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T:H:E1 t ~taI Issued monthly by "The Bible Standard Publication Society," Lincoln.EDITED BY

Geo. A. BROWN, Pastor of Mint Lane Baptist Church, Lincoln.'fHE BIBLE STANDARDs devoted to the exposition of Biblical Truth, especially the doctrine of Conditional Immortality, the literal Resurrection of

the Dead, the Final Destruction of the Wicked, the Signs of the Times, the Second Coming of Christ, and His Personal Reign on earth.

" The Wages oj Sin is Death; but the gift oj God is Eternal Life throuqh. Jesus Christ our LO Td."

No. 7. APRIL, 1878. Price Id.PEACE WITH ALL MEN INCOMPATIBLE WITH

FIDELITY TO CHRIST.A Sermon by Geo. A. Brown.

" Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth;I came nob to send peace but a sword."-)latt. x. 34.How strange this sounds, falling from the lips of Him whomthe Scripture calls the "Prince' of Peace!" When theangels heralded His birth, was it not of "peace" that theysang, saying, "Peace on earth, good will towards men? "And did He not say Himself to His disciples, when about toleave them to go to the Father, "Peace I leave with you;My peace I give unto you?" How can this declaration ofwar, even of a sword, come from the same lips and heartthat spake of peace? Does a fountain send forth water bothsweet and bitter? 01' a tree bear two manner of fruits?How can we reconcile this announcement of conflict withChrist as the Prince of Peace?The conflicting statements are seen to be in perfect

harmony as we recognize the fact that they are spoken ofthe Saviour in different relationships and as viewed fromdifferent standpoints. One-the proclamation of war-is aview of the battle-field; the other-is the scene wherevictory is won. One is the war-cry; the other, the echo ofthe grand festal day, when the battle-ground is changed toParadise, and men's persons as well as hearts have beentransformed, so that they wear the image of the Heavenly.Christ's first advent inaugurated a great revolution in the

religious system of his land and time. It brought thegloom of evening to the long day of reputed orthodoxy; andfinally, settled many of its cherished beliefs down in denseand eternal night.For years and centuries dogmas and forms had held the

Jewish worshipper in captivity. Creeds were stereotyped'and patented. And human theology had embedded truthin the grave of tradition. Ligh is that once shone brightlyhad grown dim and gone out in death; and the race of

godly men was fast becoming extinct. The path of life wasblocked by religious teachers who ostensibly held the keysof the gate ; they surrounded the entrance of the narrowway with a thousand unnecessary rites and commandments.Through the stately theological institutions they had founded,men must neec1s pass before they coulc1 be in the pathleading to glory and honour and immortality. False in-terpretation given to Scripture had well nigh extinguishedall hat was God-like and holy. And this false theologyas become part and parcel of their nature. The mother

sung it to her babe; it was learnt among the first lessonsof tenc1er childhood; the youth who would win the smile ofthe public eye must graduate therein at some school ofGamaliel. And this traditional faith and religion had sofar taken hold upon the convictions of the people, that theyhad come to think that no other way was or could be right.They had made void the commandments of God by theirtraditions. Such was the state of the Jewish Church whenChrist was born; and when in His manhood He enteredupon His mission-a lone Man! Unsupported by any bodyof men,-not ordained by man, nor holding in His possessionany document of credentials 01' authority from the schools oftheology-He stooc1,a Man of U'aT! A Man whose heartwas fired with holy and Divine truth! No weapon in Hishanc1 but the sword of the Spirit. And with this Hestruck, and His blows were felt; for they fell with powerupon the heads and hearts of those who had for many yearsbeen looked upon as almost divine.He-this Man of war-went from town to town, from

village to village, from mountain top to ship's deck, pro-claiming doctrines and principles antagonistic to sin and tothe erroneous religious system and tenets of His day. Hegave error no quarter; He claimed no friendship withthe sanctimonious Pharisees, for the sake of "peace."Nay, otherwise; for the peace that had long lain on thebosom of a worldly and backslidden Church, He brake-Heruthlessly brake! War was' proclaimed ; and with that lone

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50 THE BIBLE STANDARD.Man-and illustrious warrior-has sprung up the greatestcontroversy the world has known.

