number of requests for prayer, which were presented before the Lord by the Rev. MARCUS RAINSFORD. The following address was then given by the

Rev. HENRY E. BROOKE.

Beloved Christian friends, we have been brought very near to God Himself by our dear brother, who has led our thoughts in the previous address; and I pray that we may be kept there. It is holy ground to have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ, and to contemplate Him. May we realize the truth spoken in 2 Cor. iii., “We all, with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." You may remember that mirrors of old were of polished metal, not like ours of glass. And these mirrors had this peculiarity, that when a person looked into the mirror, he saw less perfectly than we do now his own face; but when he used the mirror for any bright object--as mirrors are used with telescopes, to reflect the moon and stars-he not only saw that at which he was looking, but the polished metal threw back the rays on his face, and, imperceptibly it might be to himself, his face was illuminated with the light of the object reflected, if that object possessed brilliancy. That is the key to the expression employed in this passage, "We all .. beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image." And the glory we see further on is "in the face of Jesus Christ." We gaze on Him, and as we gaze, this effect is going on, the Spirit of the Lord is changing us from glory to glory. And thus the Spirit of the Lord is using Christ for this end, so that we may be changed into the same image, "from glory to glory." May our thoughts then be centred on Him. The Lord Jesus Christ as our Pattern is our subject; and as we contemplate Him, may every Christian heart have reflected back on it some of the rays of His glory, and that with transforming power. That is what we want, the transforming power of the Holy Ghost making these things real to us, and moulding our lives and minds and ways thereby.

Now I would, in taking up this subject, seek to take it up where our dear brother dropped it. It is very important not to go over the same ground again. We were brought to that part where the Lord Jesus Christ as the Servant was entering

on His great work, and we were led specially to John xiii., and a very interesting connection was pointed out between John xiii., where Jesus washes the disciples' feet, and Luke xxii., where we see the disciples not ready for service through strife. Let us then look at that washing of the disciples' feet, for it seems to me, if we are to regard Jesus as the Pattern for service, we have the subject presented to us here in a very concentrated form.

Mark, first, the dignity of Him who performed this act of service: "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments.” One is almost reminded, by the expression, of His laying aside His own glory in order to come down to do the work of the Father. "Laid aside His garments, and took a towel, and girded Himself. . . . and began to wash the disciples' feet. Well, then, Peter objects-"Thou shalt never wash my feet." He was brought to a sense of shame when he saw his Master assuming such a position before him. The Lord, however, calls his thoughts to the object of this washing-"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." Thus we see the Lord Jesus Christ intending to draw their attention and draw our attention in washing their feet to the results of His finished work; when He died to put away sin, "the just for the unjust," opening a fountain for sin and for uncleanness of which we sing

"And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains."

But our Lord is evidently not intending so much to direct their thoughts to the pardon sinners get on their first coming to Him as to the continual cleansing we are receiving every day at His hand. Although washed once for all, there is a daily need for washing the conscience from defilement contracted in the day's walk. Thus while the sacrifice has been offered once for all, and while for each of us there is pardon and acceptance once for all, He is still in His priestly office graciously ministering to us that daily cleansing spoken of in 1 John i. 7: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." He cleanseth us from the daily stain by the perpetual application to our consciences of that blood shed once for all for sin.

Let us behold the Lord Jesus laying aside His glory and living a life of humiliation and dying a death of shame, of

which the record in the Gospels is even an inadequate representation, so far as sounding the depths of His suffering and sorrow is concerned. No attempt is made, as might have been made by mere men, to probe, to fathom the depths of His unutterable suffering. It is a depth no man can fathom. Are not our hearts touched by the thought of what He endured when He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" That is an index of what He felt, and another index is afforded in His cry in the garden, His cry uttered in full view of the sorrows of Calvary-"Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." It did not pass from Him, He drained it to the bitter dregs, and on the cross proclaimed the glorious truth, "It is finished," having brought in everlasting righteousness, and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

