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The Serpent in Scripture

God has delivered all creation into thehand ofman (Gen. 9:1-2) for our physicaland spiritual benefit. Job appealed toteaching concerning beasts, fowls of theair and fish of the sea to demonstrate theexistence of the hand of God in our lives(Job 12:7-9). Similarly, the Apostle Pauldirected the Romans to the evidence ofcreation to help us understand the wayGod works: “… the invisible things ofhim from the creation of the world areclearly seen, being understood by thethings that are made …” (Rom. 1:20).Solomon also directs our attention to theroe, bird, and ant to observe and learnfrom their diligence and industry(Prov.6:5-9).The word “serpent” is used 31 times inScripture, and occurs for the first time inGenesis 3:1. The Hebrew word“nachash” is used for serpent; it means‘hiss’, andona fewoccasions is translated“enchantments” (see Num. 24:1; 2Kings17:17). The root word has themeaning ofhiss, magic, whispering andprognostication (Strong’s concordance.

In our consideration of the serpentwewillfollow the principle enunciated by Paulwhen writing to the Corinthians – “thatwas not first which is spiritual, but thatwhich is natural; and afterward thatwhichis “spiritual” (1Cor. 15:46). The serpentwas a creature of God’s creation, but isdescribed as being “more subtil” (Heb.Arum, subtle, crafty – Young’sconcordance) than the rest of the beasts ofthe field (Gen. 3:1). Serpents in thenatural state are subtle, crafty and able todeceive. They are generally wellcamouflaged and difficult to see; they canremain motionless for long periods oftime; they canmove slowly and stealthilywithout capturing the attention of theobserver. A visit to a zoo reptile house

will illustrate these points. The unwarycan be deceived; the serpent has theability to move at lightening speed todeliver a fatal bite.

The ways that lead to death are describedin Scripture in terms similar to thosedescribing the actions of the serpent. Thewicked man will find that “his calamityshall come suddenly; suddenly he shall bebroken without remedy” (Prov. 6:12-15);“with her much fair speech (like theserpent of Gen. 3?) she caused him toyield, with the flattering of her lips sheforced him” (Prov. 7:21-23). We knowthe details of the condemnation on Adamand Eve (Gen. 3:16-19). The ApostlePaul warns us that we must not have ourmindscorrupted fromthesimplicityof theTruth as the serpent beguiled Eve throughhis subtlety (2 Cor. 11:3).

The serpent was the first to becondemned, but not death, as it waspresumably already a dying creature(implied, see iii. below). The curse uponthe serpent is set out in Genesis 3:14-15:

i. “cursed above all cattle, and aboveevery beast of the field”

ii. “upon thy belly shalt thou go”iii. "dust shalt thou eat all the days of thylife”

iv. “I will put enmity between thee (theserpent) and the woman”

Each of these components of the curse isthere for us to observe in the naturalworldbefore applying it (as Scripture does) tospiritual things.

There are eleven families of snake, givinga total of approximately 2,600 species.There is a natural hostility between thisreptile and mankind. The snake willusually hide in the ground or under rocks,

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when the approach of human beings isdetected. Few people like to handlesnakes or even look t these cold-bloodedcreatures; a similar gulf is fixed betweenthewilfully godless and the faithful. Notethat God says the enmity is between theserpent and the woman. Hostility existswith the godless rather than the faithful.Our lord came to save sinners; yet it wasfor envy that wicked men crucified him(Mat. 27:18).

The serpent was cursed above all othercreatures of the field (but not includingfish or fowl). The cattle and beasts of thefield had legs andwalked, the serpentwasto be deprived of this facility. There isevidence (1) that some snakes (i.e. boasand pythons) have the vestiges of hindlimbs a bit like claws on each side of theirbodies, andhave agirdle,whichmayhaveaccommodated legs.

MOSES AND AARONS ROD

A miracle was performed by God whenMoses cast his rod on the ground and itbecame a serpent, and when taking it upby the tail, it became a rod again (Ex.4:1-5). This was no ordinary serpent,since the miracle was to be a sign to thenatural seed of Abraham that “the LordGod of their fathers … had appeared” toMoses (v. 5). This sign was repeatedbefore Pharaoh and his court (Ex. 7:10).Why was it possible for Pharaoh’smagicians to apparently replicate, thissign of Moses authority?

There are only a few species of snakewhich use death-feigning as a defencemechanism. Themost unusual of these isthe twig snake. If molested or picked upit will lie completely inert, giving theimpression of an inanimate object such aspiece of wood. Another example of thisbehaviour is the log-nosed snake (2). Therarityof this strategyamongsnakeswould

enable Pharaoh’s magicians to convincethe Egyptian people of their powers andthus maintain their authority in the royalcourt.