And still the war rages, as severe as ever. Truth is notcrushed, nor does she sue for peace. She yet holds up herhead in bold defiance. She presses her complete victoryhere in this world; for the ground on which we tread ishers. The crown of honour and glory must alone deck herbrow; and then only will she stop the fight. She will nothave peace till by herself she stands the vanquisher of 3,11her enemies.

Christ held out no flag of truce. He was stern in Hisdenunciations of evil. In grave and emphatic words Hewarned His disciples against the" leaven" of the Scribesand Pharisees, making allusion to their" doctrines."

This onslaught roused the lethargy of the religiousslumberer. It awakened the anger of the priesthood. Theyfound an enemy born in their very midst, fighting to over-throw their beloved and cherished system. Apprehendingtheir danger, they determined, if possible, to C1'Ush the Manwho dared to disturb the theological peace.

The conflict waxed hotter and hotter. The anger, maliceand hatred of the human heart were stirred to their depths,and the culmination is well known-it ended in blood! Theforces of the Rabbis, led by the treacherous Judas, tookJesus, and in the presence of a mob interspersed with highreligious functionaries they crucified Him. But this wasnot completed until He had accomplished a work thatsubsequent time has not been able to undo. He had won afew followers, gained some hearts, made some impressions.And He died, leaving the world in a perfect uproar.

Doubtless His enemies thought they had rid themselvesof a great and dangerous pest when they saw their Foe acorpse; and hoped for a return to the peace of the oldentimes. But such thoughts and hopes were destined to provedelusive, and they are now to know more than ever thetruth of Christ's declaration, that He came not to sendpeace but a sword.

But a few' days elapsed, and they were disturbed by thenews, spreading with wondrous speed, that the Lord wasrisen from the dead! And, but a brief period from thatthe Risen One armed His followers with a power againstwhich nothing could stand. His enemies could not resistthe Spirit which He gave them on the day of Pentecost.Astonished and confounded, they saw and heard theHeaven-endowed warriors of the cross. Unlearned men,having the courage of lions, spake with unearthly authority,and won rebel hearts to the Royal cause. And the result ofthat one day alone, so successful was the siege, was theturning over of three thousand men on the Lord's side!

Now the warfare assumes a wider range and larger pro-portions. The twelve, within a few years, carry it into alllands. It is both of an aggressive and defensive nature.

The Jewish nation is roused to ferocity and murder. Thheathens clamour and seek to destroy the Church of GoPrisons and bonds are tried as means of cure, to shut thmouths of these men. But, useless all! No incarceration'could seclude them, or prevent the spreading of thedoctrines; and no threats of the worst that man can dcould succeed in getting them to promise that they wouspeak no more in that Name that created such dissension.

The complaint against the Apostles was that they" turnethe world upside down." They did not agree with existinreligions. And not agreeing with the traditions and shamof their day, they struck heavy and tremendous blowsthese cheats and delusions. Great Diana of the Ephesianwas openly attacked, as well as the inventions of that Churcthat claimed the name of God as an authority forpractices. The axe was laid at the root of the tree; anthey dealt unsparing blows at what only deserved to perish

Then raged with blind and wild-beast fury the worshipperof these several systems, and they called in the civil aragainst'the audacious Christians. In the pages of historwe read of the dark and horsible deeds of cruelty perpetratedby the pagans against the Jhurch, from the Emperor Nedown to Diocletian.

We might continue, and speak of the war and its progresfrom that day to this; but enough. We see through all thpast ages that the principles and doctrines of Christ whefaithfully proclaimed have caused a disturbance of the peac

It is true that the Church has at times fallen into a luand even sought the favour of the world, with an ingloriou

. peace. The sword has remained in its scabbard, whenshould have been used in fidelity to Christ. She has suninto a kind of half-and-half unionist, as in the daysConstantine. For the sake of peace, she said less and leabout the idolatry of the pagans until-natural result-shebegan to copy it, so that one could hardly discriminatebetween Christianity and heathenism. It was peace thewanted. But, like the Israelites of old, they rested in thwilderness only to make to themselves idols, and depart frothe living God. Our Master had said, " Think not thatam come to send peace on earth, I came notsend peace but a sword." He meant this swoto be used; and the Church for the sake of peace haput it aside. It has frequently been so. But, friends, thsword must be wielded by somebody to fulfil the wordsJesus, and when one class of men refuses to contend frighteousness and truth, God raises up another who wfearlessly and loyally carry on the war commenced by oDivine Master.

