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texts at the head of this article that John writes in the last time, and that Paul writes in the first time. In the first time, the Spirit did indeed "divide to every man severally" as He chose; and what did He "divide," or bestow, around?—

"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." (1 Cor. xii. 8-11.)

It is clear that all this was a temporary and exceptional state of things. If not temporary, where are these Gifts now? It was clearly an exceptional state of things, because new revelations were bestowed by the Spirit through some of these Gifts, which is no longer the case.

But if we turn to the apostolic testimony uttered 40 years later, we find believers exhorted to depend upon the Spirit, and the Spirit only, in language so emphatic.

"The Anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; the same Anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth." (1 John ii.) Jude, who also wrote in the "last time," equally ignores the need of teachers and gifts. Like John, he incites believers to take heed to the Word of God, and to personal watchfulness and spirituality.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ

unto eternal life. "

This exhortation is kindred to Peter's-"Work out your own salvation," &c., and " Add to faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;" &c.

If dear readers, do not see it, we are sorry for it; in the meantime, we offer our poor testimony.

If the First of Corinthians is to be pressed upon us, as applying now, then it is asked-Where are the Gifts there enumerated as Eye, Ear, Smell, Hand, Foot? Some will say-We have only one or So. But "one or so members do not furnish a body! The Body (as a visibility) is no longer a fact, else we could discriminate the Eye, Ears, Smell, Foot, Hand (that is, see "prophets," "tongues," &c.) """ tongues," &c.) The Body as an invisibility is still true to faith, and faith leaves it all to the Lord to use whom He will.

The "letter" of 1st Cor. applies totally, or it does not apply at all. Oh, but, says one, it applies in spirit. Well, we will not object to that. But that is not what you want. You seek to press the letter partly and to drop it partly-to say that some of the Gifts remain, and some are gone! This will not do. While the Church was young, there was a mutual dependence a visible dependence; and believers were exhorted to recognise it. Even as the hand could not say to the foot, I have no need of you; so a prophet could not say to a discerner of spirits, I have no need of you. All who had not a certain gift-say that called "government"-felt the need of those who had that special gift. But this was to last only until the Church had reached its mature state of walking

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to one another."

To this, it is replied,-He may-and He may not. We dare not limit the Spirit to means or human instrumentality. Indeed, it appears to us to be preposterous! Only admit that souls-you and we, dear reader-are in communion with the Head, and then think of the need of human instrumentality to convey blessing! At such a time, we are altogether beyond the "glass darkly," and are dealt with "face to face." Under such blessed circumstances, we repeat, with emphasis, the Spirit may or may not, administer to us through another.

It is admitted that He does use us to each other's blessing. But it is not according to the possession of "Gift," but according to our spiritual-mindedness and faith. For we must be both in, the Spirit and delivered from thraldom to man. Granted this,and what "dear child" may not the Lord take up?

Theory apart, as a matter of fact and experience, have we, dear reader, whether in the assembly or out of it, always-or even most frequently-received the most blessed and soul-stimulating truth through others? Who does not also know the preciousness of periods of silence? What more calculated to set the fleshly mindworking, than the thought of having a "gift"-of having to do something? The good Lord deliver us from all our bondage!

The Spirit has blessed, and does bless, us through each other; we have admitted this over and over again. But a brother's being used of the Spirit at any time to exhort one or more brethren, or to present the Word as it is laid upon his own heart or unfolded to his own mind, does not constitute him a teacher. He merely utters what the Lord by the Spirit has led him to that is to say, if he is in communion with the Head, and has not come to the assembly posted up with a "subject." Such an one is simply taken up and used, the Lord presenting through him (by the Spirit) His own Word, to those who have the same Word and the same Spirit to cause them to receive the uttered meaning thereof.

But this is not the meaning of "Teacher" in the

New Testament. As years rolled on, a church, here and there, came into possession of a precious apostolic epistle. Consequently, in apostolic times, the truth possessed, relating to the Church, was mainly held in the minds of believers. Hence Paul exhorts the Corinthians to desire "gifts," even the highest next the apostleship, and gently remonstrates with the Hebrew saints thus-"When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God."

Every man was bound to remember, and teach (by the Spirit's help) what he remembered, to converts as they came fresh into the Church. Because there were no Gospels, Acts, and Epistles, to put into their and Epistles, to put into their hands. This accounts for the exhortation to the Hebrew saints.

But now, how different it is! Directly a soul is converted, the Word is placed in his hands, and He is assured of the Spirit's presence, as his Teacher. It is true, that while such an one is very young in the faith, the Lord may minister much to him through those who are older in the faith; but it is the Lord, by the Spirit, ever watchful over the sheep, that does it not they. The Spirit is, therefore, the Teacher of the saints-and the Spirit only. And evil must result where otherwise is held.