“Seeing they see not”

Snakes have poor eyesight but they havea sensory system to enable them to tracktheir prey. The system is made up of twosmall cavities lined with sensitive cells;the cavities are situated in the roof of themouth and called “Jacobson’s organ”.Dust particles andodours arepickeduponthe forked tongue and checked for scent inthese twin cavities. Snakes and lizardshave this facility: “Dust shalt thou eat allthe days of thy life” (Gen. 3:14). TheScripture uses this natural instinct ofsnakes “licking” or “eating” dust todescribe the state of thewickedwhen theyare ultimately subdued by the Lord at hiscoming. “His enemies shall lick thedust” (Psa. 72:9); “… lick the dust of thyfeet” (Isa. 49:23); “Theyshall lick thedustlike a serpent” (Mic. 7:17).

Snakes are colour-blind, have pooreyesight and are deaf. How well thesenatural characteristics of snakes fit God’sdescription of the wicked (Mat.13:14-15)! The eye of the snake isunusual; it is covered with a transparentscale and has no eyelid or sideways-moving nictitating membrane. The eyetherefore always appears to be open, evenwhen the snake is asleep! The Psalmist,comparing the heathen with their idols,says, “Eyes have they, but they seenot” (Psa. 135:16). Isaiah also says,whenspeaking of God’s wayward people, “Seeye indeed, but perceive not” (Isa. 6:9, seealso 43:8). The wicked, like the serpent,have poor spiritual eyesight, lacking anunderstanding of God’sWord. Jesus saidof Israel, “they seeing seenot, andhearingthey hear not, neither do theyunderstand” (Mat. 13:13).

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Jesus makes the contrast with godly men,“But blessed are yours eyes for they see:and your ears, for they hear.” (Mat.13:16). Abraham had good spiritualeyesight ; he “rejoiced to see my day: andhe saw it and was glad” (Jno. 8:56).

“Hearing they hear not”

Snakes lack external ears that are presentin other reptiles and, although they haveinternal ears, they are largely deaf toairborne sounds, except those of a verylow frequency (300 Hz). They do ‘hear’sounds of a very low amplitude, due to asensitivity to vibrations transmittedthrough the bones of the jaw. The naturalworld shows the appropriateness of theserpent as a symbol for sin. The Psalmistspeaks of the wicked as being “like thedeaf adder that stoppeth her ear” (Psa.58:4),Micah says, “their ears (those of thenations) shall be deaf” (Mic. 7:16).

Deafness and poor eyesight aredisabilities of the serpent which arefrequently linked in Scripture withsinners (see Isa. 6:10, 42:18-19 “deaf”,“blind”; Mat. 13:15 “ears are dull”, eyes… closed”). It is consistent with thistheme that the protagonists in the Romanworld should be characterised as “that oldserpent” … which deceiveth the wholeworld” (Rev. 12:9).

When the Kingdom is established, theseserpent-like deficiencies will beovercome: “eyes…opened… ears of thedeaf shall be unstopped” (Isa. 35:5). It isour deafness and blindness, which cloudsour understanding of God’s purpose.“For since the beginning of theworldmenhave not heard nor perceived by the ear,neither hath the eye seen, O God, besidethee, what he hath prepared for them thatlove him” (Isa. 64:4). These versesquoted and many more are speaking intype (e.g. Deut. 29:4) or antitype (e.g. Isa.29:18) of serpent qualities.

Jesus commended the faithful, in that theyclearly are not of the seed of the serpent:“But blessed are your eyes, for they see:andyour ears, for theyhear” (Mat. 13:16).

“O generation of vipers!”

The snake is not inhibited in its mobilityby poor eyesight and hearing.Rattlesnakes and vipers or pit vipers havea sensory ‘pit’ on each side of the headbetween the eye and the nostril which issensitive to infra-red radiation. Thisenables the viper to detect temperaturedifferences of changes as small as 0.002degrees Celsius (3). This ability enablesthe viper to strike accurately a man or amouse in total darkness if necessary, andtrail the disabled prey until death. Theability to ‘see’ by scent or temperaturedifferencegives the snake anadvantage indarkness over creatures which depend onlight in order to see. Those who aresinners prefer darkness rather than light(Jno. 3:19-21)and, like the snake, areableto plot their ownpaths unseenbymen (butknown to God) (1 Jno. 1:5-10). The typeis used by John the Baptist and Jesus: “Ogeneration of vipers, who hath warnedyou to flee thewrath to come?” (Mat. 3:7).Jesus, speaking to the scribes andPharisees, used serpent typology inMatthew 23. He described them as beingblind fives times in one public address(v.16, 17, 19, 24, 26).

The snake is able to swallow food alive,head first and whole, even when thevictim is larger in diameter that thesnake’s body. This is possible, as thesnake can drop its lower jaw at the back ofits mouth as well as at the front, since thelower jaw is only loosely connected to theskull by the quadrate bone. The lower jawcan also be stretched sideways, since thetwo halves are connected at the chin by anelasticmuscle. Sharp, recurved teethholdthe quarry in place while the halves of the

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lower jaw are manipulated separately.First one side of the jaw moves forward,and then the other, allowing the snake to‘walk’ its monstrous gaping mouthforward around its food (4).

