of the earth without being a Christian; or, if it be suspected that he is a Christian, he is quoted as an example to those who are always obtruding their Christianity upon other people and making them uncomfortable.

It has always been the policy of Satan to make light of the change that takes place at conversion, and make men believe that the difference between the believer and the unbeliever is only a difference of degree. It is his policy to prevent any separation of the Church and the world; and, therefore, the more that he can mingle the one with the other, introducing as many unconverted men and women into the Church, and as many respectable men of the world into the eldership and the ministry, the less does he fear its power. And, on the same principle, the more that he can get Christian men and women to mingle with the world, and to share its amusements and intimacies, the less does he fear any inroad upon his kingdom.

It is a mistake to suppose that the world dislikes Christianity or Christians so long as they are not aggressive; on the contrary, the more consistent the Christian is the more does the world admire him. All that it objects to is his peculiarities; that is to say, when he mingles with society, he generally brings his Master with him, and that the world cannot endure. He may talk about religion and church affairs, temperance, and morality, and he will give no offence, any more than if he were talking about trade or politics. But let him name the name of Christ as a person, or let the name of Jesus pass his lips, and he will soon discover that he has committed an offence. It is a maxim in society never to introduce a subject in conversation which would be disagreeable to any of those who are present; and, therefore, so long as the children of God mingle with the children of the world there must always be one topic that is forbidden.

To confess Christ, or to breathe His name, either in speech or song, would be to throw a social bombshell into the company, and the offender would at once be informed that he was imprudent, and that there are times and places for everything: the meaning of which is, that when Christians and the world meet fraternally, the place for the Christian's Master is outside. This is what the world calls neutrality, but what the Word of God calls treason.

Paul assures us that, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Why then is the Church not persecuted? The reason is that the Church does not come out from the world, and therefore she escapes persecution. Godliness does not mean morality, it means being out and out for God: and if the friendship of the world is enmity to God, godliness must mean separation from the world.

There is nothing that the world so much hates, and is ready to resent, than this very exclusiveness. It is called Phariseeism; as if we said, "Stand by, for I am holier than thou." But we cannot help it, and we dare not do otherwise, because it is this very exclusiveness that is the only hope that is left us for the conversion of the world.

Some Christians suppose that by mingling with the world's amusements, or contracting alliances with unconverted men, they may be able to do them good. It is a dangerous experiment, and generally ends in disappointment and disaster. Abraham and Lot are an allegory illustrating the consequences respectively, of separation from, and alliance with the world. They were both righteous men; and Lot no doubt thought that he would be useful to the widow whom he married (most likely rich), as well as to her grown-up daughters and her sons-in-law. But he made nothing by it, and the result to him was everlasting shame.

It is true that Christians cannot altogether keep themselves separate from the world, else they must needs go out of the world. There is the common intercourse of life, business, friendships, and associations for common duties, these must needs bring them into daily contact with worldly men. It is evident, therefore, that it is not mere mingling with the world that is the sin. It is our not having another and closer fellowship in the meetings of the Church to counteract and overbalance our intercourse with the world. If we have no such counteracting fellowship in the assembling of ourselves together, and exhorting one another, there is a certainty that we shall become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

It was when the Jews were in Babylon, in the midst of a heathen population, that the formal synagogue took its rise; and, for the same reason, synagogues were formed throughout the world wherever there was a colony of Jews, because it was felt that there could be no real separation from the heathen unless there were a real fellowship among themselves. As it was with the Jews so it is with the Christian Church, separation from the world is impossible where there is no fellowship of the saints.

We look at the Church as it is in the present day, and we behold sharply drawn lines of separation that are a disgrace to Christianity; brother refusing to sit down. with brother even at the Lord's own table for conscience' sake. But where is the line that once separated the Church from the world? Is it baptism? There is scarcely a child in the country that has not been baptised. Is it the communion table? Certainly not. The friendships, the intimacies, the inter-marriages of the children of God sweep over these barriers, and to-day the Church and the world are one.

CHAPTER VIII.

LOSS OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST.

OF all the calamities which the Romish apostasy and

the temple theory entailed upon the Church of Christ, the greatest was the loss of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which reduced it to a state of Old Testament sterility.

The great difference between the New Testament Church and the Old, is that the New Testament Church is evangelistic, and the Old was not. In regard to spiritual life and holiness, the Old Testament saints were not at all inferior to the New. They were like a plant that is green and full of life, but does not blossom or bear seed; so the Old Testament saints had no propagative power. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and who have never been surpassed in the grandeur of their faith, or the holiness of their lives; but they had no evangelistic power. Enoch walked with God for hundreds of years, but his religion had no influence upon those around him; and it would appear from chronology that his own son perished with the ungodly in the Flood. For a hundred and twenty years, Noah preached to a world steeped in wickedness, but it does not appear that he made a single convert.

When our Lord gave the commission to His disciples to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel to every

creature, He at the same time gave them the command to remain in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, which was the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and which was to endue them with power from on high.

The transcendent importance of this baptism is indicated by the prominence that is given to it in connection with our Lord's ministry on earth. He came pre-eminently as the Baptiser with the Holy Ghost. It was in that character that He was revealed to His great forerunner John the Baptist. "He that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is He that baptiseth with the Holy Ghost" (John i. 33). Showing that the baptism of the Holy Ghost was to be the crowning feature of the Messiah's work. It is true that He also said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world; " but that was said privately to two of the disciples only; while his testimony in public, as related by all the four evangelists, was unceasingly this, "I indeed baptise you with water; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I: He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."

So important and so indispensable was this baptism of the Holy Ghost, that our Lord regarded it as of more value than even His own continued presence on earth, and more than sufficient to compensate for his absence. "It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Paraclete will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send Him unto you" (John xvi. 7). Still more remarkable is our Lord's saying in reference to the power with which they would be endued when they received the baptism. Referring to the miracles which He Himself had performed, He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater