its pole. "When Thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." Our heart constantly beats for the Lord. It pumps the spiritual blood through the spiritual veins, throughout every part of the spiritual body; and, when there is a lack of blood the heart is distressed, and throbs sympathy for the entire body. The blood being the life, the health of the body is governed by it. If there be much blood there is much life, and the whole system feels the buoyancy and vigour of youth; but, if there be a deficiency of blood, the whole constitution feels unhinged and out of order. Says Christ,-"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Without a supply of spiritual food our blood that supplies our wasted powers cannot be renewed: hence says Jesus, "He that eateth me, even he shall live by me; for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." Lord, evermore give us this bread and wine, for we love to drink of Thee, the spiritual Rock that follows us to build on Thee, the spiritual Rock that supports us, and to sit by Thee, the spiritual Rock that shades us. It is Thy will, blessed Jesus, that where Thou art there Thy people should be; and Thou very well knowest that where we are there we love Thee to be. We know that we cannot be separated from Thee in love-union, life-union, grace-union, and glory-union; but how frequently we feel separated from Thee, for the want of power-union and light-union! When in Thy light we see light, it is then that we have fellowship one with the other: but, when left in darkness, how we miss Thy bright shinings! When Thou art far away, out of sight, we mourn sore like a dove, and we long for the shadows to flee away (for we find all things are shadows but Thy person), and for our souls to be transfixed in holy ecstacy, whilst gazing upon Thee with Thine own spiritual eyes. Thou art not only the Object of our spiritual vision and the spiritual light in which we behold Thee, but Thou art also the spiritual Eyes by which we gaze upon Thee. Indeed, dear Lord, Thou art all-we are nothing; and in a certain senso it affords us joy of heart to think that we are nothing, for, when we would be something, our heart, mind, and eyes are fixed on self, instead of on Thee. Thou hast not given us spiritual eyes and spiritual light to behold anything admirable or amiable in ourselves, for "we are all as an unclean thing;" hence there can be nothing worth looking at in the creature. Thou didst enable Thy servant Paul to say that he "knew a man in Christ," and that he knew "no man after the flesh;" for "The children of the flesh are not counted for the seed." Thou, dear Jesus, art the one Seed, the spiritual Child of promise; and it is in Thee that all the spiritual nations of the earth are blessed. We are not only blessed by Thy Father in Thee, but we are blessed by Him with Thee: thus we inherit Thee, the Blessing, and possess Thee, our worthy Portion. Thy bride was not only formed from Thee, but she is brought to Thee; and Thy righteous Father hath said to her, "Thy desire shall be to thy Husband, and He shall rule over thee;" and, dearest Jesus, we find this no curse but a choice blessing-a signal favour. Indeed, we do from our inmost heart desire Thee to rule over us, to reign in us, and to commune with us of Thy love and loveliness, for "Our heaven's to dwell in Thine embrace, We find, gracious Lord, that it is Thy presence alone which satisfies our souls. Ten legions of angels cannot supply Thy place. Had heaven been emptied of all but Thee to fly to the rescue of Thy bride, to die for the sins of Thy Church, to atone the transgressions of Thy people, to pay the infinite debt of Thy family, to wash away the pollution of Thy body, and to raise up Thy members a glorious Church, heaven had been emptied in vain; for Thou, and Thou only, blessed Jesus, glorious Saviour, precious Beloved, wert equal to the almighty task: and as all in heaven or on earth short of Thee could not redeem our precious souls, so all above and below save Thyself cannot comfort our hearts, cheer our spirits, and solace our minds. Thou alone couldst build Thy house, and Thou only canst bear the glory of the house that thou hast so nobly built. We are a spiritual house in Thee, a holy temple in Thee, and Thou hast said, "This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell, for I have desired it;" and, "The rest of a labouring man is sweet." As, dear Lord, we are Thy rest, so Thou art our Rest, that ever remains, "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Need we, then, O our Beloved, be surprised when Thou art pleased in love to make all toil to us but Thyself? How often we would rest in something short of Thee, but Thou wilt not allow it; for we must ever prove Thee the fulness of what Thou art. Thou art our real Sabbath, our only substantial and vital Rest. Thou art a peaceable Habitation--a quiet Dwelling-place. Indeed, Thou art a blessed Sanctuary to our souls, the holiest of all to our hearts. "Thou art our heaven, where'er we go, We've all in having Thee." We covet, dear Lord, more communion with Thee, a deeper knowledge of Thee, a higher acquaintance with Thee; for Thou well knowest that there are infinite heights and depths, glorious lengths and breadths, in Thee and in Thy fulness, that we at present know but little of. Thou hast said, and Thou dost mean every word in all its bearing, "Thou shalt see greater things than these." Lord, here we would sit, and look and listen to the gracious words that proceed out of Thy mouth. Show us more of Thyself. Let Thy blessed Spirit lead us into Thyself. Ravish us with Thy love; melt