delicious wine." The Lord Himself has made a feast and prepared a table for those who are spiritually poor and needy. The guests have "dainty meat" set before them. Christ is the food of believers as He is revealed in the Word of God. And what "sweet and pleasant fruit!" "I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste." The promises of God are so sweet and so pleasant to the taste that they are like "apples of gold set in pictures of silver." The choice wine of the Saviour's love is not only delicious, but delightful and cheering. Joseph and his brethren drank and were merry together, so it is with Christ and His guests. Take one verse as descriptive of this mutual love feast:-"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drank my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (Song v. 1.) We shall now pass on from our first head, as I wish to dwell more fully upon our second. May God help and guide us aright for Christ's sake.

We shall now consider Secondly the Promises made to Asher as contained in the text:-"Thy shoes, or under thy shoes, shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be." There is evidently implied in this verse a Journey. The descendants of Asher were to be travellers, and as such would stand in need of durable shoes. Their shoes were to be iron and brass. They were to be well supported and strengthened in their journey. "As thy days, thy strength shall be." I shall take this verse as descriptive of the Christian as a pilgrim here on earth, for believers are strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (1) There is a Journey implied; (2) there is the preparation for it; and (3) there is strength promised.

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The Journey of the Christian Pilgrim. Whence does he journey? What is the place he starts from? It is quite clear to my own mind that every person coming into this world is born on the "mount of corruption," in the high places of wickedness and idolatory (2 Kings,

xxiii., 13). Man is corrupted at the fountain. All flesh has corrupted his way upon the earth. (Gen. vi., 12.) This thought is often repeated in the Scriptures:They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is not one that doeth good." (Psalm xiv.) Now Hezekiah tells us what it is to be delivered from corruption. "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back." (Isaiah xxxviii. 17.) This is escaping the corruption that is in the world. (2 Peter i. 4.) Jonah knew what it was to be brought up from corruption when he exclaimed: "Thou hast brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." (ii. 6.) The new creature is delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom. viii. 21). This is the starting place. Deliverance from the mount of corruption-deliverance from thyself and thy sins. As long as thou art "tied and bound with the chain of thy sins," thou art in bondage to corruption. Thou art not a Zion bound pilgrim, but a slave. Deliverance from corruption is by the blood of the Lamb, sealed and ratified by the Holy Ghost. This is the starting point.

Whither is the Christian pilgrim going? We are at no loss to answer this question. He is making his way to the delectable mountains, to the heavenly country where there is the heavenly city filled with the glory of God and the light of the Lamb. The Old Testament worthies looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. They knew that they had no continuing city here, but they sought one to come. They embraced the promise of God, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They longed for the heavenly country, the incorruptible, undefiled and never fading inheritance. God was not ashamed to be called their God; for He had prepared for them an abiding abiding city. Whither are ye wending your way? Are your faces set upon Zion? Do you know anything about the glorious city of the

great King? Have you a desire to be with the spirits of just men made perfect?

The way the Christian pilgrim has to go. There is but One way from the mount of corruption to the mount of incorruption. Jesus says, "I AM THE WAY." He is the Only way to the Father which is sure and safe. Bunyan says, there are many "by-paths," which are very much trodden, but they do not lead to the royal city. The main road seems to be almost forsaken, because there are so few to be found upon it. Travellers seem to have forgotten the direction, if they ever heard it :"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Mat. vii. 13, 14). The way to destruction is broad, and there are many travellers. The way to heaven is narrow, and there are few travellers. The King's highway is thus described by the Prophet Isaiah (xxxv.): "And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness." This is the way, and the only way, of the saints, and they are not many. "The unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." Now you see who they are, that shall not go on this way of holiness. They are the "unclean," "the unwashed in the blood of Jesus," "the unsanctified by the Spirit." But the wayfaring men, though fools in the estimation of this world, shall not miss their way, nor err therein. Satan and the ungodly are further described :-" No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there." How delightful! Who then shall be found on this highway? "But the

redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.' This way may appear experimentally a round-about way, but it is the Lord's way. And it is a way which the

spiritually blind know not. The travellers often think that it is a "solitary way," and yet it is the "right way "to the city of habitation.

Now, there are difficulties attending the pilgrim's Journey. Satan will try his tricks upon the Christian. Hence, beware of his subtle devices. The wiles of the devil are many. His fiery darts will often be hurled at you. Remember, that the whole Christian life is one of conflict. He has to wrestle against flesh and blood. He has to do battle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against wicked spirits in high places. The believer may take it as a settled and fixed principle, that he will be troubled on every side; without there will be fightings, and within there will be fears. If there were no difficulties, no hardships, no trials, and no enemies to be found by the way, there would be no conflict and no need of spiritual armour. But the Christian is a soldier, a wrestler, a fighter, a traveller, and a runner.

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I shall now speak of the Preparation necessary for the Journey. Thy shoes, or under thy shoes, shall be iron and brass." I hardly need say that for a long and trying journey it is necessary to be well prepared. The Lord commanded Israel, saying, " go in and possess the land." Some things are indispensably necessary in being well prepared for a journey. Food and clothing are amongst the necessary things. A person grows hungry and thirsty on his way. He must have bread to satisfy his hunger, and water to quench his thirst. Literally, the Lord supplied Israel in the wilderness with bread and water. And so it is now, the Lord supplies His people with spiritual meat and drink, as much as they need for their journey. But He clothes His pilgrims also "with raiment which waxes not old." What raiment can this be, save and except the beautiful white robe of Christ's righteousness. This raiment never waxes old. It never decays. It can never be rent or moth eaten.

The pilgrim must have the whole Christian armour on for he will need it. Let him take the whole armour of

God, that he may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. He must have the girdle of truth, which is Christ, about his loins. He must have his heart well protected with the breastplate of righteousness, which is Christ. He must have his feet well shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, the substance of which, is Christ. He must have the shield of faith, or the Lord, the shield, which true faith lays hold of, and with which the fiery darts of Satan are quenched. The head is to be protected with the helmet of salvation, which is Christ. And no person can travel by this way without his sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Christian need be skilful in sword exercise. By which I mean, he need be thoroughly acquainted with the Word of God and know how to use it skilfully when he is attacked by the enemy. This seems to be spoken of a warrior rather than of a traveller. Now, as a traveller, the Christian must have good shoes. Some professors are determined to make their own shoes, and these shoes we call the shoes of Mr. Legality. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are." What conceit! What arrogance!! Who had appointed him the King's shoemaker? Who, indeed? Zion's pilgrims must have Gospel shoes. They must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. You will remember how the prodigal was treated when he returned to his Father. The best robe was put upon him to clothe him withal. A ring was put upon his hand as a token of union and friendship. And shoes upon his feet to fit him for the journey. (Luke xv. 22.) Here you have acceptance in Christ, union to Christ, and walking with Christ. But Asher's shoes were to be "iron and brass." The reason why they are said to be of iron and brass is this, because these metals are solid, hard, and durable. So are the pilgrim's shoes, which are made of the Gospel of Peace. They are made of solid truth, compacted together by the Spirit of God; and like these metals, these Gospel shoes are solid, durable, and will

never wear out.