Out Lord continued to speak in terms ofserpent-behaviour when he described thehypocrites of his day as “blind guides,which strain at the gnat, and swallow acamel (Mat. 23:24). Lest his hearersshould fail to see the serpent-type inGod’s assessment of their ways, Jesusconcluded by saying, “Ye serpents, yegeneration of vipers, how can ye escapethedamnationof hell?” (Mat. 23:33). TheBabylonians who took Jerusalem inJeremiah’s day are described in serpent-like terms:

“All thine enemies haveopened their mouths againstthee: they hiss and gnash theteeth: they say, We haveswallowed her up” (Lam. 2:16,3:46).

Paul writing to the Romans regardingsinners links Psalm 5:9 (“their throat is anopen sepulchre”) with snakes in Romans3:13-14 (“Their throat is an opensepulchre”); with their tongues they haveused deceit; the poison of asps is undertheir lips: whose mouth is full of cursingand bitterness”).

The word viper occurs only eight times inScripture (three times in the OldTestament and five times in theNew), andmeans ‘a venomous serpent’ or‘asp’ (heb.epheh), or a ‘poisonous snake’or ‘adder’ (gr. Echidna – Strong’s). It isinteresting to note that theword “viper” inthe New Testament refers to a femalesnake (Youngs). The snake is a type forsin; it is the female, of course, that givesbirth and enables the species to multiply.Vipers may bear as many as thirty young

each, with a venom system that can beused from birth. It was the woman whowas beguiled by the serpent; similarly it isthrough the woman that our sinful natureis perpetuated. “The wicked areestranged from the womb: they go astrayas soon as they are born, speaking lies.Their poison is like the poison of a serpent(Psa. 58:3,4). Without Christ our sinfulnaturewill kill us, as the snake venomcanifwearebitten. Wearenot told thegenderof the snake in Scripture,

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns hewill tread down his enemies as a mantreads on an adder (Psa. 91:13); thejudgements of God will be by a wound totheheadofpersistent sinners (Psa. 68:21).

THE SERPENT BITE

Thepoisonous serpent bite bringsdeath toits prey. The injection of poison may bethrough hollow or grooved teeth whichcan fold back along the roof of themouth.The Psalmist therefore prays, “Breaktheir teeth, O God in their mouth” (Psa.58:6, note the context in v. 4,5). The liesof the wicked are comparable with thepoison of the adder. “They havesharpened their tongues like a serpent;adders’ ‘poison is under their lips” (Psa.140:3). Just as poison will spread aroundthe body, sometimes killing the victim inminutes, so the lies of the wicked canspread quickly and bring death: “Sinwhen it is finished bringeth forthdeath” (Jas.1:15). James uses the serpentcharacteristics to reinforce the pointregarding the dreadful nature of sin: “thetongue can no man tame; it is an unrulyevil, full of deadly poison” (3:8).

The literal bite of the serpent has beenused by God to judge His people (Num.21:4-6, Jer. 8:17, Amos 9:3). Yet throughfaith and trust in God the effect of theinjected poison could be overcome (Num.

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21:7-9). The warning not to fall away isrelevant for the faithful today: “Neither letus tempt Christ, as some of them alsotempted, and were destroyed ofserpents” (1 Cor. 10:9). The saving workof our Lord is likened to the lifting up ofthe brazen serpent in the wilderness.Jesus has overcome the effect of theserpentbite andhasmade it possible forusto be saved from our sins. Paul alsoprovides an allusion to the overcoming ofthe serpent bite: “O death where is thysting?” (1Cor. 15:55). Asting is amethodused by insects to inject poison through ahollow tube by puncturing the skin; this isan allusion to the poisonous serpent biteagain.

Pharaoh’s magician’s rods that becameserpents and were swallowed up byAaron’s serpent rod (Exo. 7:12). Thisincident points forward to the time of theresurrection when the prophetic words ofIsaiah will be fulfilled, “Death isswallowedup in victory” (Isa. 25:8; 1Cor.15:54).

When ourLord returns, the power to treadon serpents (Luke 10:19) will be given tothe elect: “O grave where is thyvictory?” (1 Cor. 15:55). When theKingdom is established, the bite of the aspand adder will no longer be possible inspiritual or natural worlds (Isa. 11:8-9,65:25). “They shall not hurt not destroy inall my holy mountain, saith the Lord”.

Peter MooreNotes:

1. Amphibians and Reptiles, VaclavLanka&ZbysekVit, Hamlyn, 1985,p.20.

2. Snakes of the World, Chris Mattison,Blandford Press, 1986, p.93.

3. How Reptiles and Amphibians live,Arthur C Echternacht, Elsevier Pub.,1977, p.96.

4. The Reptiles, Archie Carr, Time Inc.,1968, p.55.

The Serpent MindThe Carnal mind is "a hideous deformity, whose conception is referable to theinfidelity and disobedience of our first parents; by whom "sin entered into theworld and death by sin" (Rom. 5:12). It is the serpent mind; because, it wasthrough his untruthful reasonings believed, that a likemode of thinking to hiswasgenerated in the heart ofEve andher husband. The seed sown there by the serpentwas corruptible seed. Hence the carnal mind, or thinking of the flesh,unenlightened by the Truth is the serpent in the flesh. It was for this reason thatJesus styled his enemies, "serpents, and a generation of vipers" (Mat. 23:33).Their actionsall emanated fromthe serpent-thinkingof the flesh,whichdisplayed"a wisdom not from above," which was at once "earthly, sensual, and devilish;"as opposed to thatwhich "is fromabove," andwhich is "firstpure, thenpeaceable,gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality,and without hypocrisy" (Jas. 3:15, 17)."

(John Thomas, Elpis Israel)

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How are you Employed?

Day by day most of us travel to work and are occupied with whatever tasks we mustundertake in our employment. We have sought out a job because of the necessity toearn a living and are fortunate if we have found a job that we like and can gain somesatisfaction from our work. Whilst at work the focus is upon whatever needs to bedone to achieve the aims and objectives of our role. If we are a conscientious workerthen that is recognised in one way or another and at the very least, we receive a wagefor our labours. If we are less than diligent and resent being at work, then time passesslowly, morale is low, standard of work is unsatisfactory and sooner or later we willlose our job.

When not at work, either during the evenings or on our days off, our time is generallyspent ‘working’ atwhatever jobs need to be done for ourselves. In oneway or anotherwe are fully ‘employed’ in achieving whatever is needed to fulfil the varying needs,desires and objectives we have in our day to day lives. This level of work apart fromthe routine ‘chores’ is enjoyable and somethingwewouldwillingly spendmore timeengaged in, particularly in our hobbies and other interests.

Nowwith this inmind, howareyouemployed in the serviceofGod?Areyouawillingworker or a shirker? How much time do you spend in His service compared to yourown service? There is not a day that should go by without somework being done forGod, something that serves Him by contributing towards seeking first His Kingdomand His righteousness. Moreover this time and effort should be willingly andenthusiasticallygiven. Any lackofenthusiasmor servicegrudginglygivenwill affectnot only our ownmorale in the Truth, but also the zeal andmorale of our brethren andsisters.

The Lord our God can be served by any, be they young or old, male or female,inexperienced or experienced, all He asks for is awilling attitude ofmind and sinceredesire to seekHisways.Acceptable service is shownbydiligence in all aspects of life,but most of all by a humble willingness to put aside self and selfishness. Willingservice is shown by the putting on of a Christ-like attitude of mind and displayingChrist-like characteristics in our contacts with brethren and sisters and with those inthe world about us. Willing service is shown by dedication to ecclesial activities andsupport for ourbrethren and sisters.Willing service is shownbyputting asideourownplans, even when activities in God’s service come at ‘inconvenient’ times.

Most of all we serve God by ensuring that we are ready for whatever dutymay come.We can prepare by taking steps to make sure that we are strong in the faith,knowledgeable of the His word and putting His word into action day by day.Willingacceptable service is about preparation, being reliable anddiligent, being in apositionto help, support and encourage our brethren and sisters and to preach the word inseason and out of season.

Time must be made each day for reading, study and meditation, no matter how busywe may be. Time must be made to “seek those things which are above, where Christis sitting at the right hand of God.” Therefore says Paul, “set your minds on things

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above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ inGod.” Col 3:1-3

Now Peter said:

"I now realise how true it is thatGoddoes not show favouritismbut acceptsmen from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Acts 10:34-35

and Paul writes:

“There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil:first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honour and peace foreveryone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For Goddoes not show favouritism.” Rom 2:9-11

So then, strive to be a willing worker and not a shirker! God will accept those whorevere Him and do what is right. The Lord our God displays no favouritism, all whoseek Him will receive a just reward, a gift that only He can bestow, the promise isclear:

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear withhim in glory”

Andy Peel

Let Me First Bury My Father

“If anymanwill come afterme, let him deny himself, and take up his crossdaily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: butwhosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it”—Luke9:23-24.

There are someScriptureswhich require time for us to adjust ourselves to them.Theyembody the essence of amultitude ofminor precepts and require amultitude ofminoradjustments. We must return to them again and again to check our course and ourprogress by them.

Such are these words of Christ. It requires time even to find out all that they mean—in fact, it seems that this process of fathoming their full implications is endless—andit takes further time to adjust ourselves to these implications as they unfold. No onecould ever feel within himself that he had completely exhausted their meaning andsatisfied their requirements.

"The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected and slain"(Luke 9:22).

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"Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of Man shall bedelivered into thehandsofmen.But theyunderstoodnot . . . and they fearedto ask him" (vs. 44-45).

Whywere they afraid to ask further light? Because these things that Jesuswas sayingwere disturbing and did not fit inwith their conception ofwhat lay before them. Theydid not want to face the implications of his words. Their minds were full of his coming glory, and their respective ranks of honor around his throne—see the next verse,where they contended among themselves who should be greatest.

It would have been better for them to have faced their fears, and asked him what hemeant. They would have been better prepared for the ordeal to come, and bracedagainst the hopeless despair that engulfed them at his crucifixion.

"Fools and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have written!"

How natural to close our eyes to unpleasant truths, but how comforting on the otherhand to be fortified in a time of trouble by a clear perception beforehand that all is inharmony with a glorious divine plan!