We live not in those days of fiery persecution. But is thbattle over? No, no; let us realise it. Our age, as agof the past, demands our utmost energies for Christ. Erroabounds=-is everywhere. And we must oppose it. W

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52 THE BIBLE STANDARD.is a parable, but it must be established upon a literal fact."In reply, we would say that, "Such is not the case, for wefind many parables in the Bible which are not founded uponfacts at all." Will our readers please read the parablefound in the 9th chap. of Judqes, from the 7th to the15th verses?

Taking for granted that you have read this parable, wewould ask you if trees talk, or ,do they assemble themselvestogether to appoint kings, and yet it is stated in this parablethat" The trees went forth to anoint a king over them."This at once answers for an illustration that all parables arenot founded upon facts.

We now proceed to show that the Saviour referred in theparable, not to the views concerning Hades entertained bythe sacred writers, but to heathen notions of Hades whichhad been in part imbibed by the Jews,-not, however, toaclmowledge the heathen fables to be well founded, but, bythe parabolic use of them, to set forth a train of interestingfacts.

We now come to a very important enquiry, viz., Does therepresentation of Hades in the parable agree with the viewsof the sacred writers on that subject. We answer that itdoes not, but agrees perfectly with the ideas entertained bythe Jews themselves concerning Hades. We will give youa quotation from J osephus on the Jewish belief of thissubject, and you will at once see that Christ drew Hisparable from their own theological opinions concerning thestate of the dead. But by no means does He sanction it byusing the same in parabolic form.

Josephus says, "Now as Hades, wherein the souls of therighteous and unrighteous are detained, it is not necessaryto speak of it. Hades is a place in the WOTld not regularlyfinished, a subterraneous region where the light of thisworld does not shine j from which circumstance, that inthis region the light does not shine, it cannot be but theremust be in it perpetual darkness.," This region is allotted as a place of custody for souls, inwhich angels are appointed as guardians to them, whodistribute to them temporary judgments, agreeably to everyone's behaviour and manners. In this region there is acertain place set apart as a lake of unquenchable fire,whereunto we suppose no one hath hitherto been cast, butit is prepared for a day afore determined by God, in whichone righteous sentence shall deservedly be passed upon all

men. The just are now indeed confined in Hades, but notin the same place wherein the unjust are confined. Forthere is one descent into this region, at whose gate webelieve stands an archangel with a host: which gate, whenthose pass through that are conducted down by the angelsappointed over souls, they do not go the same way, but thejust are guided to the right hand. This place we call thebosom of Abraham. But as to the unjust, they are draggedby force to the left hand by the angels allotted for punish-ment, no longer going with a good will, but as prisonersdriven by violence into the neighbourhood of Hell itself jwho, when they are hard by it, continually hear the noise ofit, and do not stand clear of the hot vapour (01' flame). Notonly so, but where they see the place of the Fathers and ofthe just, even hereby are they punished j for a chaos, deep

and large, is fixed between them; insomuch that a jusman that hath compassion upon them cannot be admitted;nor can one that is unjust, if he were bold enough to attempit, pass over it."Now it is unmistakeably from this "Pharisaic doctrine

Hades that we have the Parable of the Rich Man anLazarus. The Pharisees did not', however, get the idea frotheir own Scriptures, but from the heathen philosophers.

The unanimous testimony of the Scripture writers goes tshow that lIades is a place of silence; it is u place where athe dead are, (i.e., not living), it is therefore translatedmany times into our English word [J 1 'ave. We will cite thfollowing passages to prove our position relative to Hades :

" What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death?Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the qraue" (HadesSept.)? Psalm lxxxix. 48." For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in thgrave (Hades) who shall give thee thanks? " Psalm vi. 5.This passage affirms that ill Hades (for I now quote from

the Greek version of the Old ~stament) there is no "re-membrance" which is an attribute of conscious existenceand llO one gives thanks, and, therefore, affords conclusiveevidence that it is a place of unconsciousness. But to makthis point clear beyond a doubt relative to the dead beinutterly unconscious in Hades, we quote Eccl. ix, 10. :

" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thmight; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nowisdom, in the grave (Hades) whither thou goest."WLitby says, that Shoel throughout the Old Testament,

and Hades in the Septuagint, answering to it, signify notplace of torment, or of the souls of bad men only, but thgrave only, or the place of death.

