manna, but the food of the camp has contracted some soil from the earth. I desire much to remember this lesson; and oh! to know a little of the power of what we have already, rather than to attain more!

The blessed forgetfulness of self is of great esteem in the sight of our Lord and Master.

THOUGHTS ON GENESIS XII. XIII.

IN these two chapters we have three important features of truth among many others. First, there is the Lord's own aspect of grace towards Abram. Then there is Abram's failure in the trial of the famine. And, lastly, there is Abram's manifesting grace in the trial with Lot.

The purpose of the Lord towards His own is to conform them to His image. The foundation of the Lord's ways towards His elect is grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 1, viewed in connection with the condition of the earth under the Lord's eye, as seen in Babel, in the former chapter, presents the grace of the Lord in addressing Abram. The promise thus made in the seed-Christ-nothing can disannul.

When Abram failed, it was like Jonah, a smooth passage soon turned to rough waters. Pharoah commanded his servants, and they sent Abram out and all that he had.

When Abram exhibited grace, then the Lord said to Abram look now towards the north, south, east, west,all is blessing for you. You have not lost by making a sacrifice in grace. You can more clearly see your blessings in grace.

Grace led to act in grace, and the fruit of grace is answered in more grace to Him who gave the promise.

When Abram left his native land, and went out in faith and hope, then he worshipped the Lord. When he failed in Egypt, no altar was raised there. He was sent out, and when he came to the place where he worshipped the Lord before, there he worshipped again. His failure was thus confessed.

Though the Canaanite was in the land, this did not hinder his worship; for his mind was stayed on the Lord: but when he went down into Egypt, in the trial of the famine, his worship was hindered; for he trusted in his own arrangements.

It is a humbling thought, that it was when their substance was great, they, the two brothers, could not dwell together; but the one who acted in most grace had the richest blessing unfolded to him.

THE COMING OF OUR LORD.

THE aspect which the coming of our Lord wears to our souls, changes precisely as we are nearer or more distant in heart from Him (and so, indeed, does every part of the word of God). If close to Him in love, it is to us" that blessed hope"-"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." If far from Him, it is either wholly unseen, unthought of, or if forced on our attention makes us uneasy-sets conscience at work: and so correspondingly of every intermediate state of heart.

We must not be content with seeing the Lord's second coming as a doctrine merely, nor with being able clearly to enter into a scriptural detail of prophe

tic instruction: the Lord's return is presented to us, in the word of God, for the furtherance of affectionate, joyful anticipation. We must also be watchful, lest our hope in His glorious appearing degenerate into mere knowledge. It is the exercise of this hope in the soul that is connected with practical holiness-" every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself," &c. (1 John iii. 3.) "Knowledge puffeth up." Those who are really believing that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh," must form a low estimate of earthly things; just as the possessions of Israel diminished in value in proportion as the year of jubilee was at hand. We do well to remember that the wise virgins let slip the hope of the Bridegroom's coming, even after they had sincerely gone forth to meet Him

"they all slumbered and slept." The Lord Jesus is our portion-our inheritance; therefore, He is our hope-"we look for the Saviour." He gave Himself for our sins, and He Himself will come again to receive us, in the plentitude of His unchanged grace (John xiv. 3). He will send angels to deal with the ungodly, but He will come Himself for His bloodbought church. His saints, both living and asleep, shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thes. iv. 16, 17). Many will deny this, but we know the heart of Jesus, and believe His word.

Let scoffers rail with harden'd brow,
Or cries of "peace" resistless flow,
Or reason mock His word,
By grace divine 't will be my choice
To watch for the Archangel's voice-
To wait for Christ my Lord.

THE PILGRIM FATHERS.

HEB. xi. 13-16.

WHAT is declared of the fathers in the Book of Genesis, in these verses of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is beautifully exhibited (and therefore, fully verified) by their histories. I feel desirous to consider this a little carefully; the Lord leading the heart (as through circumstances, I trust, He graciously has done lately,) a little more vividly beyond the grave.

1. "These all died in faith."

very land, to them,

The history strikingly illustrates this. They valued their dead bodies, and the burying-places which held them. While they lived, they were content to sojourn in Canaan without having so much as to set their foot on. But, "they died in faith." The promise of God had made over that land, that though they themselves were to be gathered to their fathers (Gen. xv.); and this was the warrant for their dying in faith, in the sure and certain hope of a resurrection unto the enjoyment of it. They would link their dead, though not their living, bodies with that land. Their care in securing the field of Ephron, the cave of Machpelah, for a burying-place, tells us this. And so, the jealousy with which those of them who died in Egypt secured the carriage of their bones over to the promised land. All this verifies that they died in faith.*

• Whether their bodies lay in Machpelah or Sychem mattered not; for their bones would, in either case, be equally linked with the promised land. Stephen tells us that all the fathers were animated with this same faith (Acts vii. 15.). And I quite agree with those who say that this solves that difficult verse, Acts vii. 16.

2. They saw the promises "afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them."

As they died in faith of the promises, so did they live in the full persuasion of them, though still distant. Their history, in like manner, gives beautiful witness of this.

Abraham lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob. That was so. But then, they were heirs together of the promise. Of this they were, in the midst of their pilgrim-days, fully persuaded. And therefore, on fitting occasions, they can act upon that full persuasion in a way which nothing but such persuasion can account for, assuming the dignities and place which the promise warranted. Their "name was to be great," and "the land was to be theirs." And they would, if the moment called them, act in such character without thinking it robbery. See some instances of this.

Abimelech, the king of Gerar, courts the friendship of Abraham. Abraham at once allows the vail to drop, and puts off the pilgrim-girdle that hid or bound up his royal apparel, and takes headship of the Philistine king. (Gen. xxi.)

Isaac, in his day, does the same. Another Abimelech, king of Gerar, with the high estates of his kingdom, waits on Isaac; and Isaac accepts his person, grants his requests, prepares a feast, and then (instead of being sent away by Abimelech as before, in the day

Stephen shortly tells us that all were carried over from Egypt to Canaan, but whether to the ground which Abraham bought of Ephron, or that which Jacob bought of Hamor, it mattered not: for both equally linked their hopes with the promised inheritance. By faith they gave commandment concerning their bones.