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As they continue on their journey they come to the village where the Samaritansrefuse to receive them, and the disciples say:

"Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, andconsume them, even as Elias did?"

Our minds go back a little way: "And they said, Lord, teach us to pray. And he said,Pray ye on this wise: Forgive us our tres passes as we forgive them that trespassagainst us." How quickly this beautiful lesson of love was forgotten!

“Even as Elias did.” How glibly we justify our natural desires by some eagerly-grasped Scripture that suits our end!—"Abraham was rich" . . "Daniel had greatauthority" . . "Solomon lived in splendor" . . "Moses led an army." Thewhole life andteaching of Jesuswas of the spirit of lowly gentleness and kindness, but it is this fieryinstance in the life of Elijah that immediately comes to their mind—because it fittedin with their feelings.

They little realized the exalted nobility of the purpose that centered in Christ. Therewas no room there for petty personal resentment. He saw men broadly as sheepwithout a shepherd, seeking rest and finding none. Even in their blind abuse of him,he pitied them, for they but vented on him the bitterness of their own frustration andfutility.

This instance illustrates how difficult it is to seek scriptural guidance with an openmind, andhoweasy it is to find justwhatweare looking for.What assurance thenhavewe ever that we are not self-deceived? Narrow is the way, he said, and few there be

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that find it. Few there be that even FIND it! But still the un changing promise is—"Ye shall find Me—when ye seek for Me with all your heart."

Millions are seekingwith varying degrees of earnestness and effort, but few put theirwhole heart and soul into it, to the ex clusion of all else.

This is the only guarantee of success. This is the only possible hope of success. Onesole and all-exclusive purpose—

"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (Jam. 1:8).

Divided interests and affections lead only to endless mental turmoil. Lukewarmnessis an abomination to both God and man. God gives us a positive guarantee of failurebefore we start if we do not throw ourselves into His service with wholehearted zeal.Thosewho attempt to serve twomasters lose any real enjoyment and satisfaction thatthey might have derived from either service.

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In the last few verses of the chapter, Jesus speaks to three men. Here again, thewords of Jesus are of the type to which we must keep returning, seeking to adjustour outlook and our lives. They are not what we would naturally expect Jesus tosay in the cir cumstances. They must be slowly digested. They are lessons in atype of thought and viewpoint directly opposite to the natural.

Natural man's thoughts are based on maudlin sentimentality that has no solidframework of reason and which a slight irritation soon exposes as superficial.Natural man is all for goodwill and fellowship—until his little personal interestsare jeopardized or his touchy sensibilities are affronted. To the natural man thewords of Jesus were often very hard—

"This is an hard saying—who can receive it?"

He was always seeking to drive them deeper—force them to think down throughthe common shallow veneer—shake them out of the rut of paralyzing habit andunthinking conformity with an unthinking brute existence. Consider what he saysto these three men, especially the second. The man asked—

"Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father."Jesus replied to him—"Let the dead bury their dead."

What a thing to say at such a time! A hard saying, indeed. Of course, humancommentators explain it away. They say that the man meant, "Let me stay withmy aged father until he dies." Instead of letting it "sink down into their ears," andseeking to extract divine wisdom from it, they attempt to water it down and thusescape its searching, transforming power— "Let the dead bury their dead: but gothou and preach the Kingdom of God."

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Would he stop to bury his father if a flood or tornado were sweeping down on him?Wouldhe stop to care for thedead if his living friendswere indire and immediateneedof his help? It is all a question of relative values.

He took his call too lightly.Men had been living and dying for thousands of years andwere to do so for thousands more. Many had been buried and many had not, it wasall the same in the end. But here was the turning point in God's plan of the Ages thatwould triumphantly sweep death from the earth.

In the fullnessof timeGodhad sent forthHisSon, and this verymomenthewas sayingpersonally to him, “I needyouNOW, followme!” Thewords still rang in the air.Andthe man said, "I can't make it right away, I have something else to do first." And sohis great moment passed.

He did not realize—and how hard it is to realize—the utter insignificance of naturalthings. Hewas not readywhen the call came. He hesitated. He had other things on hismind. Suddenly confronted with a decision, he failed. How important to be readybeforehand—to have laid the right foundation during the time of opportunity!The lesson and the type is clear. "See that that day come not upon you unawares." Beready. Keep your lamps trimmed and full of oil. Get mentally adjusted to the relativevalues of natural and spiritual things, so that whenHe oncemore shakes not the earthonly, but heaven also, andmany things that seemedwell-grounded begin to rock andsway, and a decision is suddenly thrust upon us, we shall have the discernment todistinguish what to hold fast to—and what to let go.

G.V.Growcott

Secretary's Notes

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We are keen to develop our website to contain further articles and publications:should anyone have suitable material to add, please contact the Secretary, details asper back cover.