We have now brought before you the doctrine of Hadeaccording to the Pharisee, who in turn had imbibed it fromthe heathen philosopher and we have also shown you thScriptural idea of Hades which makes it a place of death anand not of life. Which shall we believe?

The learned Dr. Campbell gives the whole weight of hiauthority in favour of the supposition that the Jews Lad beecorrupted in their views by the heathen, and that the formof the parable was drawn from the heathen notions whicthey had imbibed. He says.

"It is plain that in the Old Testament the most profoundsilence is observed in regard to the state of the dead, theijoys or SOlTOWS,appiness or misery!"The opinion neither of Hebrews nor of the heathen

remained invariably the same. And from the time of thcaptivity, more especially from the time of the subjectionthe Jews, first to the Macedonian empire, and afterwards to thRoman, as they had a closer intercourse with pagans, theinsensibly imbibed many of their sentiments, particularly o,those subjects, wherein their law was silent. On this subjecof a future state we find a considerable difference in thpopular opinions of the Jews in our Saviour's time, from

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THE BIBLE STANDARD.ose which prevailed in the days of the ancient prophets.s both Greeks and Romans had adopted the notion, thate ghosts of the departed were susceptible both of enjoy-ent and of suffering, they were led to suppose a sort ofetribution in that state, for their merit or demerit in theresent. The Greek Hades they found well adapted toress the Hebrew Shoel. This they came to conceive as

ncluding different sorts of habitations for ghosts of differenters! Here we ask, on whose authority did the Jews

elieve that Hades was a place of disembodied souls?.-On the authority of the heathen. It may be said

hat Christ must have sanctioned the Pharisaic doctrine ofades, or else he would not have used it in His parable.In reply, we say that if Christ sanctioned the Hadeantate, according to the Jewish belief at that time, then Heainly and pointedly went against the teachings of the Old ,estament writers on the Hadean state.This we cannot for a moment believe to be the case, for ifhrist sanctioned the belief of the Pharisee regarding Hades,hen we have His sanction of it in its minutest particulars,st as they held it.With the two side by side, there is no disputing this fact.nd that makes it that all the dead are now detained downnder the earth alive, and this doctrine must henceforthecome the ultimatum of all Christian faith as to the dead.Rejecting this, the objection falls to the ground that Christ

anctions it by using it to reprove these Pharisees. Weight as well accuse .Msop of believing that the birds andsts actually talk because he makes them do it in hisbles; and if any in his day really believed it, might he note justified if he used their faith to impart unto themmportant moral lessons by making the birds and beastsalk wisely.Indeed in this very connection, Christ founds a Parable

upon the dishonest conduct of an unprincipled steward, whoasted his Lord's goods; and who, when he learned he was

to be turned out of the stewardship, made a most dishonestsettlement with his Lord's debtors, cheating Him out of alarge amount.Shall we say that our Saviour endorsed this dishonesty

because he founds a Parable upon it, without even intimatingthat such conduct was wrong?In the Parable under consideration, our Saviour at once

reached them through their own distorted views of the stateof the dead, with the most solemn and important ofall truths.Mark with what consummate skill the Saviour handles

these men, and turns the tables against them, by weaving aParable against them out of their own doctrine of Hades, andthus in the most effectual, if not the only way, forewarnsthem of their personal and national impending doom.What was the object,' then, of Jesus in uttering the

Parable? What fact did He intend to teach?We believe that He intended to point out the obstinacy of

the Jews, their impending doom for having rejected theirMessiah, also to show that the Gentiles (who had beenbeggars in the estimation of the Jews,) would be brought intocovenant relationship with the promises and covenants madeto Abraham I and the Jews would be cut_off, and suffer theconsequences of their obstinacy.The Rich Man. personifies the Jewish people, who were

rich in religious privileges, being God's chosen, covenantpeople, as the Apostle Paul testified, when speaking of them,"To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and thecovenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God,and the promises, &c."-Roln. ix, 4, 5. "Their priests alsowere clothed in purple and fine linen," and served at thealtar "every day." ~It was the special purpose of our Saviour to teach the

