for the world. The world hated Christ, and it hated His disciples too. The world loves its own. (John xv. 18, 19). The children of God love their own. They love the Father who first loved them. They love the Saviour who has died for them. And they love the Holy Ghost who has taught them and blessed them with a knowledge of His will. If the christian be crucified with Christ, and is dead to the world, where is he living? He is living in Christ, and in communion and fellowship with Him. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead". dead by the death of Christ to the world-" and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." Glorious hope! By Christ the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Is it so with us? Is the experience of the Apostle our experience. Do we realize for ourselves, that the world is crucified to us, and that we are crucified to the world? Are we and the world dead to each other? "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

We shall now proceed with our Third point, which is the glorying of the Apostle:-" But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." What is this glorying? It is rejoicing, boasting and exulting in the Lord. What is man in himself that he should boast? "Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." (Job xiv). "All flesh is as grass, and all the goodness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it, surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isa. xl). Lord what is man? "Who maketh thee to differ? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if

thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. iv. 7).

The Prophet Jeremiah speaks of boasting, negatively and positively. (ix. 23, 24). Negatively:-" Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches." If a man should presume to glory in his wisdom, because he may happen to be a bit of a philosopher. Let him remain dumb until he has read the 28th of Job. And if that chapter does not turn his wisdom into folly, then, I venture to say, that you may bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle, and yet his foolishness will not depart from him. (Prov. xxvii. 22). If a man should boast of his "might," or power, let him call to mind the power of the beast of the forest, or of the Leviathan of the deep. And if his might does not become very weakness, then, let him reflect upon the 40th of Isaiah. Here, he will vail his face, and cry:-"Woe is me! for I am undone!" If man should boast in his "riches." Then let him consider what swift and ready wings they have. Riches make to themselves wings and fly away. The man of riches may boast of his wealth to day, but to morrow morning's post may inform him that he is a beggar. If I had the wisdom of Solomon, and the might of Samson, and all the rich treasures of Hezekiah, yet, the Lord says: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches.' Where then shall

boasting and glorying be found? The child of God is safe in his glorying when he glories in that in which the Lord Himself glories.

And now Positively, the Lord saith, " But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight saith the Lord." Let us see what these things are which have been done in the earth by the Lord. "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and

"But

sanctification, and redemption." These are the things in which the Lord delights and glories, and His children delight and glory in the same. In the text, we have the Apostle boasting, but it is in the Lord. God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Why all this boasting and glorying in the Cross work of Christ? Because on the Cross Christ magnified the law and made it honourable. THERE, He rendered full satisfaction to its proudest demands and penalties. THERE, He justified the sinner by His blood, or by His death. THERE, He made full atonement for His people. THERE, He made peace by His Blood, and reconciled the whole family in heaven and on earth to his Father, and our Father, to His God, and our God. THERE, He slew the enmity, and took everything out of the way, that the ransomed of the Lord might pass over in safety. THERE, He finished and made an end of iniquity, transgression and sin. THERE, He brought in an everlasting righteousness with which to robe His Saints. THERE, He brought near to God, a countless multitude which no man can number, gathered out of all kindreds, peoples, and tongues. THERE, He obtained eternal redemption for all the elect of God. THERE, He through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. THERE, on the cross, Christ is seen victorious over every foe, and we in Him are led in triumph. Well might the Apostle exclaim; "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

"Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God,
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

"See! from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an off'ring far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all."

Rev. J. BATTERSBY

(Vicar of St. James', Sheffield),

AT VERULAM MISSION CHURCH, KENNINGTON ROAD,

LAMBETH, LONDON,

THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 7TH, 1881.

In the 12th chapter of St. John's Gospel and at the latter part of the 21st verse, you will read the following words:— "SIR, WE WOULD SEE JESUS."

Our Lord was exceedingly popular when the words of our text were addressed by certain Greeks to Philip. It is difficult to determine who these Hellenists were. They may have been Jews who spoke the Greek language; or Proselytes from the Greeks; or pious and devout Gentiles who had come up to worship at Jerusalem at the feast of Passover. These persons, whoever they were, had heard of the fame of Jesus, and were desirous to see Him. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, and much people of the Jews came to Bethany, that they might see both Jesus and Lazarus-(9th verse). The chief priests consulted together, that they might put Lazarus to death; because by reason of him, many of the Jews believed on Jesus.

66

Now, when it was noised abroad among much people, that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they resolved to do Him honour as He entered the holy city, and so: "They took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. This was the popular cry on the Monday, but on the Friday in the same week, the Jews cried :-" Crucify Him, Crucify Him." "His blood be on us and on our children." Popularity is very transient with a godless multitude. The word of prophecy was fulfilled in both instances. "And Jesus, when He found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt." The disciples did not understand these things at the time, but afterwards they did. Those who had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus bore record of the miracle, and the people went forth to meet Jesus. The Pharisees exclaim :-" Behold, the world is gone after Him.” Amongst those who wished to see Jesus were "certain Greeks." They made their wish known to Philip, and Philip told Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. Our Lord's answer is given in the 23rd and following verses to which I refer you.

We shall now proceed to consider, First, the natural curiosity of these Greeks :-" They would see Jesus;" Secondly, the spiritual desire of all believers is :-" That they would see Jesus;" and then, we shall conclude by pointing out to you some of the accompanying effects of seeing Jesus spiritually. I hope, that under these heads, I shall be able to lay before you some of the leading truths of the Gospel of the grace of God, as they have been presented to my own mind. May the Spirit of God help us to unfold and to understand the Gospel in its fulness and blessing for Christ's sake.

We shall now take up our first point: the natural curiosity of these Greeks. They said to Philip, Lord, "we desire to see Jesus." Whether there was anything beyond a natural curiosity in these Greeks, which led them to desire to see Jesus, and to have an interview with Him,