CAM

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Knowledge, Love, Obedience

We are this morning, as the lovers ofChrist, to remember Christ. There arevarious ways of remembering him. Wemay think of him in the dim and distantway that the world thinks of him—as afigure in the world’s history. Or we maythink of him as the symbol of doctrinewhich we are prepared to formulate anddemonstrate with the cold precision of alawyer, or an anatomist. Or wemay thinkof him as pious sectarians think, as themere ideal of sensuous sentimentalism.The true way of remembering himincludes all these in a certain way, butgoes much beyond them. It stands uponthree solid foundations—knowledge,understanding and love. Paul’s prayer forthe Ephesian brethren exhibits thefeatures of the case: that

“Godmight give unto them thespirit of wisdom in theknowledge and revelation ofHim, the eyes of theirunderstanding beingenlightened, that they mightknowwhatwas the hope ofHiscalling, and what the riches ofthe glory of His inheritance inthe saints and what theexceeding greatness of Hispower to reward who believewhat He wrought in Christwhen He raised him from thedead, and set him at His ownright hand” (Eph. 1:17-20).

Again he expressed the desire concerningthem that they might—

“henceforth be no morechildren tossed to and fro andcarried about with every windof doctrine . . . but speaking thetruth in love might grow upunto him in all things who is

the head, even Christ, fromwhom the whole body fitlyjoined together and compactedby that which every jointsupplieth, according to theeffectual working in themeasure in every part, makethincrease of the body unto theedifying of itself in love.”

We all recognise the need for knowledgein order to a right discernment of Christ;but if we come short of the love of Christwhich ought to spring from theknowledge of Christ, the result is anabortive one. Paul is very emphatic onthis head. His strong desire concerningthe brethren was that “they might knowthe love of Christ which passethknowledge,” not only the love whichChrist has for those who please him, butthe lovewhich theyought to have for him,as expressed in the other words “thatChrist may dwell in your hearts by faith,that yebeing rootedandgrounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all thesaints what is the breadth and length anddepth and height, and to know the love ofChrist which passeth knowledge, that yemight be filled with all fullness of God.”

Concerning himself he declared to theGalatians: “The life which I now live inthe flesh, I live by the faith of the Son ofGod who loved me and gave himself forme,” and to the Philippians, “for me tolive isChrist” and to theCorinthians, “thelove of Christ constraineth us: becausewe thus judge that if one died for all, thenall died: and that he died for all that theywho live should not henceforth live untothemselves but unto him who died forthem and rose again.”

Christ himself made the demand for ourlove a prominent point in his teaching.

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“Come unto me all ye thatlabour and are heavy burden:take my yoke upon you andlearn of me.”

“If any man love father ormothermore thanme, he is notworthy of me.”

“My sheep hearmy voice and Iknow them, and they followme.”“He that loveth me shall beloved of my Father, and I willlove him and will manifestmyself unto him . . . If a manlove me, he will keep mywords . . .He that lovethmenotkeepeth not my sayings.”

The figure of a bride to represent therelation to Christ of those who are to beaccepted by him, is a powerful indicationin the same direction.What is the leadingcharacteristic of a bride as such, butdelightful love towards him to whom sheis about to be united? We read of thisconsummation:

“The marriage of the Lamb iscome: and the bride hath madeherself ready.”

Now, brethren, we have come fromreligious communities in which this ideais carried to a great and extravagantextreme, to the exclusion of thatunderstandingwhich is thepreliminary toacceptable love. The love of Christ inthese communities, has degenerated to aneffeminate sentiment,without reasonablebody shape, or meaning. But it is justpossible that by natural rebound we maygo to the other extreme, and be contentwith knowing aboutChrist and not lovinghim.Thiswouldbeasgreat a failure as theother. The right form of these thingsgenerally lies in the middle. The clear

knowledge of what God has testifiedconcerning Christ should be wedded tothe cordial and enthusiastic love which isits natural and reasonableaccompaniment. How arid and unlovelyis knowledge in any direction withoutlove. Even a man of science, withoutenthusiasm for his subject, is a failure.Love always makes a man interesting, ifit is only in specimen hunting, in eggs orbutterflies, or beetles. Even a beastshowing interest in its offspring is apleasant sight. How inexpressiblybeautiful is love shown towards highobjects: the higher the object, the higherthe beauty. In this connection, how nobleis the love of Christ in a man. Its pure andhealthy original is to be seen in Paul, aswhen he writes to the Philippians:

“I count all things but loss forthe excellency of theknowledge of Christ Jesus myLord, forwhomIhave sufferedthe loss of all things, and docount thembut dung that ImaywinChrist andbe found inhim,not having mine ownrighteousness which is of thelaw, but that which is throughthe faith of Christ, therighteousness which is of Godby faith, that I may know himand the power of hisresurrection.”

Let us rise to this, brethren.We shall be ofno use to Christ if we do not love him. Hefinds pleasure in his people’s love as aman finds pleasure in awoman’s love.Hesays we are unworthy of him if we give astronger love to any human object. Hegives us amethodbywhichwemay judgeourselves in the matter as to whether welove him. He says:

“If aman loveme, hewill keepmy words” (John 14:23).

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Here is a self-test which we should dailyapply.Wecannot apply itwithoutmakingourselves familiar with his “words,” forhow can a man keep his “words” who iseither ignorant or forgetful of them.Reflection will show us that this test is anabsolutely reasonable one. Love alwaysconforms to the will and wishes of itsobject. See if it is not so. If the love ofChrist is a distinct enthusiasm of themind, the doing of his commandments isinevitable by the laws that govern themental operations of every human being.