Jewish people that on account of their rejection of Him,they should lose their peculiar relationship to the gospelbenefits, and this and the torments they are represented assuffering, very justly set forth their chagrin and envy arisingfrom the reception of Christ by the Gentiles, and also theirnational overthrow, debasement, and sufferings for eighteenhunched years.By the beggar, the Gentiles are represented. In regard

to divine knowledge they had been poor indeed" whencompared with the Jews. They had no knowledge of God,nor of His law! and they worshipped the idols which their'own hands had fashioned.By the death of the two individuals, is intended the changewhich was then about to take place in the circumstances of

the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews were soon to bedeprived of their national privileges, because they had notmade a good use of them, and were to be cast into outerdarkness, and suffer the most tremendous evils that had

, ever befallen any nation. On the other hand, the, Gentileswere to experience a change equally great: they were to bebrought to the knowledge of God, and of that Gospel whichwas preached, originally, to Abraham. " To Abraham andhis seed were the promises made."-Gal. iii, 16. In thisway the Gentiles were to become children of Abraham." Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for '

righteousness; know ye, therefore, that they which are offaith, the same are the children of Abraham."-Gal. iii, 6,7.It is for this reason that Lazarus is represented as beingblessed with Abraham in Hades. He had embraced thefaith of Abraham. Paul again says, speaking to the Gentiles,"If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirsaccording to the promise."-Gal. iii, 29.The poor Gentiles were looked upon by the Jews with a

perfect loathing, such were not the characters esteemed bythose proud Pharisees. In their estimation, themselves, and

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54 THE BIBLE STANDARD.not these despised ones, would be entitled to a place inAbraham's bosom. Shall the delusive dream be broken?Is there any way by which they can yet be reached? If so,this Parable must do it. Verse 22 speaks of the beggar. dying and being "carried by angels into Abraham's bosom."Abraham's bosom, the Pharisees tell us, is that part ofHades at the right hand, set apart for the just, and thatthese were conducted down by the angels appointed oversouls, who are ever in attendance at the gate. That thismiserable beggar, this outcast of society, should be thushonoured, was quite a different result from what these men,who trusted in themselves, conceived of the matter.Christ takes the very lowest to represent His character, of

those whom the Pharisees looked upon as without hope andGod in the world, and places the poor beggar in theirHadean paradise. Could they other than see and feel sucha reproof?The rich man dies, and he too goes down to Hades, but

not to that part of it where Lazarus was. But he can seethe place of the Fathers and of the just, and he cries toAbraham to have mercy on him, this part identifies the richman as being a representative of the Jews, for none elsecould at that time call Abraham, Father,How now is the whole scene changed, and changed to the

utter confusion of the Pharisees with no hope of relief. Forin perfect accord with' their own faith of punishment inHades. This rich man their ideal of life, a mild type ofthemselves was sent to the place of torment. Indoing this Christ designed to show them their falseposition, .their fatal error, and break if possible thedelusion that had possessed them, and borne them on toderide Him, and could they not according to their own beliefsee whither they were drifting, verse 25, presents a startlingreproof. And not uttered by on(ewhom they hated, but madeto come by Christ in the parable in all tenderness from thelips of Abraham .himself Could rebuke be more wiselyconceived, or more tremendously and deservedly given?The Pharisees in their doctrine of Hades had fixed a

chaos deep and large between the "just and the unjust."So that if one felt to compassionate the tormented on theone hand or bold enough to attempt to escape from thetorment on the other, they could not "pass over it." Cananyone mark this continued and perfect correspondencebetween their doctrine of Hades and the parable, and haveremaining a doubt as to the fact that the one was foundedupon the other?In this impassable gnlf Christ now hangs them upon

their own gallows, as Haman was executed upon his. Heshowed them their hopeless condition if they continued theirworldly course and also continued their rejection of Himas a nation.And he clinches the truth of it upon the very face of their

own doctrine, the simple idea is a remedilessdoom, versepresents to us the appeal of the one representative, askAbraham to send some one to his five brethren. Thebrethren in the parable would indicate that this rich mhad left behind him those related to him, related inpositions of life, standing together in these relationsbrethren, living as he had lived.And now he desires to warn them of their dang