And I would not pass from this subject without remembering what has been mentioned in the requests for prayer, when prayer was asked for two persons here present still unsaved. It may be that many are present who as yet are not saved. Let me pause here to tell such of the message we preach. This finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is offered to you just as much as it is to us; His glorious salvation is as much at your disposal as at ours, and into its acceptance you may enter now, not waiting till you leave this hall, but now, by simply trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, who wrought the finished work, simply by believing the record God hath given. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

Now what lesson would the Lord have us take from His

thus washing the disciples' feet? "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done unto you." Then He adds, as if to hint that there is something not on the surface, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." What does He mean? May we not say that what the Lord would teach His children is this, that if we realize that He forgives our sins, our daily sins, we ought also to forgive one another's sins? "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet." It is quite true we cannot forgive as God does, we cannot forgive judicially; that is His

work, and His alone. But we can forgive practically. If we have been grieved, offended by one of our brethren, the Lord would recall how He treats us, every day blotting out our sin; and so must we treat one another. A Scriptural exposition of this is to be found in Ephesians iv. 32: "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." May He write this lesson of forgiving love on our hearts, and may He give us to learn to forgive and love our brethren, for which a motive is supplied in His great love toward us. We need to be reminded of the fulness of His forgiveness. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died; yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God for us, who also maketh intercession for us."

And again I would say, He is not only the Pattern of our service, but a Partner in it. A pattern set forth in a person may discourage me, because it is so much above me; but if I look to one whose work is mine, I may regard him in a different way. Thus it is our privilege to claim a partnership in His finished and glorious work. Of course, we are not called upon to put away sin, to do the atoning work which He has wrought -that we cannot do; yet we do, in a very blessed sense, become partners with Him and He with us.

It is one of the features of Antichrist-common, alas! in the present day-that man's work is brought into the place which should be occupied alone by Christ's work. Against this we protest. Yet there is partnership: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." Earthly partners may not be of the same standing. One partner may be more active and intelligent than the others, yet the others may share in the profits of his ability. Now here our partnership consists first in the reception, and then in the promulgation of His salvation.

And this leads me to another branch of the subject, on which my mind has been led to dwell of late. The Church of God is awaking, and that gradually, to the truth that the ministry of reconciliation is committed to every reconciled soul. We have been waking up to see that what we call the laity has a special work; but there is more than that. I fully believe in ministry, and in what St. Paul writes to Timothy and Titus concerning the special ministers of Christ; but I do believe the ministry of the Gospel is not particularly or exclusively the privilege of ministers, although very often they have exceptional opportunities of preaching the Gospel. The ministry of recon

ciliation is given to the reconciled. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.' "To us." Who

are these "Us"? Observe, it was not only the apostles who were reconciled, not only the ministers, but the whole body of believers. Is it not taught that every reconciled soul is to consider himself or herself among those to whom the ministry of reconciliation is committed? I know there are difficulties, I have felt them myself; but one of the chief difficulties has been happily removed by the New Version. In 2 Cor. vi. 3 we have read, "That the ministry be not blamed," and that seemed to refer to an order of ministers; but in the Revised Version it is rendered, "That our ministration be not blamed." It is not an order of men, but a work, an administration. We are waking up to this fact, that every reconciled soul has this ministry of reconciliation committed to him or her. I speak not against a minister's or pastor's special work, I strongly feel the need and importance of it, but I want to emphasize the importance of recognizing the personal individual responsibility resting on every believer as to his share in the ministry of reconciliation.

Will you turn to the two parables of the talents-Matt. xxv. and Luke xix. There we see a nobleman, on leaving his home, entrusting money to his servants to "occupy till I come," or as the Revised Version has it, "trade till I come.' Now when he comes back he takes account with his servants, as the Lord Jesus will with every one of us. Every man, woman, and child, who has believed on Him for salvation will be asked, "What have you done with the wealth committed to you?" What is that wealth? We are accustomed to think of it as gifts, natural endowments. But the Lord Jesus Christ did not leave these with us when He went away. God, as Creator, confers them upon us. We ask, "What did the Lord Jesus Christ leave?" He left His own work, His finished salvation, to be announced. His last charge in Matthew is, "Make disciples of all nations," &c.; and in Mark is, "Go preach the Gospel to every creature;" and in Luke, "That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name;" and in John, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained."

One is thankful for the protest which is now being raised by