us with Thy mercy; and dissolve us with the openings and the unfoldings of the rich aboundings of Thy grace and glory. Precious Jesus, Thou hast many times revealed Thyself to us, and Thou knowest that we deeply covet Thy blessed visitations. Manifest Thyself to us more frequently, "Let Thy visits oftener be, At last, most dearly beloved in the Lord, it is our privilege to send you a few lines. We should have written before, but have again and again been hindered. Time would fail us to tell you half the impediments that have intervened. The Spirit is always willing, the flesh is frequently weak; but what a mercy for you that neither your health, wealth, nor happiness depends upon my letters. "The Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places:" and you know that He alone can. However, it is a free-grace privilege to share in communion of saints. West, at Winchelsea, says, that he believes in "communion of saints and forgiveness of sins;" and so do you and I. Both are blessed realities. I need not say how pleased we shall be to hear from you. Kindly write soon, and with our united very best love believe me as ever, Yours very affectionately in uncoolable love and unquenchable fire, JEDEDIAH. NO NIGHT IN HEAVEN! "There shall be no night there."—Rev. xxi. 25. CHEERING blessed promise! In this world of ours, how often the night is dreaded. The poor sick one lies on his couch wearily longing that morning's light would appear and dispel the dreary darkness with its innumerable fancies, its frightful imaginings, created by his own distempered brain. When the dawn at length peeps into that sick room, how thankful the weary one is, and how his strengthend vigour will sometimes return with the light of day. There shall be no night in heaven! She The midnight watcher by the sick-bed counts the hours as they slowly pass, while she silently and gently attends to the invalid's wants. longs for the sweet receiving light and breath of morn to gladden her sad spirit, and cheer the drooping one by her side. No night of suffering in heaven! No night of bereavement in heaven. Ah, when we lose our best and dearest ones by the hand of death, even though we sorrow not as those without hope," yet we grieve, we weep, when we think that their loved forms must be placed in the silent tomb, and there decay. Yes, the father weeps when he sees his loved child gradually fade away. The husband weeps as the precious form of his cherished wife is borne to its last restingplace. The orphan weeps when his parent passes away from earth, perhaps in the act of supplicating blessings for her boy, and entreating God to take care of him as he journeys alone through the world of sin and temptation. So the night of sorrow comes with its dark clouds, its tempest and storm, or its calmer rain. How vain to aching bereaved hearts is the comfort the world gives. Only Jesus can effectually soothe the wounded, lacerated spirit, and bind up the broken heart. God has promised He will be a Father to the fatherless, a Husband to the widow, and a Friend who loveth at all times-One who is born for adversity, and "sticketh closer than a brother." We mourn for our dearly-loved ones who have passed away, yet, dying in Jesus, they are blest. Shall we wish them back from the bright happy land, into this cold, sorrow-stricken world? There are no sorrowful partings, no tearful farewells, no severing of loved companionship. We meet in heaven to "part no more.' But there are other nights here, besides those of nature, of sickness, and death. There is the night of temptation, when Satan hurls his fiery darts at our shrinking spirits. The night of disappointment, when those whom we have loved and trusted have grown cold and indifferent towards us; when our brightest dreams have fled; when our hearts are suddenly bereft of the bright hopes which we have cherished for many days,-then, indeed, do we feel alone and desolate; then does the sunlight disappear from our gaze, and in the dense darkness of our souls we mourn over our fallen idols, our broken cisterns. Happy, indeed, are we, if, in such times of distress and darkness, we are enabled to still trust our Father, and look forward with increased desire to the time when we shall be with Jesus, in that land "where there shall be no night." But the night most to be dreaded by the child of God is that which is brought on by the soul wandering away from the "Fountain of light." Ah, then indeed is the darkness drear; and never does that night flee away until the heart, weary and dissatisfied, finding no rest, no happiness while living far from God, is made to return. With weeping and suppli cation the eyes will once more be turned towards Jesus, and the prayer will arise, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation." There shall be no night of wandering from our God in heaven. No, once there, all our sins, our backslidings, our wanderings will be done away with for ever. "We shall be changed." We shall be like Jesus, we shall bask beneath the rays of the Sun of righteousness. shall be no night there." "RUNNING READERS." "There E. C. SOME persons treat the Bible as if it were a collection of independent and unrelated fragments-an inspired album. Good people sometimes, in their prayers, thank God because He has made His word so plain that ho who runs may read. This is professedly a quotation from Habakkuk ii. 2. There the words are, "Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." What vision was this? It related to the captivity of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin by the Chaldeans. Why was it written? Because all the people