Abraham is made to reply they have Moses and the prophelet them hear them. This brings us in the parable tomore'direct and personal application to these Pharisees wwere standing before Christ, and it is done with a mastehand.If they had failed to perceive its bearing up to this p

they could fail no longer. The likeness has been drawntrue to life for them not to see the;}selyes in it.And now, like the five brethren left a\ their father's ho

they stand before the Saviour with the writings of Mand the prophets in their hands.And will they hear them? Can they resist the subelement of truth that is stealing into their mindsreaching after their consciences? Shall not the writingMoses and the prophets suffice to convince them and b

down their unbelief? Christ then makes the rich man to"Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them fromdead they will repent." Is it possible to conceive of anythmore touching than this a-plea put into the mouthdeparted friend, that the very dead might be raised upwarn comrades, who, though possessing the Scriptures,paid no heed to their teachings. And is it so that evenwould avail nothing to reach such men. Alas! it was eso. For the response was' that, "If they hear not Mand the prophets, neither will they be persuaded thoughrose from the dead."In the last reply of Abraham to the rich man, we have

moral of the parable, for this assertion was subsequeproved true, for Jesus did raise a real .Lazarus fromdead! but the Jews were enraged at the miracle, and soto kill Him, because many in consequence believed.thus they held out, until at lastthe picture so graphicdrawn by the Saviour began to meet its fulfillment in terrfact, for their Temple was destroyed and they were scattelike autumn leaves before the wind, into all nations,died to all their former privileges,died as a nation and fthat time to this their land has been trampled downGentile rulers, and they have been suffering the seveprivation and persecution that could ever befall a peoAnd we have also lived to see the great and wondechange which from that' time passed over the Gentiles,have been brought under the immediate blessings of cnant mercy and to-day they rejoice.in the fact that theymade partakers through Christ of the promise madAbraham long years ago. In conclusion we would dyour minds to the opinion of Dr. Lightfoot on the subjehe says: "The main scope and design of the parable seto be this-to hint the destruction of the unbelieving Jwho, though they had Moses and the prophets, didbelieve them-nay, would not believe, though' one (eJesus) arose from the dead. For that conclusion ofparable abundantly evidenced what it aimed at; if theynot Moses and the prophets." .

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THE BIBLE STANDARD. 55STANDING ALONE.By H. L. Hastings.

THERE is neither virtue nor profit in standing alone, if OUl'isolation is the result of our own disagreeableness, stubborn-ness, ugliness, or oddity. It is by no means certain thata man is out of bad company because no one else is nearhim; and his separation from others may be his faultinstead of his duty. If his heart be sour and morose; ifhis hand be against every man in Ishmaelitish rage andcontroversial impertinence; if he can agree with no one,and would change his own course if he saw anyone elseagreeing with him; if he is alone as lions and tigers arealone,-because they are too fierce and selfish to havecompany,-then his loneliness is his sin against thecommon ties of human brotherhood, against the sweetcharities of Christian fellowship, against the unity of the"one .body" and against the communion of the "onespirit. "But, notwithstanding all this, there are timea and cir-cumstances which compel the servant of God to stand alone.The grace which has constituted him a son and heir of God;the Holy Spirit which has renewed his heart; the preciousfaith by which he has been saved and purified; the blessedhope to which he has fled for refuge from the storms ofearth; the heavenly heritage which has weaned him fromthe world and made him but a pilgrim here ;-all these and

. other things which distinguish broadly between what he wasand what he is. may prove sources of isolation in a world ofsin and among a race of sinful men.

The Christian isolation is far from being a mere localseparation from the presence and occupations of his fellow-men. His is no cloistered virtue, shunning the walks andwarfare of an active life; it is no separation from humansympathies and fellowships and tears. It is no going 'out ofthe world into trackless deserts or lonely hermitages; nor isit passing by "upon the other side" when sufferinghumanity lies stripped and wounded and weltering in itsgore. But it is rather a separation from sin and fromsinners in their sinning; a separation from craft and from thecrafty in their craftiness; a separation from the blindedmultitude and from their blind misleaders ; a separationforeseen and foreshadowed by Him who hath chosen us outof the world, Who hath said, "Thou shalt not follow themultitude to do evil," and Whose message to His people is," Come out from among them and be separate, and touchnot the unclean thing," &c.

This is a separation to which any child of God may becalled, and from which everyone should be prepared.Much as he may love the fellowship of brethren or thefriendship of his associates, yet he must be prepared tosacrifice all, forsake all, and deny self, if thereby he may

stand approved of' Him Who hath bought him .with Hisblood.

