in the word, to "look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body;" and to rest in the assurance, that HE will come again and receive us unto HIMSELF-that "when He shall appear we shall be like HIM, for we shall see HIM as HE is;" and "be for ever with the Lord." It is Christ Himself, “in whom we have obtained an inheritance," who is our hope, and He says, "Behold, I come quickly!"

How precious it is, beloved, to learn from the oracles of God, that all this wondrous and everlasting blessing comes to us through Him who "offered HIMSELF," gave HIMSELF" for us, "put away sin by the sacrifice of HIMSELF;" that it is Christ HIMSELF who now appears in the presence of God for us; and that it is "the Lord HIMSELF" we wait for, and expect to see, and to be with, and like for ever!

How happy to see the blessed harmony of the purpose of God, the grace of God, and the glory of God, and to trace therein not only the "LAMB slain from the foundation of the world," but also in the glory that is to be revealed, that "the LAMB is the light thereof;" and those only are there "which are written in the LAMB's book of life." Surely it is the LAMB who is the Alpha and the Omega, the centre of, and way to all this glory. None was found worthy to open the book, or look thereon, but " the LAMB as it had been slain;" and it is the worthiness of the LAMB that fills heaven with unceasing praise and glory. From the throne of God and the LAMB the "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal," proceeds; and it is the LAMB that feeds, and that leads the blood-washed multitude

to fountains of living waters. It is because the throne of God and the LAMB is there, that there will be no more curse. By grace Christ is our LAMB as well as the LAMB of God; yea, rather, because He is God's LAMB He is our LAMB. We have come to God by Him, we have access to the Father through Him, our sins were laid upon Him, we trust in Him, we have peace with God through Him, we are complete in Him, and we wait for Him: we find in Him full salvation, suitable salvation, everlasting salvation; yea, God's salvation, and, therefore, all our salvation. Hence we joyfully lift up our heart, and sing, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Well we may add,

'How can I sink with such a prop

As my eternal God,

Who bears the earth's huge pillars up,

And spreads the heavens abroad?

'How can I die while Jesus lives,

Who rose and left the dead?
Pardon and life my soul receives
From my exalted HEAD.'

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.-Oh, to be led, drawn, and sent by Him continually! and made to lie down, too! None but Christ Himself can so fill our souls with the sweetness of His green pastures, as to make us lie down therein; yet how can there be growth unless we chew the cud there. The world is rapidly hasting on its course-drawing near its terrible end: but we are sheep, and our heavenly blessing is to be led and fed by the Lamb. What fulness there is in Jesus! He is the LAMB of God and the Son of God; yea, all fulness dwells in Him.

THE LORD WAS WITH HIM.-This was said of David in his early day. This is at the root of his humility, and wisdom, and skill; it enabled him to hide himself and his greatness behind his harp-strings. The anointed of the Lord a harp-player to the rejected king! The man of war content to return to feed the sheep-his father's sheep-to be his father's and his brother's servant! "The Lord was with him:" this was enough. With Saul, with the sheep, with his trembling and offending brethren, with Goliath-it matters not where; it matters not what to do-the Lord was with him. The Lord was for him, also. He can conquer Lion, Bear, SELF, Goliath, Saul. His brethren think and make nothing of him. Be it so. He can bear it. The Lord was with him.

OUR SUFFICIENCY.-Let us never forget the allsufficiency of the grace of God-"My grace is sufficient for thee;" the all-sufficiency of the word of God —“ All Scripture is given....that the man of God may be throughly furnished unto all good works;" the allsufficiency of the Spirit of God-" He shall guide you into all truth," "bring all things to your remembrance," &c. "The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

THAT is the happy knowledge of Christ which reflects back the rays of resurrection-glory, and not only keeps our eyes open as to the evil that surrounds our path down here, but so lights up the future as to make us desire to depart and to be with HIM-to be associated in all that glory.

LEAVING THE WATERPOT.

JOHN iv. 28.

IN the story of the woman of Samaria, we see not only the grace of God in Christ to a sinner dead in sins, but also a sample of the blessed results of personal communion with the Lord. Nothing compensates the Christian for the lack of this-" without Me," said Jesus, “ye can do nothing." Outward service has its proper and healthful time and sphere of exercise, and the neglect of such service would be disobedience to the word of God; but, however spiritually conducted, it cannot make up for a deficiency of personal communion with the Lord. The former should result from the latter.

It is when we feel ourselves alone with Him that we are in a position to receive instruction, correction, and comfort of a peculiarly personal character; and the self-judging process that He leads to (v. 16), not only humbles, but prepares us to appreciate the wisdom, power, and grace of God with heartfelt gratitude, while we derive consolation therefrom. It is then, especially, that He leads us to review our past history, and to learn experimentally the deep necessity for, as well the true reality of, the superabounding grace of God.

The natural heart is selfish and covetous; "earthly things" concentrate its desires, and "the world" is the boundary of its hopes; but when, by divine grace, we are brought to feel and own our present position as debtors, and to know that the Creditor frankly forgives us, seeing we have nothing to pay-when, by

faith, we see that the Son of God has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and that we are "called to the marriage supper of the Lamb"-then our expectations and our hopes take another direction, and we "desire a better country, that is an heavenly." But even after this, if the eye grow dim to the deep and eternal realities of our Father's kingdom, the mind will, more or less, return to its naturally accustomed occupation. It is only when unfading and eternal beauty shines upon our souls, as beheld in the glorious Person of the Son of God, that changeful and perishable objects and pursuits are weighed in the true balance and "found wanting," so that we can take joyfully the spoiling of our goods, knowing that we "have in heaven a better and an enduring substance."

It is this principle that strikes me to be so prominently set forth in the inspired account of the Samaritan woman. Before Christ revealed HIMSELF to her, her religion was purely traditional, her heart was untouched, her conversation therefore rose no higher than remarks on the religious topics of the day. Perceiving that Jesus was "a prophet," she would fain hide her sinful course and disturbed conscience behind the mountain-worship of her fathers. She felt not "the love of God," because she knew not "the Gift of God;" therefore talk, and not self-denying devotedness to Jesus, was the chief element of her religion. She was ignorant of the fact that "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." And it may be here remarked, that a knowledge of true principles, or a correct acquaintance with the letter of Scripture, may fit a person