But such an operative love of Christpresupposes faith, and acquaintance. Ifthe worm of doubt be gnawing at thefoundation, the growth of love is a moralimpossibility, or if there is no doubt, butonly distance, through “the lust of otherthings entering in” there will be the samefailure in the vigour of love. These are thetwo points we have to watch:

“Beware lest there be in any of youan evil heart of unbelief.”

How are we to beware of unbelief? Bybeing on our guard against that whichleads to it. Unbelief is the result ofignorance or partial knowledge in anymatter. The first condition of faith isknowledge. Let us give attention to thefacts—study the facts: keep companywith the facts. Let us take Paul’s advice toTimothy:

“give thyself wholly to them.”

They are worthy of it. There is no class offacts to be compared with the factsconcerning Christ. All other facts havebut a superficial bearing.Theyare limitedand transient.The facts concerningChristgo down to the foundations of being,affect the springs of all motive, touch thetrue philosophy of life, govern theeverlasting prospect for individual life.

How unwise to give them the secondplace.

“Let the Word of Christ dwell inyou richly.”

This is the apostolic exhortation. It is thevoice of reason. It means that we mustadopt the habits and methods that willlead to this result. How can a man expecttheWord of Christ to dwell richly in him,whodoesnot put it in, but fills uphismindinsteadwith thehuman thoughts reflectedin human literature of the moment, andallows his heart to bewholly preoccupiedwith the affairs of fleeting life,whichmaycollapse like a bubble any moment?“Give thyself to reading” are Paul’swords again. This is an absolutenecessity. Only by reading can we makeGod’s acquaintance in His revealedWord, and come under the power of Histhoughts and commandments. The dailyreading of the Bible ought to be theinexorable practice of every man andwoman who aims to “overcome” in thebattle all have to wage, who mean to “layhold on eternal life.”

Personal love towards Christ can only begenerated by contact with the personalmanifestation of him which we have inthe apostolic writings. It is thus that alllove comes by knowledge andacquaintance of the things or persons tobe loved. The means of acquaintance inthis case are wonderfully ample. Howfull, in the biographic sense, is theexhibitionofChrist in thegospels.Noonespoken of in the Scriptures receives theprominence thatChrist receives.Wehavevery little concerning even Moses in thepersonal sense. He appears merely as themedium and instrument of the divinecommands. The prophets, as persons, arescarcely visible in their communications.Of the apostles, we get but a very casualglimpse in their relations with Christ; but

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Christ stands before us in prolonged andfull drawn brightness, with many detailsof word, and work and gesture. We arepermitted to make his full acquaintance,though nothing is said of the colour of hishair, the contour or complexion of hisface, the measure of his stature, or othersuch immaterial particulars. We hear hisvoice, and see his demeanour and discernhis spirit. The contemplation leads us toexclaim, with Thomas, “my Lord andmyGod.”

We have been in his company thismorning in the readingof the24th chapterof Luke. This is perhaps the mostbeautiful of all the presentments of himwe have. The picture is full of tranquillityand sunshine. It is suggestive of themorning calm after the storm of a terriblenight. How pleasant to be with him as hejoins the two disciples on the road toEmmaus as they “walk and are sad”—holding their eyes that they should notknow him.

How deeply interesting to hear him ask,“What is the matter?”—and to note himlisten attentively while they rehearse theawful calamities of the last few days, andto listen to his cheering explanation of thewhys and the wherefores by appeal towhat was written inMoses, the Prophets,and the Psalms concerning himself. Howdelightful to turn into the samehousewiththem, and to hear him give thanks for therefreshment about to be partaken of.Howthrillingly perplexing to note his suddendisappearance and the surprisedembarrassment of the two as theyexchange excited comments on theextraordinary words of their vanishedcompanion, and gather up their things foran instantaneous return to Jerusalem.How pleasing when we get there to heartheir account to the eleven, that “the Lordhath risen indeed and hath appeared toSimon.” How agreeable to hear the

absorbing discussion which sets inamong them upon all these facts. Howunspeakable the impressiveness of hissudden reappearance in their midst, theirstupefied incredulity, his appeals to theirsenses, and his reassuring rally of theirmemory.

“These are the words which Ispake unto you while I was yetwith you that all thingsmust befulfilled which are written inthe Law of Moses and in theProphets and in the Psalmsconcerning me.”

A little way back, we arewith him in verydifferent circumstances: “In an agony,”inGethsemane, “hepraysmore earnestly,his sweat being as great drops of blood,falling to the ground.”

The mental conflict is appalling, inprospect of what is before him bycommand of the Father. We see himkneel;weseehimcasthimselfonhis face;we hear him earnestly implore:

“Father, if it be possible, letthis cup pass from me.Nevertheless, not my will butThine be done.”

