In Acts i. we read the parting words of the Lord Jesus, before "a cloud received Him out of their sight." It seems to be quite clear, that the baptism of the Holy Ghost, of which He spoke (ver. 5), "the power of the Holy Ghost" coming upon them (see margin, ver. 8) was the descent of that Blessed Spirit on the day of Pentecost (chap. ii.) when the disciples were all filled with the Holy Ghost," "the promise of the Father" (ver.33) as testified by Peter, who now had understanding-the Church formed (though doubtless it was not till after Paul's conversion, the disciples fully knew Church-place, speciality, real standing and glory), and God Himself in the midst. From this, we have a gradual but wonderful development of truth, until it becomes wide and deep indeed; and bearing this mark-the largeness of God's heart and goodness. And this seen the more as contrasted here and there with man's narrow and contracted measure. After the descent of the Holy Ghost, with what energy does He testify by Peter (compare 1st Peter i. 12) when "three thousand being pricked to the heart, believed." With what boldness does Peter (who before denied Christ, and forsook Him) now charge these blood-stained men with the murder of Jesus; the Lord, in His amazing grace, having directed that the first proffer of mercy should be made here; "beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke xxiv. 47), and these three thousand having gladly received the good news, that there was remission of sins in His name, are at once baptised, and introduced into the fellowship; and continue stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer. Chap. iii. shews us the testimony of the Holy Ghost to Israel yet to repent, with offers that Jesus would come-for that Lord who delighteth in mercy, to whom judgment is "strange work," who wept over Jerusalem "in the days of his flesh," lingers as loth to leave the ancient people. But Israel, the wicked generation, resist the Holy Ghost; and consummate this resistance by stoning Stephen, the proto-martyr. Still many believed (iv. 4.) till about five thousand were inside; when Satan stirred up people, priests, (religion so called, being always the bitter enemy of Christ), and the Sadducees against them; and in this trial and per

secution, the power of the "name of thy holy child Jesus," and their faith in that name is manifested. The place was shaken where they prayed, and all, filled with the Holy Ghost, spake the word of God with boldness. "And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all" (ver. 33). We see the Church standing for a time in corporate integrity; producing the blessed fruits of the Spirit, and obeying that word: "Ye are members one of another "(Ephes. iv.25). "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John xiii. 35). But failure in measure sets in, in chap. v., where we find the manifested power and presence of God in the assembly, when He avenges, by judgment, the insult offered to His present Majesty. "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts v. 4). Let it be remarked, in this place, that these truths of God are not altered by man's failure and folly. The unbelief of believers in Christ, does not impair truth a whit; and when the Holy Ghost does bring these things in His own vivid power to the consciences and hearts of saints,-when He is pleased to work with energy in any little company of His own,there will always be the effects-surely something of them all we read of in chap. ii. 42-47,-even in this day of weakness, confusion, and failure; the family scene -the mutual care of the members-the pleasant fruit of love (loving with the powers of eternal life)—the fruits of the Spirit will surely appear. So likewise, when real faith is at work (not the quantity so much as the quality of faith) as to the presence of God-as to walking with, and serving the Living God, and waiting for His Son from Heaven; when there is true abiding in Jesus, and communion in and by Him-surely just in proportion will that word be reverenced: "Holiness becometh Thy house for ever." The Church, or assembly of Saintsthe habitation of God by the Spirit-will be a place of discipline and godly care. Nothing would or could be allowed, no, not for an hour, in doctrine or walkmuch less in doctrine-which would dishonor God, and lower the standard of His Truth. The name and glory of Jesus-the presence of the Spirit-the genius of the

dispensation-the grace in which we stand-the real welfare of God's people-the word of God-all cry out with many tongues, against the allowance of any evil thing whatsoever-any leaven, which if allowed "leaveneth the whole lump," for "ye are unleavened" (åšvμoi, 1 Cor. v. 7.) God's thought about the people-without leaven-therefore suffer it not to come in and defile. When found, put it away; and if the case need such truth as this, walk in obedience to it-" from such turn away." "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use" (2 Tim. ii. 21). "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly" (2 Thess. iii. 6). The sad and perpetual tendency of our hearts, is just to slip out of the sense of grace and the Lord's presence. The lively living apprehension of our standing and of Him who called us with a "heavenly calling,' soon may be lost or forgotten. Then, in an hour of difficulty and of Satan's power-natural feeling, expediency and policy -the unjudged flesh begins to workwheel within wheel, difficulty, perplexity—men, and what is of man, are found getting between the conscience and Christ; and then Christian men, under the plea of Christ's honor and the good of His people, really are opposed to godly discipline and order. But sad and woeful is the condition, the low sunk-down state, when souls object to dealing with evil in the house of God, and prefer in reality their own things (Paul's sorrow in Phil. ii. 21, "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's ") to the things of God." "Buy

