dant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Men must see the mercy of God in His providential ordering of the things of this world; for our Father is "kind to the unthankful and to the evil." "He is the Saviour (that is, the Sustainer and Preserver) of all men, but specially of them that believe." But it is in redemption that we see so conspicuously the grace of God. All comes to us on the ground of mercy, for we can prefer no claim on God, but the very mercy which reaches us, exhibits the character of God in a way to win our hearts unto Him. We can "joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation." For He is gracious. The depth of our misery has brought out the depth of His love. Safe in Christ and Him crucified, the true cleft Rock, the joy of our hearts is always to hear Him proclaiming His name, "For I am gracious." God is not man. His ways are not the ways of man. Man, in doing even a kind act, shows that he is man; and God, in exhibiting His kindness, shows that He is God. "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within Me, My repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man." (Hos. xi. 8, 9.) "Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you." (Is. xxx. 18.)

So.

CHRIST'S WITNESSES.

ACTS i. 8.

WHAT an honourable position, even in this present life, has Christ set His people in! We should feel it to be Among men it is considered no small honour, to be an ambassador, or representative, of a worthy and mighty prince; its honour is felt to be more than a compensation for the trials and self-denial connected with the service. But how much more should God's dear children feel the incomparable dignity of being witnesses to the majesty and glory of the person and work of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me," said the risen Jesus, "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This, surely, is the great business of the Christian's life; for what are we left in the world for, but to savour of Christ? Jesus has died for us. He has purchased us with His own blood. He has made us His own, having taken us up into everlasting union with Himself, and, for a little season, has left us here to be the "light of the world," and "the salt of the earth." If His saints be dumb, there is not another voice throughout the length and breadth of this densely-peopled world to espouse the cause of the crucified Son of God. If the redeemed refuse to sing the praises of the Lamb, then is there not an inhabitant of the globe to extol His goodness, and to speak His praise? The glorious sun shining forth in daily brightness, the glittering stars cheering the midnight scene with surpassing beauty, the ceaseless foam of the tumultuous ocean, and the

ever-fresh and ever-varying manifestations of animated nature, all speak aloud of the wonder-working power of the great Creator; but the testimony to the everlasting efficacy of the blood of the Cross, the proclamation of free and full forgiveness of sins, the wondrous depth and height of redeeming love, are reserved for those only who have tasted in their own souls that the Lord is gracious. If Christ had no witnesses, then, indeed, would the world become a dark cavern, awfully enveloped in midnight shades, without a ray of heavenly light, or the smallest testimony to the riches of divine grace.

Bright angels around the throne of God have their appointed sphere of ministry; but beautiful and perfect in its kind as the service of those ministers which are as a flame of fire is, still the honour of being Christ's "witnesses" before an evil and gainsaying generation is not delegated to them. Angels might comfort the weeping woman at the empty sepulchre, by the glad announcement that the Lord was risen from the dead; but the beloved fisherman of Galilee, who had shed many a bitter tear at the remembrance of his sinful ways, and who could glory in being himself a debtor to sovereign grace, he, and not the brightest angel, must astonish, and instrumentally deliver thousands of his fellow-sinners at Jerusalem, by preaching to them, in the power of the Holy Ghost, the victory that Christ had accomplished in triumphing over the powers of death and hell. Again, an angel of God faithfully executes his commission, by communicating to the praying Centurion at Cesarea, that he should send for the honoured man of God at Joppa, who

would tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved; but it was not the angel's province to declare to Cornelius' household that life-giving soulsaving testimony of redemption through Christ, which was so successful by the mouth of Peter. The Apostle John also may receive a revelation from Jesus through an angel, but man, and not angels, must unfold these wondrous depths of love and favour to the blood-bought Church, and thus enable her to witness to the grace and glory of the Lamb to the uttermost part of the earth.

Further, the records of history furnish us with examples of mighty men of the world with vast intellectual powers, and uncommon physical abilities, who have been instruments of God in devastating kingdoms, deposing kings, and overturning empires; but the high and holy "testimony of Jesus Christ" was never entrusted to them. The sinner saved by grace alone has the distinguished honour of living and dying as Christ's witness of shewing forth the praises of Him who hath called him out of darkness into His marvellous light. Would that we more fully esteemed the privilege of being Christ's witnesses, beloved! Would that this honour that cometh from God only had a more grateful response in our hearts! Would that, when in any little way we find that suffering and rejection for Christ's sake is our portion, we could, like olden saints, "rejoice in being counted worthy to suffer for His name!"

It is important to notice, that before our Lord told His disciples that they should be His "witnesses," He informed them that they should "receive power" from the Holy Ghost. Yes, brethren, our Lord Jesus

has not only called us to serve Him, but "He giveth

strength unto His people."

We are not led into the

We are not to trust to

warfare at our own charges. broken cisterns, or fall back upon the sandy foundation of human resources. We are not to attempt the fruitless effort of being Christ's witnesses with fleshly weapons. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that we bear the true "testimony of Jesus Christ." He only is the Glorifier, Testifier, and Remembrancer of Christ. Heart and flesh fail in serving the Lord Christ, but God is the strength of our heart. The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God, reveals Christ to us, keeps us in communion with the Father and the Son, enables us to abide in the True Vine, and thus bring forth good fruit. Let us exhort one another to cherish an experimental acquaintance with the guidance and power of the Holy Ghost! It is not the busy efforts of unsubdued nature, or the argumentative abilities of the natural mind, that will enable us to confront our enemies, or to be faithful representatives of Him whose name and truth we bear. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts."

There is such a thing in our day as religion without Christ, but this is not the Shepherd's voice. The Lord's little ones are well assured that "Christ is all,” and they acknowledge it to be their privilege, no less than their duty, to confess His name. May we have grace, beloved, to be Christ's "witnesses" at all times, in all our relationships of life, in our houses, in our daily matters of business, in the Church, and in the world; then, with truth, shall we be able to say with the Apostle, "For me to live is Christ."