The Spirit nowhere intimates that the Church would need Teachers after the Apostles' days. On the contrary, "that which is perfect" having come, that which was "in part has been done away," and we have "no need that any man teach" us, as was shown us in the article to which our brother replies. Again, can we conceive two teachers, teaching the same truth, at the same time, to the same people? Of course not.

You cannot have a visible person and an invisible person, both present in the assembly, and both, of their own wills, teaching the same persons, the same truth, at the same time. Either God is using man, or man is acting of himself.

It is either God, or it is Man:
If it be God, then it is not Man;
If it be Man, then it is not God.

This will be equally true, whether that which is spoken be "things old or "things new"-that is, things in the Word that have been previously unfolded to the mind of the speaker, but re-impressed on his mind by the Spirit-or things unfolded on the occasion of his speaking.

In God's presence, it is for man to be nowhere and to have nothing (in respect of offices, prerogatives, and gifts): then will God be all in all. We shall be silent, when such is His will-and speak, when such is His will,-and speak what is perceived to be His will.

The following is given as the order of time in which the various books of the New Testament are C known or supposed to have been written, and is here.

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2nd Corinthians, Romans, and James's Epistle. Matthew's Gospel in Greek Colossians, Philippians, 1st and 2nd Tim. Titus, Hebrews, Mark's Gospel, 1st and 2nd Peter, Acts at or about the time of Paul's imprisonment..62 to 65 Jude and 2nd and 3rd of John...... Gospel by John, Revelation, and 1st Epistle of John From internal evidence, it is clear that the Epistles of Jude and John were much later than the rest, for while Paul and Peter speak of the "last times" as coming, Jude and John speak of them having come. By these "last days was evidently meant the close of the apostolic times, with its special order of things in the Church.

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John also alludes to the Word of God, as then complete

"Ye know all things." (ii. 20.)

It is exceedingly important to remember the time and state of things when an epistle was written, and to the Hebrews and Corinthians, on matters affecting not to interpret John's General Epistle by Paul's what we may call-assembly-walk.*

*Those who have received the advanced views submitted in late numbers of this journal, (and, bless the Lord, we stand not alone) will, we hope, kindly bear with us, if we refer now and then, to the same matters, a second time, as in the preceding article, for others' sake. Our own justification isThat the Lord has graciously taken us up, as He has many before us, and laid upon us the responsibility of offering an advanced testimony. "The Lord be glorified," in us all, and may we be brought to be all of "one heart and one soul," and apprehend the alone ministry of the Spirit.

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PRECIOUS TRUTH.

"He that hath an Ear to Hear, let Him Hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches."

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"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

"And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The Son of Consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet."

WITH the return to the simplicity of early times, one most important doctrine specially unfolded by the Holy Ghost is

The Oneness of the Church or Body of Christ. "There is one Body." (Eph. iv.)

"By one Spirit are we all baptized into One Body." (1 Cor.) What a dreadful misnomer, then, to speak of "Religious Bodies"! The Scriptures know of but ONE BODY

"The CHURCH, which is his Body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Eph. i.)

The Oneness of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ was blessedly felt and shown in the early Church "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul."

This is still one of the first blissful feelings of the new-born saint. What a joy it is to hear a sinner (recently troubled about his sins) clasp one's hand, and exclaim-Now I can call you-brother!

"We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren." (1 John. iii.)

May we cherish inwardly and show outwardly this blessed brotherly love.

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Gal. v.)

"Add to your faith virtue: and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." (2 Peter i.)

Pilgrims walking together to heaven may well

afford to share their loaves and coats on the road. Who can possibly be expecting glory on high and suffer himself to be greedy down here! Oh, it is a luxury to "have all things common "-to feel that what I have is as much my brother's as it is mine.

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(Rev. ii.)

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"Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty [the law of love], and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James i.) "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (1 Cor.)

II.

But brotherly love must not be indulged in as a luxury, because of the happiness which it produces. If it is, it will be capricious and variable. It must be cherished as a duty-a delightful duty, it is true; but, nevertheless, a duty-and a duty not so much to the Body, as the HEAD.

This aspect of the case seems very blessedly expressed in the conduct of Barnabas and others. They brought the proceeds of the sale of their property, and laid them at the Apostles' feet.

The Apostles (as visibly representing the Head, the Lord Jesus Christ,) were felt to be the rightful disposers of all that was possessed by believers for the benefit of the One Body. It was an expressive admission of the Lord's authority (in His Apostles) over ALL that they had.

There is a vast deal of wealth in the Churchabundance for all. The great evil is-its nondistribution. Believers too generally hold what they brought into the Church as though they still possessed ownership rights over it. Whereas the right thought is stewardship, the fact being that when we were bought, everything that we had, with ourselves, passed into the possession of another.

fore glorify God with your body and with your spirit, which "Ye are not your own, but are bought with a price; where

are God's."