were concerned in the burden of the vision: the prophet could reach but comparatively few with his voice, and he was commanded to write and publish his prophecy, that all might be instructed and the warning be made permanent. Why was it made plain upon tables? "That he may run that readeth it;" that, when the appointed time for the fulfilment of the vision drew nigh, he who read what was written upon the tables, so as to understand the meaning, might run and save his life. The object of the prophet in making the vision plain upon the tables was not that he who runs may read, but that he who reads may run. He was to read first, and then to run as the consequence of reading what was written. The reading and running were not to be going on at the same time; but a man must first read very carefully and then run very swiftly. This text, then, correctly quoted, and looked at in the light of the context, does not favour a hasty and superficial treatment of the word of God: it does not justify the practice of those who run and read, and who expect in this manner "to come unto the knowledge of the truth." God does not intend the careless and indolent to understand His word. There can be no stability, no intelligent attachment to Christ, apart from the habit of a patient study of the Scriptures. The most precious knowledge that man can possess, the knowledge of God, is not to be acquired by a flippant and thoughtless turning over the leaves of the Bible. Slowly and prayerfully must the word of God be read, if we intend to realize its fulness of meaning and of blessing. The only condition on which we can attain to this heavenly wisdom is thus set forth: "If thou criest after knowledge, and lifteth up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou undertand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (Prov. ii. 3, 5). We commend this passage to the consideration of all running readers. See Neh. viii. 8; Matt. xxii. 29; John v. 39; Luke xxiv. 27; 1 Cor. xiv. 20.-From a Tract by Caswell. HOLINESS with the cross is better than a great estate-than all outward happiness. One sin indulged in vitiates the whole spiritual health, and weakens the soul in all duties of obedience. THE RECENT CLIFTON CONFERENCE, (Second Day's Conference, Wednesday, October 7, 1868.) THE Rev. S. A. WALKER, in introducing the subject, which was "the service" of the Father, in the Spirit of the Son, read a portion of Psalm xl. There were two points, he said, in which Christ served, in suffering and in doing, and in which we are called to follow Him. (1) In regard to the former, the suffering He referred to verse 1-3, "I waited patiently," &c. Here was the passive, the suffering Saviour. This, he said, could only be done by those who knew God, and what a privilege to the believer it was to know that his whole destiny in all its necessity was known to his God. Part of his privilege, however, was that he might cry unto this His God. So it was with our blessed Lord. It was not the cry of self-vindication, for in this sense He did not cry (Isaiah xlii. 2); but rather left Himself in His heavenly Father's hands (1 Peter ii. 23). But it is our privilege, after His example, to make known to the fulness of them our requests unto God. But (2) His service in doing, and here he would refer to verse 8: "Yea, the law is within my heart." So it was with the believer, as far as the new nature was concerned (Rom. viii. 22). The child of God renders this service because he delights to do it. There was no necessity for him to be put under a legal influence in the thing. The Rev. L. S. SERJEANT, Abergavenny, Mon., was glad to hear his brother express his view of the connexion between the service of the suffering and that of the doing, it so fully expressed the sentiments of his own heart. We have the like service, a service of freedom, indeed, yea, perfect freedom, but still in many respects a service of suffering, both as regards the Church and the world (Col. i. 24; Psalm cxxvi. 5, 6). Let us see how the standing and case of the true follower of Christ was described in this psalm, "Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies" (Psalm xl. 4). This had its application doubtless in the first instance unto Christ. Look at the life of our blessed Lord, in its connexion with scribes and Pharisees, and all the false doctrines of the age in which He appeared. And was there not the influence of the same opposition in the experiences of all that would live godly in Christ Jesus? "From henceforth let no man trouble me" (Gal. vi. 17). The sweetest reliance was fully compatible with the service of suffering; Jesus suffered in the flesh, and their consecration was to be called to follow Him. Referring to verse 5, he said, that when he thought of these wonderful works, and God's thoughts, "which were to us-ward," he was ready to ask, "Who can reckon them in order before Thee?"-to say where they begin, and, "This is the middle of them, and here is the end. The work of Christ, the service of Christ for His people, was a deep that knew no sounding. Yet in "the volume of the book," we read something of it-the divine Saviour Himself is the Speaker to us of it-He who is, and ever has been, the Revealer of the things of the Most High. And two things he points out to our notice, first, what God did not desire, what He found no pleasure in; secondly, what did really meet all His thoughts. It was not "sacrifice and offering"-" the blood of bulls and goats." These could bring no honour to His name, or satisfy the conscience, or be effectual in any wise to His people's needs. "But a body;" this was the offering |