solid Christians afterwards. But we are saved by Christ and not by experience. It often occurs to us that many of our young people who have been religiously brought up, and led to make a profession, are much to be felt for when called to go out into the world. They are ignorant of their own hearts, igrant of the snares and temptations of the world, ignorant of the devices of Satan. They have never proved what the world is. They were led, it may be, gradually, imperceptibly, into the divine life, but have never been sifted and tested; and hence when

brought face to face with the stern realities of life; when called to grapple with the difficulties of the day; to meet the reasonings of the infidel, the fascinations of ritualism; or the allurements of the world, the theatre, the ball-room, the concert, the thousand and one forms of pleasure; they are not able to withstand these things; they are not decided for Christ; their Christianity is not sufficiently pronounced; they give way and fall under the power of temptation; and then they are most miserable, often brought almost to despair. But God, in His mercy, brings them back, after their terrible conflict; and overrules all the exercise for the deepening and consolidation of His work in their souls.

But, if there be not the germ of divine life; if it be merely the effect of religious training and home influence, then alas! the poor soul plunges, with terrible avidity, into the vortex of sin, and rushes headlong to destruction.

How many a lovely youth has gone forth from the parent-roof, virtuous and unsophisticated, ignorant of the cruel ways of the world, and ignorant of his own heart. The enemy lays some trap for him; he is caught in the snare; one thing leads to another; he goes from bad to worse, until, at the last, he becomes the degraded victim of lust and vice, a moral wreck over which broken-hearted parents are called to shed many a bitter tear, or by which their gray hairs are brought down with sorrow to the grave.

We are most thoroughly persuaded that what is needed for the day in which our lot is cast is wholehearted, out-and-out, undivided consecration of heart to Christ-a thorough breaking with the world, in its every phase-that perfect rest and satisfaction of heart in God Himself which renders a man wholly independent of all that this wretched world has to offer. If there be not this, we need not look for any real progress in the divine life.

CONVERSION: WHAT IS IT?

PART VIII.

THE last words of our chapter-1 Thessalonians i.—— now claim our attention. They furnish a very striking and forcible proof of the clearness, fulness, depth, and comprehensiveness of the apostle's testimony at Thessalonica, and also of the brightness and reality of the work in the young converts in that place. It was not merely that they turned from idols to God, to serve the living and true God. This, through grace, they did, and that, too, with uncommon power, freshness, and fervour.

But there was something more; and we may assert, with all possible confidence, that there would have been a gru d defect in the conversion and in the Christianity of those beloved disciples, if that had been lacking. They were converted to wait for the Son of God from the heavens.

Let the reader give to this very weighty fact his most devout and profound attention. The bright and blessed hope of the Lord's coming formed an integral part of the gospel which Paul preached, and of the Christianity of those who were converted by his ministry. That blessed servant preached a full gospel. He not only declared that the Son of God had come into the world, to accomplish the great work of redemption, and lay the everlasting foundation of the divine glory and counsels, but that He had gone back to the heavens, and taken His seat, as the victorious, exalted, and glorified Man, at the right hand of the throne of God; and that He is coming again, first, to receive His people to