As a Levite, Barnabas had received tithes of his brethren and had paid tithes to the family of Aaron (see Numb. xviii. 26-28); but as a Christian, he offers ALL to the Lord.

And here the remark may be made-There has much been said lately about "systematic benefiBrethren, that might do for a far lower priesthood. cence," and "tithing property for the Lord."But let us think of our great High Priest in heaven as Lord of all. As the Holy Ghost declares

"He is Lord of all." (Acts x.)

This is true, absolutely. God hath appointed Him"Heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had, by Himself, purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels, as He hath, by inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they." (Heb. i.)

But though all is His, He exacts nothing, but "loveth a cheerful GIVER."

III.-PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE EFFLUENCE OF LOVE.

To ascertain this, we must go a verse further back than the passage quoted at the beginning:

"They were all filled with the Holy Ghost." (Ver. 31.) Love is the first fruit of the Spirit

"The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace," &c.

It is the Spirit, by whom we are baptized into One Body, who enables us to feel and show our oneness. The Church is just as much One Body as ever. When it is not felt, the fault is ours, and it is not felt when we are not "filled with the Spirit," as our brother Barnabas was—

"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and faith." (Acts xi.)

But, then, we ought to be, as the exhortation still applies-" Be filled with the Spirit." (Eph. v.) As a fact, ALL believers are sealed," or marked with the Spirit, as Christ's own property, until He

comes:

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"Walk in the Spirit."-" Be led of the Spirit." Just as my old nature was led of Satan; so, as a new creature, I am to be led of the Spirit. Barnabas and our brethren of "the church which was at Jerusalem, were full of love, because "full of the Holy Ghost."

We are full of the Holy Ghost-or filled with the Spirit--when He has full power over us, to move us and to lead us-to move us to do the will of God and to lead us into all truth, through the Written Word. By this latter, He will press upon us the Lord's precious pattern of love:

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be made rich." (2 Cor. viii.)

He parted with a vast estate, indeed, for us poor sinners! Shall we not have a moiety of His mighty

love? and

"Choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.' (Heb.)

IV. THE SPIRIT TEACHES THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS.

raised.

It is true the Apostles ordained "deacons," of the church's choice, to deal forth the money, collectively And though there can be no ordinations now, there being no Apostles, yet each church, [that is, all believers in any city or town,] may well select two or three or seven of its members, and request them to distribute unto every man as every man has need, from the moneys gathered at doors in boxes for the poor. There is collective giving and there is individual giving. But the lesson which the Spirit is pressing upon us from the Scripture before us is— Individual and total devotement to the Lord,

-laying down that which we possess at His feet, to be used of Him in any way He may show.

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To this devotement, the Spirit is ever prompting us: to "glorify God with our body and with our spirit which are God's." He, too, will guide, as well as prompt. So that, like the Lord Jesus himself, we may go about doing good, for GOD is with us." This fact settles the attitude of those who are in want-They can demand nothing, but must look by faith to the Lord to lead a Barnabas (in the name of the Lord) or a Stephen (in the name of the Church) to relieve them.

This Divine guidance in doing good is extremely Do any fear bribing impostors into the Church? needful, considering all the hypocrisy that is abroad. Nay, the "church which was at Jerusalem " had no such fear. If we feed the unregenerate, the Lord did the same; spirituality of lip and life will keep them from attempting to come into fellowship, or it will soon drive them away. And suppose we are deceived by a hypocrite now and then: well, is it

not still true?

"For Thy sake, we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter! Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us!" (Rom. viii.)

Let not Satan hinder us, beloved, from seizing any opportunities that may be afforded us of laying down property at the Lord's feet!

"He is thy Lord; worship thou Him." (Ps. xlv.)

V.-DISUNION AND ITS RESULTS.

of ALL true believers in that city. When the Holy The church of God in any town or city is composed Ghost speaks of believers in any city, it is as the church (never churches) in or of that city, as Rome, Antioch, or Jerusalem; but when the brethren in a province or country are regarded, then the plural is used, "the churches of Galatia," or Judea, &c.

"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy It is presumed, in the Word, that (where possible) Ghost." (1 Cor.)

Brethren, there are no Apostles now. We cannot lay down our property at their feet for their disposal. No; we walk by faith in the omnipresence and lordship of the Son of God. And at His feet we may be constantly laying down anything we have. And He will accept it-accept it in His Members.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto ME." (Matt.)

believers go on in fellowship-not apart.

