life of God. We gain our highest glory when we resign all glory to Him.

And in this we are followers of Christ. His glory was seen most perfectly in His humiliation. When His darkest hour of suffering and shame was coming on, when the human in Him was sinking beneath its overwhelming burden, then it was that He cried, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him." The cross was the symbol of glory, because it was the symbol of shame; the assurance of victory, because it was the proof of submission. Only so far as we take up our cross and follow Jesus, are we conquerors of the world. When God is glorified in us, in the total defeat of our unholy nature, in the utter prostration of our rebellious spirit, in the subjection of our whole being to His will, when He thus leads us in triumph in Christ then, and then only are we more than conquerors.

And so we give thanks to God for His victory over us. Herein is a marvellous thing. Generally the conquered are restive beneath the yoke, and cherish thoughts of vengeance, and only live upon the hope that one day they shall regain their freedom. Not so with the captives of God. "Blessed Victor," they cry, "ever thus triumph over us. Lead us ever forward, exhibiting us as proofs at once of Thy clemency and might. We gladly extend our hands to receive Thy fetters, we bow our necks beneath Thy feet, and submit our lives to Thy disposal. Thanks be to God, Who always leadeth us in triumph."

II. The mode in which this Divine victory is achieved: in Christ.

This phrase is very frequently used by St. Paul, and the true understanding of this phrase will admit us to the profoundest and most spiritual truths in the thought of the apostle. The whole work of human redemption is wrought "in Christ." He is the Divine Medium, in whom God comes into sacred relationship with the sons of men. It is "in Christ" that "God is reconciling the world unto Himself." It is in Him that the sinner is justified and renewed. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Christ is the very element, in which the believer lives. Christians are first of all "babes in Christ," and then they "grow up into Christ in all things." God has established His covenant with men "in Christ," has blessed us with every spiritual blessing "in Christ." "In Christ" we shall fall asleep, and "in Christ" shall rise again. And in the full accomplishment of His glorious purpose, God will sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth.

It seems almost impossible to add anything by way of

exposition of these noble words. It is better to leave them in all their wealth of suggestiveness. It is sufficient for us, if we recognise the fact that Christ is all our hope, and all our salvation; that in Him we are saved, and sanctified, and perfected; that He is the Alpha and Omega of our redemption. And what He is to the individual believer, He is to the Church, and He will be to the world. If the Divine victory is ever to be completed, and the Kingdom of God established, it is in Christ that the mighty triumph must be realised.

III. Endless continuity—" who always leadeth us."

The old classic triumphs were brief. Generally they lasted but one day. And when a longer time was granted for the pageant, yet it was but a pageant after all, and the splendour was soon past, leaving behind it only a great deal of dust and disorder. God's triumph is perpetual. All through the ages it extends from the apostolic days even until now. It is a glorious picture that the apostle presents to us-the multitudes of souls subdued by grace continually increasing -the work of God for ever advancing.

It may seem that the apostle's view is too sanguine. It would be easy to point to periods in the Church's history when the cause of God has seemed to be declining, when the armies of the Lord have wavered, and the enemies of the truth have insolently exulted. There have been times when unfaithfulness has marked the conduct of those who professed to be the followers of Christ, and it has seemed as though the purpose of the Gospel was after all to be disappointed. Yet, as we look back upon those ages of declension or of persecution, we are bound to confess that the truth has still been advancing. In spite of all obstacles, and in spite of temporary checks, there has been on the whole a decided advance. All things have worked together for good; and the final result of all the various and conflicting forces which have been at work, has proved to be a Divine energy for ever furthering the design of the gospel. There has never been a period in the Church's history when she might not have adopted the joyful exclamation of the text.

In the present day there are many things to discourage, but let us be of good cheer the Church has come through worse times than these This is as truly an age of progress and victory as that of Paul was. The knowledge of God is extending through the earth We need not doubt the final issue. Let us avoid despondency as the most fatal enemy of the individual believer or of the Church.

S. T. BOSWARD, B.A.

SELF-CONTRADICTIONS OF THE BIBLE.

(Continued from page 242.)

Man was Created After the other Animals. -And God made the beasts of the earth after His kind, and the cattle after their kind And God said, Let us make

man . . . So God created man in His own image. Gen. i. 25, 26

Man was Created Before the other Animals.—And the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone: I will make a help-meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. Gen. ii. 18, 19. THE latter part of Gen. ii. 18, 19, is simply a repetition of Gen. i. 25, 26. The idea from the original Hebrew would perhaps be more clearly expressed by the following rendering: "The Lord God brought every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air (which he had formed out of the ground), unto Adam, to see what he would call them." The mere redundancy of expression is a frivolous pretext for a cavil.

Seed Time and Harvest were Never to Cease.— While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest shall not cease. Gen. viii. 22.

Seed Time and Harvest Did Cease for Seven Years. And the seven years of dearth began to come And the famine was over all the face of the earth. Gen. xli. 54, 56. For these two years hath famine been in the land; and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. Gen. xlv. 6.

