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(Continued from page 20.)

AFTER this, Ezra, a priest and scribe, who had been all this time in Babylon, is stirred up, evidently by divine energy, to go to Jerusalem. (Ch. vii. 6.) He is furthered in his service, through the providence of God, by a letter from Artaxerxes king of Persia, not the Artaxerxes we read of in the fourth chapter, but most likely Artaxerxes Longimanus. Many of the chief of the fathers accompanied him. We are told that before he left Babylon, "Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." (Ch. vii. 10.) In the way to Jerusalem Ezra "proclaimed a fast," as he says, "that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. So we fasted, and besought our God for this, and He was entreated of us." (Ch. viii. 21-23.) So they arrived safely in Jerusalem with all the vessels of gold and silver; and burnt offerings were offered to the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel. These ways of faith, and dependance, and worship are very precious, and shew the divine energy that wrought in this servant of God.

These things being done, Ezra soon finds that the place of the faithful should be one of humiliation and confession before the Lord; with earnest prayer; for the people of Israel had not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, &c. When Ezra heard it he rent his garment and his mantle, and plucked off the hair of his head and

of his beard, and sat down astonied until the evening sacrifice, when he fell upon his knees, and spread out his hands unto the Lord his God, &c. (Ch. ix. 1-15.) After this, we read that Ezra the scribe stood up and said to the men of Judah and Benjamin, “Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do His pleasure; separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, "As thou hast said, so must we do." (Ch. x. 10-12.) The result was that many put away their strange wives, and offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. Thus we see that the moment the authority of God is owned and subjection to his word, evil is brought to light, and separation is the necessary result. It has always been God's way. If an Old Testament writer declares that the highway of the upright is to depart from evil," a New Testament writer insists on those who name the name of the Lord to depart from iniquity;" and if an inspired prophet says, "Cease to do evil, and learn to do well," an inspired Apostle exhorts us to "Abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good." May we know, in these last days, more real, practical separation unto Him who is holy and true!

BECAUSE God has connected His glory with His people, we should cultivate a heart for all saints, and yet evil should be intolerable to us-we should have no acquiescence in it.

"PRAY YE TO THE LORD OF THE

HARVEST.”

AN EXTRACT FROM A LETTER.

**** “I desire too to stir up all those who are spiritually interested in the Gospel as a testimony flowing from God, whether they be old or young, men or women, English, or French, or German, &c., to join in prayer for the sounding out of the word throughout the world. If the Lord will graciously pour out a spirit of prayer and supplication, (surely I would say to all who love Him, the desire that He may do so is yours and mine, and the promise is to the prayer of two or three,) expectation of blessing will spring up, and bear fruit too. The Isles I have named (West India Isles), Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the East Indies are on my heart.

"Nor you nor I could send any one, even if any were ready to go, but we know the Lord of the harvest, and gladly shall we welcome His answers to prayer, and seek to comfort ourselves, and any whom He may incline to go. When Isaiah had had his iniquity taken away and his sin purged (ch. vi. 7), he heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' (v. 8.) His ready answer was, 'Here am I; send me.' Oh that that voice which speaks in every pardoned soul who loves the Gospel, Who will go for us?' were more simply heard and obeyed, as by Isaiah of old! The night is now far spent, the dawn draws nigh; the testimony as to Christ should go forth everywhere and from every one of His, testimony as

to Him in His past, in His present, in His coming service to God, and as to man.

"How few addict themselves now-a-days to the ministry of the saints. (2 Cor. xvi. 15.) How few having believed, therefore speak (2 Cor. iv. 13); compare Acts viii. 4, ‘they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.'

"If, as I trust, it is God who puts these thoughts and desires upon my soul, I may stay myself upon Him, and hope as to blessing to come. The Son is to be preached everywhere, the Spirit works towards this, and will work; and is there no chaste virgin espoused to Christ? It is written, 'And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let

him take the water of life freely.' (Rev. xxii. 17.)

'Pray.-None who can pray can say, 'As for me I can do nothing in this matter.' That the service in this testimony requires men in Christ, and not babes, is true. But there are evangelists who have been tried, and approved themselves in their work; let them bethink themselves of their work." ****

THE witness on earth of this world's guilt is the presence of the Holy Ghost.

You will never be separate from the world by trying. When a man is dead, he is not of the world. We are "dead with Christ."

Christendom practically denies two things, the presence of the Holy Ghost on earth, and the absolute judgment of the world.

JESUS SEEKING AND SAVING THE LOST.

NOTES OF AN ADDRESS.

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."-LUKE XV. 4-7. WHEN the blessed Lord was charged by the Pharisees with receiving sinners and eating with them, it served as the fitting opportunity for bringing out the deep thoughts and feelings which were in the heart of God toward sinful and lost men.

Our Lord's reply therefore opened out not only the marvellous grace, but the intense joy God has-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-in the salvation of "one sinner."

In the first part of this wonderful picture of precious realities we have the activities of divine love, the almightiness of divine power, and the activity of divine joy, all about the salvation, security, and eternal welfare of one lost sheep.

First, we have the Shepherd seeking the sheep. In it He is most diligent and persevering-"He goeth after that which is lost, until He find it." There is earnestness and decision; for divine grace is in activity. The sheep's need is urgent; for it is "lost." The Shepherd seeks till He find it. His heart yearns over wanderer has no idea

the object of His love, and the what is in the Shepherd's heart, knows nothing as yet of His bowels and mercies; for the blessing is only tasted when the loving Shepherd and the poor lost one