done. And the condemnation arises simply out of the contempt of that provision. And thus the claim of the law is now founded on the provision of the gospel. Men mistake, and think that they are called on to make the provision, instead of living and working by it.

Dear reader, let us give glory to God by rejoicing in His provision; we do not need any thing which He has not given us. Let us join in with our Head when he says, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will receive the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord." He has given us the Holy Spirit in Jesus, let us be filled with the Spirit, let us give place to the Spirit and not grieve him.

Those who believe not, and therefore enter not into rest, but continue to "make haste," are those "who err in their hearts, and know not God's ways." Now what are God's ways? After the rebellion in the matter of the golden calf, Moses said to the Lord, "I beseech thee shew me now thy way"; and the Lord answered him, "My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest." And from what occurs afterwards it appears, that the presence, and the way, and the glory, and the goodness, and the name of God, are all one thing, and that is his living character. The Lord God merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, without clearing the guilty. So it was their ignorance of this way of God that kept them from rest. They erred in their hearts, not knowing this way. Exod. xxxiii. and xxxiv.: Psalm xcv.; Heb. iii.

In the 55th of Isaiah the gospel is proclaimed, and men are called on by it, not to do any thing, nor to provide any thing, but to enjoy a provision already

made, even that rich provision which is set forth in the two preceding chapters. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to these waters." The wicked, who are addressed in the seventh verse," let the wicked forsake his way," are described in the second verse to be just those who will not enjoy God's provision, and who persist in going out of it in search of happiness. This is their way, and they are urged to forsake this way, and instead of it to take God's way, which is not as their way, a barren wilderness, but is in truth the full fountain of love, whose waters satisfy. Let them turn to this fountain, to this way of God, and they will find it a way of mercy and of abundant pardon, its waters fail not. The wicked, then, are those who believe not that the Lord hath laid their iniquities on Jesus, and who, therefore, drink not at that fountain; they are those who know not the way or name of God, and who are therefore spending money for that which is not bread (verse 2.) They cease not from their own works. And whilst they continue to do so, they are like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. In the following chapter there is an urgent exhortation to keep the Sabbath from polluting it, which appears to be just an exhortation to enjoy the gospel provision, and to enter into God's rest by ceasing from our own works. The sixth verse of this 56th chapter gives confirmation to this view, for in it loving the name of the Lord, keeping the Sabbath from polluting it, and taking hold of God's covenant, are spoken of as if they were the same things.

Yes, we need only to know and to remember the circumstances in which the love of God has placed us, in order to have life, and peace, and holiness-and so it is said, "This is life eternal, to know thee the only

true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent," and it is also said, "He that lacketh godliness, brotherly kindness, or charity, lacketh them because he is blind, shutting his eyes against the light, having forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." Now, as it is the beginning of our confidence which we are called on to hold fast unto the end, this purging from sin, or the atonement, as including ourselves personally, must be the first thing to be believed by every one, and to be believed as a past truth, true to every one. It is not a personal experience of the believer which is the foundation of his confidence, although it be only through that personal experience that he knows it—it is the atonement,-the righteous Head-it is a thing done for all. And thus it is, and thus only that the salvation of the gospel is a salvation by faith. A man is saved by coming to the knowledge of the truth-of what is and has been always true. If a man's circum-* stances were such, that the knowledge of them would not be life and joy to him, he never could be saved by faith-because he never could be saved by coming to the knowledge of the truth concerning them-he would need to make a change, and that would destroy it as a salvation by faith.

But the work is completed-nothing can be added or need be added to it-and now it is only "through the ignorance that is in us, that we are alienated from the life of God" for He hath created the fruit of the lips, that is—He hath given cause for thanksgiving – by giving to every man Jesus-who is the peacepeace to him that is far off, and to him that is nigh, even a healing peace. Isaiah lvii. 19.

Jesus has taken our flesh, and become one flesh with us, in order that we might be one spirit with him.

These are the two bonds. All men are necessarily connected with him by the first bond, namely, the flesh, and all who believe in the love which produced that first bond, become connected with him by the second, namely, the Spirit, and these only. And the gospel consists in explaining what the manner of love is, which connected every man with Jesus, by the first bond, namely the flesh, and what it did for each man, when it established that connexion.

Now the manner of the love we have seen to be this -that God so loved every man, that, in order to destroy the work of the devil in him, He was willing to die for him-and that He so loved every man, that He desired fellowship and union with him, in the spirit of holiness.

And that which the love did for each man, when it established the connexion of the first bond, namely, of the flesh, between him and Christ-is, that during this present dispensation of " the accepted time and day of salvation,” sin is not imputed to him, and Christ is truly given to him as his head, (for the head of every man is Christ,) and in Christ he is shone on by the favour of God, and he has the Spirit, which he will receive according to his faith.

And the man has not to make any thing, in the matter, he has just to acknowledge or believe what God has done. And this belief will open his heart to let in the life, the spirit. And thus he becomes connected with Christ by the bond of the Spirit, he becomes a living member of the righteous head-an heir of the righteousness which is by faith-he is reckoned righteous-not in virtue of something put upon him, as in the bond of the flesh, but of something within him, even the life of God, and that life is righteousness.

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And as the belief of what God has given us in the flesh of Christ, lets in this blessed life, so the unbelief of it shuts out the life and the righteousness, and the man remains unconnected with Christ by the Spirit, he remains dead in his sins and in his unrighteous

ness.

And here is a remarkable thing. Those who are connected with Christ by the Spirit are living members, and they shall be raised to the resurrection of et life, which is the first resurrection by the Spirit that dwelleth in them, see Rom. viii. 11, Rev. xx. 6. And those who are not connected with Christ by the Spirit, shall be raised also, but not to the resurrection of life, nor by the Spirit, for they have it not, but, it would seem, simply by their connexion with his flesh, to be judged for their contempt of all that was contained in that connexion.

And as the connexion with Christ by the second bond, namely, of the Spirit, is just the same as being born of the Spirit, or having the life from above, the everlasting life, so those who are thus connected. with the Head see the kingdom of God, and shall enter into it, receiving the Spirit in the mean time as the earnest of it whilst those who are not thus connected, cannot see that kingdom, and cannot enter into it. But yet so long as they continue living in this dispensation, they do not fall out of the forgiving love of God, which rests upon the righteous Head, and descends from Him, on all the body, quite irrespective of the character of the individuals; and, although of a truth God's eye sees and condemns every form of sin, in every heart, and especially condemns the unbelief which rejects His love, and thus shuts out the life-yet this condemnation is not the imputation