Believers in the Lord Jesus in any city may assemble in different places for convenience' sake, but, like the "church which was at Jerusalem," they should be all "of one heart and of one soul." That is to say, in close fellowship one with another, in mutual re cognition, intimacy, and love. Were this the fact, cases of special distress among Christians meeting in any one street would be carried, in the Lord's provi

dence, into the neighbouring streets, and special sympathy flow forth to the afflicted part of the Body. And without systematizing (which is our great fear) we may safely say, the weak ones of the flock would be cared for by the flock, generally. But where there is no fellowship, there can be no intimacy or love. Nothing is plainer than that the Body of Christ, the Church, ought to care for its own. It is equally plain, that its members possess abundance of the requisite means.

Sell-sell; all that is not needful, sell. And consider the blessed result. None of them lacked.

"Neither was there any among them that lacked." If all is held at the Lord's disposal, to be given and if believers in any place, whether there be one collectively with others, or individually in private, meeting-room or half-a-dozen, are really, as a family, of " one heart and one soul," then will there be no lack, and God will be glorified in us.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John xiii.)

But what is the fact? Is it not this? We meet selfishly apart; we do not care to ascertain each other's cases of distress and mention them at the meetings for prayer, and commend them to the Lord and the saints, and ourselves to lay down our property-debts incurred through sickness, &c. The debts of the at the Lord's feet.

Alas! Satan has so wrought among us, that Christian widows and their orphans have frequently to appeal to the world, and the poor and aged to seek parish relief! Painful failure in faith in them and love in us!

Instead of all true believers in each town apprehending and showing a family oneness, they go on apart as if they were so many distinct families! and allow the feeling of independency to grow up. But we are not independent; we are ONE BODY. And "LOVE [not rules and regulations] is the bond of perfectness."

Independency of spirit, as distinguished from the Oneness of Love, has wrought this-While some of the family are surfeited, others are suffering want! and how often would the Lord use us to ease His afflicted ones, if Satan had not so disunited us! And so the Members suffer on, and the Head with them! Painful thought!

"In all their affliction He was afflicted."

Let this go to the heart of the Church the Woman, -when a Member of the Body suffers, "My Lord

suffers."

Besides this evil of Disunion, as contrasted with the Oneness of Love, Satan binds our hands with Worldly Prudence; a strong cord is that. Satan, winding it round, suggests, "You'll want it yourself another time; you should be prepared for adverse circumstances." The answer that breaks this cord is, "The Lord will come; I am not sure of anything else: I know the Lord will provide."

Then there is a special weight,' or hindrance, Vain Show, "the lust of the eye." It is wonderful what a "weight" some of us are contriving to carry with us! But "let us lay aside every weight.' What does a pilgrim want with pictures, works of art, extra fine clothes and articles of plate, jewellery, &c.? -"Oh, but," says some one, our pictures are on sacred subjects!"-Very true, but can the skill and fancy of an unconverted man help the faith of a saint? "Looking unto Jesus," not pictures. "We walk by faith, not by sight." What shall we do, then, with all things not needful, but rather hindrances ?

They "sold their possessions and goods."

There's Christians' debts, too, as well as their wants,

members are our debts-the debts of the ONE BODY! Brethren, let us haste back to Jerusalem ground. He who so set up His church cometh-cometh. Apostles we cannot have; but we have their doctrine. To do deacon-work we can choose certain brethren, with prayer. Other ministries were not required then. An apostle possessed all the "gifts." Having their writings and the Spirit to "lead us into all truth," let us get back, in spirit, to Jerusalem ground. We cannot take ground higher or simpler. Doing so, we shall not only find ourselves increasingly blest, but the Lord will also use us for blessing to others, for while Ananias and Sapphira are taken away, Barnabas is honoured of the apostles and used of the Lord very greatly.

VI.-BEHOLD, HE COMETH!"

At the Lord's coming, ALL we have MUST be left. Left for whom? For the enemies of God, those whom we shall leave behind when we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Just as Jerusalem and Judea were taken by the Gentiles, so will all that is left behind come into possession of the children of this world. If Barnabas and the other brethren had not have sold their possessions, and houses, and lands, they would, in a short time, have had to flee from them with regret. So too, ye rich ones, "trusting in uncertain riches," and saying in your hearts, "My Lord delayeth his coming," "He will come in an hour that ye look not for Him," and you will have to die (like Ananias and Sapphira) to these things which, in part, you are keeping back. Happy, then, those who, like Barnabas, have sought grace to lay down ALL at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, HEAD of the Church!—ALL, after "providing things honest in the sight of all men."

become baubles. And yet they are valuables, for, In the light of eternity, our so-called valuables let us remember, by their right use we secure the Lord's approval and a place in the loving hearts and happy memories of our fellow-heirs of glory everlasting!

"Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens which faileth not." (Luke xii.)

Oh, let us desire to be "sons of consolation"!

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