satellites that revolved around Him and bathed in His effulgence. God's people are lights shining in a dark place, lamps in a sepulchre. His servants are stars. The seven stars which He holds in His right hand are the messengers of the churches. Rev. i. 20. The lampstand and the star are both images of the night. And these two figures may be regarded as emblematic of the two dispensations, the Jewish and the Christian; the lampstand, symbol of an artificial dispensation of types and shadows destined soon to burn out and be extinguished; the star, symbol of eternal realities shining serenely amid the gloom of this world, and destined to shine most brightly when the shadows of all temporal things have passed away. In both cases the light shone in darkness. No other light has a dark, guilty world, but this reflected light from heaven. The Church collectively, and the Church as represented by each believer, is the bearer of Christ's transmitted light, not in daylight, but in midnight gloom. Not having light of its own, it is to diffuse through the dense, misty atmosphere of sin the blessed light which it receives from Him. It is to dispel the spiritual blindness and gross ignorance of perishing souls, and bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ. What a high and sacred work is this, to hold forth the word of life to those whom the god of this world hath blinded. How careful should each believer be who has this light entrusted to him, not to hide it under the bushel of busy worldliness, or under the bed of carnal sloth! It may be a mere glowworm spark, but it is inconceivably precious, just because it shineth in darkness. daylight other light is not needed, and may therefore be extinguished without loss or regret; but in the night. there is nothing to compensate for the loss of any light that is put out. Suppose you had penetrated into the In the farthest depths of an intricate, many-chambered cavern, far from the light of day, and that all the torches you had brought with you to dispel the gloom had one by one expired, leaving you with only a single torch half-burnt in your hand: how carefully you would carry it, knowing that upon its continuing to burn and shed its light upon your path, depended your hope of reaching the upper world of light and life. In like manner, every believer, in the cave-like darkness in which he dwells, should guard and tend the light that has been given to him by God to be the light of his feet and the lamp of his path, to lead him and all whom he can influence from the outer darkness of the world to the marvellous light of heaven. If the light in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness! There are no means to dispel it. In the Church, in each believer the light shineth in darkness; and if it be extinguished, all is lost. It is a total eclipse within and without, a blackness of darkness for ever." 'As far as smallest lamp may throw its beams, These are not lost. Not lost, O Lord, for in Thy city bright They were not lost." Gifts for use a characteristic law of the kingdom. XIX. The Measure. Be taking heed what ye are hearing: In what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you, and added to you. For he who has, it shall be given to him; and he who has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Be taking heed therefore, how ye are hearing! For whosoever may have it shall be given to him; and whosoever may not have even, what he seems to have shall be taken away from him. Mark iv. 24-25. Luke viii. 18, EXPOSITION. The improvement of mercies in the generous impartation of them to others will lead to their increase, and reciprocal blessing or life is seen to be the characteristic of Christ's reign in the soul. Paul, as one illustrious example, says: As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things, by the mutual comfort of you and me. Our outward immediate results may be few, unknown, and in many cases unsuspected, yet precious and enduring. Our very ignorance of them is fitted to teach us greater faith and more implicit dependence upon God. By this all that is most precious in our work of reciprocal life is fostered. We are toiling under the guidance of an unseen hand, under the watchfulness of an unobserved eye, in the strength of a neverfailing promise. Although therefore we know not whether shall prosper this or that work of love, or whether both shall be alike good, the all-knowing One has said, It shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear-obey, shall more be given. Thus he who has improved and imparted the blessings of life, it will be given to him; and he who has not improved and imparted, even what he seems to have will be taken away from him. “Who gives, giving doth win back his gift; And knowledge by division grows to more; I did this for another; and behold My work hath blood in it! but thine hath none; To what thou buyest thou thyself art sold. Give thyself utterly away-Be lost, Choose someone- Thou in another shall thyself new find, The single globule lost in the wide sea, Is greatest in the greatness of its kind. Who serves for gain, a slave by thankless pelf Reciprocal life and blessing a law of the kingdom. XX. Seed Springing up Constantly. THUS is the kingdom of God,-as a man may cast the seed upon the earth; and may be sleeping, and rising night and day; and the seed may be sprouting and lengthening itself, how he does not know. Of itself the earth bears fruit, first a blade, afterwards an ear, afterwards full corn in the ear. But when the fruit may yield itself up, straightway sends he forth the sickle, because standing by is the harvest. Mark iv. 26-29. EXPOSITION. The diligent sower and worker, being all day well employed and regularly at night taking his rest, is surprised at the rapid maturing of the grain, and its ripeness for harvesting. It has grown as regularly as he has been employed, sprouting and lengthening itself, how he does not know, but he sees in season first a blade, then an ear, then the full corn in the ear; when ripe it is gathered home. A type of the influence of the life of the believer; and only by growing can we be holy and happy; and for this growing there is ample provision in the Word. By the seed growing secretly as well as constantly from stage to stage we learn that the life of faith is maintained by God as author and completer of it; thus the kingdom is entirely His. The "action of presence" is ever exerting an unconscious influence worthy of attention. "Every Christian is producing two sets of influences. Two currents of power issue from him, which set in motion the wheels of life around him; one is the unconscious, involuntary influence of his real character; the other is the voluntary influence of what he consciously says and does -what he says and does for a special purpose: "These two currents may be opposed by each other, or they may be consistent and harmonious. The character should not say one thing and the lips another. The power of character arises from its truthfulness. through every disguise. A false appearance cannot be long kept up. The tone, the look, the attitude, the actions are constantly discovering the man, and in the sensibilities of men, in the feeling of his fellow creatures he is known exactly for what he is. It shines out There is a species of animalcule called Rotifera, living in tufts of mosses, which when placed under the microscope is found to be transparent as crystal. You see all its internal organs, and the processes of life going on in the inside of its body, as you see the works of a watch through its covering of glass. We are like this creature, |