For peace's sake he may concede much. For Christ'ssake he may endure much. But he must not forsake hisLord. He must not prove recreant to his trust. He mustnot see right trodden down and wrong exalted, and coun-tenance the act. He may deny himself, but he must notdeny his Lord. He may sacrifice his pleasure, but he mustnot violate his conscience. He may waive his opinions, but hemust not forsake his faith. He may yield his preferences,but he must not abandon his principles. He may love hisbrethren, but he must follow his M~ He may consentto that which is expedient, but he must be steadfast for thatwhich is right. He may respect man; he must obey God.

Such a man, impelled by such influences, must some-times stand alone. He knows the right, and he cannotjoin hands with those who pursue the wrong. He seesthe ditch, and he cannot follow the blind leaders who gropealong its margin. He perceives the guile of' crafty men, andhe cannot link himself with those who are dupes and tools.He cannot strike hands with worldly policy; he cannot veerand vacillate with every changing wind; he cannot accom-modate his principles to suit the times or to suit the tastesof selfish men; he cannot lend his influence to crookedpolicy, nor his countenance to covert iniquity; and so, byevery principle of his new nature, and by every impulsewhich comes to him from above, he is compelled to standalone. He cannot strive or cry or cause his voice to beheard in the streets amid the brawling clamour of a thousandtongues; he cannot be a manof bitterness and jangling anddisputation; he cannot mar the gentle charities of heavenby rude contentions with the crafty, the designing, and thebold ;-and hence he finds himself withdrawn from theunquiet clamour to walk in loneliness and obscurity, tostrengthen his heart in patience and fidelity, to await thechanges which may occur in ways unknown to him, and toabide the call of God and the issues of His Providence,whenever or whatever it may designate his labour andappoint his lot.

The man who is thus called of God, who listens to theinstructions of the Bible, the teachings of' the Holy Ghost,the voice of conscience, and the indications of D: vineProvidence, need not fear or faint, though he finds himselfstanding alone. The truth which is trampled down andturned out of doors to-day, will soon be lifted up andwelcomed back again. The Christ who was crucified onCalvary, amid taunts and scoffs and mockings, arises toreign on Zion, while all the ~ngels worship Him. To-day'sminority is the majority of the future; to-day's majority wilbe the shame and stench of days to come.

He who for company's sake has fellowship with eLTOwrong, and sin, may find that living in Sodom is vexatious

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THE BIBLE STANDARD.in itself, and may have to change his quarters at last withinconvenient haste; while he who, Abraham-like, consentsto be a pilgrim on the earth, shall know the purposes of hisheavenly Father, and shall view in distant safety the smokeof Sodoru's overthrow, or the tumult ofBabylon's destruction.He who is called of God to stand alone, may stand with-out fear. With truth, he is on the strongest side; withright for his buckler, he shall withstand his foes; with God,he has more than a majority. All flesh is grass, and all thegoodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; the grasswithereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of Godendureth for ever. What shall he fear who rests upon thatword? All things are working for his good, and all thingsare his. Tribulation and sorrow, trial or temptation, life ordeath,-all are his. His are the changes of time; his thecompensations of eternity. He need not fret himselfbecause of evil doers, or because of him who prospereth inhis way. The momentary vantage is the presage of utterand inglorious overthrow, and temporary defeats culminatein everlasting victories. Let but the humble Simon ofCyrene be forced to bear the Saviour's cross, and his patentof nobility is sure, and a fame wider than that of kings andstatesmen clings to him throughout the centuries of timeand cycles of eternity. He who stands alone for God shallnever lack for company. Though the thoughtless rabblearound him cannot see his sun-crowned head above the fogsand mists that blind their eyes, yet he shall have fellowshipwith God and with His separated people through all theyears of time. He is alone, but God is with him. He isalone, but angels guard him. He is alone, and yet he isa member of that True Vine whose branches overspread theworld. He is alone; what cares he for loneliness so long ashe walks with God?Are you called to stand alone? What then? Did notNoah stand alone when he foretold the flood, prepared the