This "contradiction," like many others, has been manufactured by wresting a text from its connection. Gen. viii. 22 is simply a promise of the change of seasons. The true ellipsis of the text is as follows: "Seed time and harvest time shall not cease." God has no where promised us a crop of grain every year, but simply that seed time and harvest time shall continue. This is evident not only from the grammatical construction of language, but from the whole connection. The verse reads as follows:-"While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest [time], and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."

God Hardened Pharaoh's Heart.-But I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go Ex. iv. 21. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Ex. ix. 12. Pharaoh Hardened his Own Heart. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them. Ex viii. 15.

This proposition admits of the most easy solution. Both texts are strictly true. God was the cause of hardening Pharaoh's heart, because he it was who offered mercies to the wicked king upon conditions of obedience: and on the other hand it is equally true that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, because he resisted the kindness and mercy of God, and brought desolation and ruin upon himself and kingdom.

All the Cattle and Horses in Egypt Died.-Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep And all the cattle of Egypt died.

Ex. ix. 3, 6.

All the Horses of Egypt did Not Die. But the Egyptians pursued after them (all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army), and overtook them encamping by the sea. Ex. xiv. 9.

The infidel here endeavours to prove first, that all the horses of Egypt were slain by God's judgment; and second, that they pursued the children of Israel with horses. But it is very evident that their horses were not all killed (if indeed any of them were), from the following facts:

Ist. The threat simply includes the animals in the field; and the horses belonging to the royal service could not have been labouring in the field: and there were probably many others also that were not there.

2nd. The record only says that "all the cattle of Egypt died." It does not say that the horses died also. And it will be noticed that the disease which was sent upon the cattle, to destroy them, was the murrain—a disease not likely to attack horses!

3rd. The words, both in the Hebrew and Greek, which are rendered "all" in our version, in many instances simply mean "many," or a "large proportion," "a majority." .For instance, "All Judea went out to be baptised of John in Jordan": still we have accounts of a certain class that did not go. See also the declaration that "death has passed upon all men "; yet we have the history of two men who never died. Hence we may safely infer that the term is used in the same legitimate sense in the text before us.

Moses Feared Pharaoh.—And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled before the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian And it came to pass, in process of time, that the king of Egypt died And the Lord said unto Moses, in Midian, Go, return unto Egypt; for all the men are dead which sought thy life. Ex. ii 14, 15; Ex. ii. 23; Ex. iv. 19.

Moses Did Not Fear Pharaoh. - By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. - Heb. xi. 27.

But

The texts quoted in Exodus refer to Moses' flight from Egypt at the time he slew the Egyptian, at which time it is very evident that he feared the wrath of Pharaoh. Heb. xi. 27 refers explicitly to the time when Moses left Egypt with the children of Israel, and as at this time he was acting directly in harmony with the express commands of Jehovah, he had no cause to fear an earthly tyrant.

There Died of the Plague Twenty-four Thousand.-And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. Num. xxv. 9.

There Died of the Plague but Twenty-three Thousand.-And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 1 Cor. x. 8.

This problem is clearly explained by Bagster's note upon the first text, which we insert. "St. Paul reckons only

23,000, though some manuscripts and versions, particularly the latter Syrian and Armenian, have also here 24,000. Allowing the 24,000 to be genuiue (and none of the Hebrew manuscripts exhibit a various reading here), and the 23,000 of St. Paul to be as genuine, the two places may be reconciled by supposing, what is very probable, that Moses includes in the 24,000 the 1,000 men who were slain, in consequence of the judicial examination (verse 4), as well as the 23,000 who died of the plague, while St. Paul only refers to the latter. Hence it is clear that the whole number of those who died of the plague was 24,000, while it is equally true, as Paul says, that there fell, in one day, three and twenty thousand.'"

(To be continued.)

THE DWELLING OF THE MASTER.

A SERMON.

BY THE REV. E. FOWLE.

"They said unto Him, Rabbi! . . . where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come and see."- JOHN i. 38, 39.

THIS enquiry in the text is one which every Christian should make of his Lord, and if we make it with sincerity and truth, earnestly desiring to find out what we ask, we shall assuredly receive the invitation which Jesus addresses individually to each of ourselves, "Come and see."

1. Now if we were to have made the inquiry at the time of the Saviour's birth, and had received the invitation, "Come and see," we should have found that our Saviour's dwelling place was a stable, and that He was born in a manger. I am sure that at the time we should have wondered at the birthplace of the Son of God if we have ceased to wonder now; we should have wondered that the Saviour of the world was not born in a king's palace, was not cradled in luxury and comfort, was not clothed delicately. If we had been invited to His dwelling-place, who of us would have sought Him in that low and humble abode in a small city of Judæa? who of us would have looked for His mother among the unknown of the earth, or have imagined that His reputed father was nothing but a common carpenter? If we had been told, as the shepherds were told, "To you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord," and then have heard the following: "Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, who of us would not have marvelled? We should have marvelled as we entered the stable and there found the Saviour of the world and the Son of God! And I am afraid that some of us would have