b In recent sorrow and trial amongst the saints, when many have been perplexed, and objected to discipline, and averred that no scripture warranted separation from bodies or assemblies where evil was allowed, there seems strange forgetfulness that there is a present living God, whose Spirit teaches and leads the Saint to apply precept and word to the circumstances he is in, whatever they may be. In a day of apostasy and ruin as to Church order, or any corporate integrity, there may be difficulty in acting, throwing a saint upon God for wisdom and guidance. He cannot find in the word the exact order for the exact circumstances; but there is the obedience of faith and spiritual intelligence, where literal order or command there is none- -(supposing it to be so), surely the Holy Ghost will apply, where there is faith and a single eye, truth suited

the truth, and sell it not," said the wise man in Proverbs. Those who stand in God's truth, and are contented to abide with him, though many go back, may find a still darker, and (to others) more confused time. But the Jude-position, ver. 20-25, is a very good one, and throws one at once on the only wise God, our Saviour, “to whom be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen."c

In chap. vii. we find a great advance in truth. The heavens opened; and Jesus "received" by a cloud "out of their sight" in (i. 9) is seen by His faithful servant and martyr Stephen (ver. 55); "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God; and said, Behold I see the Heavens opened," etc. Israel, utterly rejecting the testimony of the Holy Ghost by Stephen, proceed to stone him: "he fell asleep" (ver. 60). And, therefore, instead of the Lord Jesus coming down to them, as offered in chap. iii. (noticed above), we here see that Holy One ("who, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high") standing to receive, as it would appear, the spirit of His martyred servant. In chap. viii., let it be noted, that, in the largeness of God's heart, He could not have the waters of life pent up as it were in Jerusalem. He therefore permits persecution (He may have seen His chosen ones inclined to nestle together) that the streams of salvation may flow out. The nation reject, but God will follow the individuals. O what a God is our God! Saul of Tarsus "made havoc of the Church;" the one who soon becomes

to the position. In recent sorrow, I believe there is precept, warning, doctrine, various scripture, either direct or by just inference, bearing on this point, separation from evil, if thousands of saints allow it. If men in Christ say, "We cannot see it; shew us the exact words to meet the exact state," we must pray for such: faith is wanting, spiritual discernment, teachable aptness; they are not in the position assumed for saints in God's word.

Two or three only gathered together really in His name, have the power of worship and the power of discipline. It is by faith, energy of which is the very characteristic of the risen man. "We walk by faith and not by sight."

the

a special witness and illustrious vessel of mercy, not only to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that faith which he destroyed (as far as he could), but to be specially the Church's minister or servant (see Col. i. 24, 25), "Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching the word" (ver. 4). These holy fugitives carried the lamp of truth into dark places, and the Spirit tells us of them (chap. xi. 19-21), they preached unto the Jews only, and "the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord."d In chap. ix. we advance into still deeper truth. Saul of Tarsus breathing out slaughter, in his mad career, is arrested by seeing Jesus, the Heavenly Son of Man, from whose face streamed down the glory of God, and that light-too effulgent for human sight (Saul is blind for a season)-shines into his heart (compare 2 Cor. iv. 6). He sees the Lord of Glory, who begins to unfold to him the great mystery (το μυστηριον peya, the great mystery, not a great, as translated, Eph. v., 32, but the mystery, of which Adam and Eve in the garden were a type), that He had a Bride, the Bride of the Lamba glorified body, whose members Saul was persecuting, but whose union with the Heavenly Head

μεγα,

May it not be inquired whether at present, as to the testimony of the gospel of God's grace, there be not too much abiding in one place, building, locality, when the word of command is, "Go ye out into all the world." Centralisation belonged to Israel, aggressive inroad on dark places seems to become the Church and the Saints who may have any evangelising gift. In the former, Israel, the light was stationary, those seeking light must come to the fixed place. In the latter, would it not appear to be the contrary? Go ye out, "preach the gospel to every creature." One would not wish to define or place limits, far from it; certain classes of people, now for instance, can only be addressed and reached in certain places, but it does demand serious inquiry from those who would evangelise, and desire to please God, whether the heralding of the good news, testing men's consciences in every place,as Paul seems to have done, and striving to reach a multitude, would not seem to be more in accordance with the genius of "the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God." Out-door preaching, or heralding, seems very scriptural-a more excellent way, when possible. However, the Lord the Spirit, alone can direct, as He alone can open any heart to receive the message-"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."