ark, and escaped destruction? Did not Abraham standalone, when he forsook his kindred and his country to be apilgrim and a stranger on the earth? Did not J oseph standalone, when he was hated, sold, enslaved, and persecuted?Did not Moses stand alone when he renounced the splendoursof Egyptian royalty to share the fortunes of a race of slaves?Did not Caleb and Joshua stand alone, when all the con-gregation bade to stone them with stones, because theyfollowed the Lord fully and brought no evil tidings from thegoodly land? Did not David stand dlone, when all thehosts of Israel quailed before the giant of Gath? Did notElijah stand alone, when he confronted the prophets of Baalon the summit of Mount Carmel? Did not the Hebrewsstand alone, when they braved the terrors of the fieryfurnace? Did not Daniel stand alone, when he passedthrough the lions' den? Did not Paul stand alone, whenDemas left him, when all Asia turned away from him, whenhis own converts denied his apostleship, and when allforsook him and fled from the presence of his imperialpersecutor? Did not John stand alone, an exile on thelonely shores of Patmos? And have not many of God'sholiest, mightiest, truest, noblest sons, been called to thissame loneliness, from age to age, from the beginning of theworld until now?And wh of all this? Noah, though alone, survived adeluged world. Abraham, though alone, had God for hISFriend, his Shield, and his exceeding Great Reward. Lot,though alone, escaped the fires of Sodom's overthrow.Joseph, though alone, - attained to the heights of earthlygreatness, and still held fast the hopes of Israel as his own.Elijah, though alone, prevailed with God ill wonder-workingprayer, and at last rode heavenward in a car of fire. Paul,though alone, could say, "The Lord stood by me and

strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fulknown, and 1 was delivered out of the mouth of tlion." And John, in exile on the rocky shores of Patmobeheld the opened heavens, and read the unsealed scrolldestiny, and saw the splendour of the golden city and thglory of the world to come as man had never done beforThus places of loneliness have become places of wondroublessing, and many who have reclined in solitude and darness on .a wayside stone, have arisen to call their restingplace a Bethel because the Lord had there revealed Himseto them. "Let us then go forth unto Him without thcamp, bearing His reproach." And in our weariness ansolitude and tears, we shall find a preparation for wowhich God may yet set before us, such as nowhere elsefound. Are you called of God to stand alone? Stand thewhere God would have you. Your trial shall be brieYour triumph shall know no end. Held back from the prtections of men you shall be guarded by the angels of thMost High. Restrained by the word and spirit of God frofellowship with lfnrighteonsness, and error, and friendshiwith the world, rou shall find sweeter friendship with thFather and witli the Son, and the lost friendships of timshall be more than compensated by the sacred bonds thshall unite us for eternity. And when the weary yearstoil and conflict shall be done; when the watchmen whso long have stood alone on distant towers and battlementsshall gather to the hill of God; when the separated onshall see each other face to face and eye to eye: when thvoices that have chanted the midnight lays of sorrow shauplift the awakening songs of everlasting joy; when all thloneliness of saints in this poor sinful world is forgottenthe meeting, the reunion, and the triumph of the" generassembly and church of the firstborn; when the hiddemystery of all our sorrows is revealed, we shall rejoice thit has been given to us to follow in the steps of Him Whoheart was often lonely in this world, and Who once saidHis disciples, "Ye shall be scattered and leave Me alonand yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."THE EASTERN QUESTION: In the Light of ScripturBeing a short examination of the Prophecies concerning the timethe end; with a Word of Warning to the Church and the Worldto which is also appended, a copy of the Will of Peter the GreaPrice Sixpence.

GLASGOW: of the Author, Mr. DICKsoN, 46, Jamaica Street.Subscriptions for the "Bible Standard," with all communcations relating to the Paper, to be addressed to the EditoNo. 2, South Park Villas, Lincoln. Subscriptions for singCopy. 1/-per annum, or 1/6 post-paid; three Copiespost-trfor 3/- Special arrangements made for quantities for frcirculation.

Min t L an e B ap tist C hu rch , L in co ln .The Pastor, Geo. A. BROWN, will deliver special discours

on Sunday evenings, during the Month, on Prophesy relatinto the time of the end and the Second Coming of Christ.The Anniversary Services of the above Church were heon Sunday, Feb. 17th, and on th . Tuesday following

public tea was hel.d,at wl-:ichabout 500 friends were presenafterwards a public meeting took place in the Chapel, whthe Secretary read over the annual report, which showedincrease of 120 members during the year, and that thfinances of the Church were in a good condition. Abo150 was raised at these services, of which sum the Ladiof the Sewing Society contributed about 50.Printed by CHARLES AKRILL, Silver Street, Lincoln; and pulished by "THE BIBLE STANDARD PUBLICATlONSOCIETY," at their Office, No. 24, Mint La.ne, Lincoln.