conflicts in which we may be engaged, for however perplexing those circumstances may be to ourselves or inexplicable to others, "as the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love." He would have us at all times be conscious of His love, and under all circumstances abide in His love, count upon it, rest in it, draw upon it, be happy in it, and be consecrated in realising it. And if we are not consecrated by that love, I know not what shall consecrate us.

But it may be asked, "How are we to do this? how are we to obey the command, 'Abide in My love'?" Our Lord Himself supplies us with directions upon this subject. In the verse following we read, "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love." Why do we so often miss the enjoyment of this love? We neglect "His commandments." He does not allude to the Ten Commandments (our Lord is preaching gospel, not law). It was not because we had kept God's laws that He first gave us His love and sent us His Son, nor is it because we now keep them He continues to us the blessings of that love. No, by "His commandments" He means the great truths and promises of the Gospel given us for the obedience of our faith! He had just been saying, "Let not your heart be troubled," "ye believe in God," that He is your Father, and able to save you, "believe also in Me," "believe that I am to you for your salvation" all "that God is in Himself," "I go to prepare a place for you," ," "believe Me, and cast your care upon Me." These and such like are His commands, and in obeying them we continue in His love. Again, we read, "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning," if that "which ye have heard from the

beginning," alluding to what he had said at the opening of the chapter, that "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life," and that "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from all sin." "If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you," (i.e. by faith,) "ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." (1 John ii. 24.) "Abide," "remain,” and “continue," are all the same in the original; only let His words continue in us, and we shall continue in Him. The fact of the love of God received into the heart by faith will, nay, must cause us to nestle there, to triumph there, to sing there, and to be satisfied.

We have similar teaching in the Epistle of Jude as to the means to be employed for our abiding in the love of God, "But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 20, 21.) Not surely in order that God may continue to love you. God's love never flowed to us as a result of our love to Him, nor does it depend on us for its continuance. God's motive for loving is in Himself, and not in us; to "keep ourselves in the love of God is to continue in the knowledge of it, the realisation and enjoyment of it, that you may evermore love Him who first loved you"; and as you believe in His love you will love Him. But how keep yourselves? (1) "Building up yourselves on your most holy faith"; (2) " praying in the Holy Ghost"; (3) "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,"-mercy higher than the heavens, mercy from everlasting to ever

lasting; (4) "and unto eternal life," for we shall need it all the way home. But we may look for mercy, expect mercy, boast of mercy, sing of mercy, for "goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Let us remember, then, and never forget, that the Father's love to Christ is the only measure of the love wherewith Christ has loved us. There is no love like it, it is unique, it is the love of Him who is love, descending through Christ even unto us. Oh, believe it, enjoy it, be satisfied with it, be happy in it, dwell in His love and you dwell in God, for "he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Misfortune cannot chill that love, circumstances cannot change it, many waters cannot quench it, death cannot overcome it; it is stronger than death or the grave, and it was given to us in Christ Jesus while we were yet enemies. If any one who reads these lines will now believe His word, it is all for you. If you will but write down your name at the bottom of this promise, and say, "I believe it," it is yours, for He has said, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.” Oh, do trust Him, and then you shall thank God for ever in the glory to be revealed, for a "Love that passeth knowledge."

Angels and archangels "desire to look into these things," and would gladly come down from heaven to proclaim them. How have we received them?

Gracious God, may we dwell in Thy love evermore, for Thou art love!

XII.

The Trial of Faith.

"For a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."-I Peter i. 6, 7.

"FOR

'OR a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter i. 6, 7.) So wrote one, for whose faith the Lord had prayed that it might not fail, and charged him, when he was converted, to strengthen his brethren. You may note that in his writings there are five things the Apostle enumerates as precious. In Peter ii. 6, 7, he speaks of a precious Christ, the foundation on which God had taught him to build. In chap. i. 19, he speaks of His blood as precious, "We are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot." In 2 Peter i. 4, he speaks of the promises of God, made to us in Christ, promises

which warrant us to come to Him, and cleanse our polluted selves in His blood; and he calls them "precious promises." In 2 Peter i. 1, he speaks of faith,—that wonderful gift of God, that fruit of the Spirit in the soul of God's child, which lays hold upon Christ, uses the blood, and finds its warrant in the promises,--he calls it "precious faith"; and in the passage I have just read to you, he speaks of the trial of that faith as being much more precious than of gold that perisheth. Now, what is faith? I speak to many who know, but at all events it is well to stir up our poor minds by way of remembrance. Faith is the heart setting to its seal that God is true. Faith is confidence in the truth and faithfulness of that God in whom we believe,-confidence in His wisdom, His love, His unchangeableness, His power. Faith is reliance, trust in the promises of Him who is able to perform that which He promised.

People sometimes become puzzled on the subject of their faith, because we are very apt to put faith in the place of Christ; one often hears the question asked, "What is the right faith?" "I wonder if I have right faith?" This arises from the mistake of supposing that there is something meritorious in faith. You remember the record in Romans iv. 16, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace." There is nothing meritorious in faith. What then is the right faith? Right faith is believing in the right thing-believing the truth as it is in Jesus. Faith is an appropriating grace. Faith is an apprehending grace. It is that divine principle in the soul by which we apprehend the things for which God has declared we are apprehended by Him in the Lord Jesus Christ. True faith has a quick ear, a clear eye, a