We see an angel strengthen and sootheand encourage him to the submissionrequired. We see him at last a prisoner inthe hands of an unfeeling—a cruel mob;we see him in a court, the butt of judicialscorn and menial insult. We see himtreated as the basest criminal, under thescourge. We see him at last nailed to across under the open vault of heaven, aspectacle to a soul-less, jeering rabblesurging round. We hear his dying wail;we behold him lifeless hanging there, andwitness the frownof heaven in the veilingof the sun and the convulsion of the earth.

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“He gave himself for our sins thathe might redeem us from thispresent evil world.”

Further back still, we see a differentpicture. We see the Lord patientlyministering and teaching among crowdsof people who could give him no society;“going about and doing good”—to thesinner, saying “Neither do I condemnthee; go and sin no more;” to theforbidding and overzealous disciples,“Suffer the little children to come untome, for of such is the Kingdom ofheaven;” to the appealing blind man,whom the crowd try to silence, “Bid himcome hither,” to the emulative disciples,“This I command you that ye love oneanother. He that exalteth himself shall beabased. He that is greatest amongst you,let him be as he that serveth;” toJerusalem with tears, “If thou hadstknown even thou, at least in this thy day,the things that belong unto thy peace, butnow they are hid from thine eyes . . . OJerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest theprophets and stonest them that are sentunto thee, how often would I havegathered thy children as a hen gatherethher brood under her wings, but ye wouldnot. Behold, your house is left untodesolate, and ye shall not see mehenceforth until that time come that yeshall say, Blessed is he that cometh in thename of the Lord.”

If the contemplation of these aspects ofthe Lord excite our love, and commandour reverence, what shall we say of theone remaining aspect that lies ahead? It isno illusory act of the mind that looksforward to his reappearance in the earth.The expectation rests on the expresspromise of Christ himself, on the clear

foreshadowing of the prophets, who“spake as they were moved by the HolySpirit,” and on the repeated declaration ofthe apostles,whowere led into all truthbythe same Spirit as Jesus promised. Thecharacter of his second coming rests onthe same clearly-spoken andauthenticated word. It combines everyelement that is calculated to exciteadmiration and engage love. Power andexcellence, and goodness, on an errand ofrescue, always appeal to sympathy, evenon the low plane of humanity, but whatshall we say to such power, and suchexcellence, and such goodness, asappertain to the resurrected Lord Jesusarriving on such amission as theWord ofGod outlines for him:

“His rewardwith him and hisworkbefore him?”

We shall then see the full meaning of hiswords:

“All power is given to me inheaven and earth.”

The words are true now, but their truth isnot self-evident. We apprehend theirtruth by process of reason: “we walk byfaith and not by sight.” But when hecomes “in power and great glory and allthe holy angels with him,” it will nolonger be amatter of faith but of manifestfact that will move the world.

“Look, ye saints, the sight isglorious, see the man ofsorrows now, to the earthreturned victorious, everyknee to him shall bow.”

Every knee will not bow at first. It isrevealed that “the kings of the earth and

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their armies” will fight against him. It isalso revealed that “the Lamb shallovercome them,” and that “all nationsshall come and worship when thejudgments of God are made manifest.”How blessed to be among those who willbow the kneewith an enlightened alacrityat once. How “blessed are those servantswhom theLordwhenhe cometh shall findwatching,” and waiting, and longing, andpreparing. The Lord says he will himself“make them sit down to meat and comeforth and serve them.” He tells us he willinvite them to enter into his joy, to sitdown at his table, to share his throne, andto partake of the glory, and dominion, andhonour, and gladness that will belong tohim as the conquering King of all theearth. Yea, he will change them into hisown immortal nature and bring them intohis Father’s House as the bride whom heloves and whom he will take pleasure innourishing and cherishing and honouringfor evermore.

These are not pretty fables. They are notpoetical fancies. They are the words ofauthentic truth, as sober anddemonstrable as any problem inmathematics. How reasonable, then, toopen our hearts wide and warm to thereception and reciprocation of his love.How irrational and narrow-minded andbenighted to despise the love of Christ aseffeminate or a visionary.

It is neither visionary nor effeminate. It isas actual and solidly founded as anyhuman love under the sun, and it is noblerand more beautiful love than any to befound in merely natural channels amongthe sons of men. It is one of the thousandsadnesses of the age that amancultivatingthe enthusiastic love of Christ should be

regarded as an insipient maniac. It is allperfectly intelligible to those who areabreast of all the facts. Theworld does notlove Christ because he stands as thesymbol and incarnation of ideas withwhich it has no sympathy. He is themanifested name and authority of God,and for God the world has no taste. Theworld is amass of populationwhich caresonly for what it can eat and drink andsensuously enjoy. As John says:

“All that is in the world is thelust of the flesh, the lust of theeye, and the pride of life.”

As Jesus says:

“All these things the nations of theworld seek after.”

“They have not known the Fathernor me.”

They are, in relation to real wisdom,where the barbarians of uncivilisedcountries are in relation to the problemsand achievements of science.

Are we to be intimidated by the voice andexample of unreason because it has a hostof followers and slaves? Are we to shunthe light because “darkness covers theearth, and gross darkness the people?”Rather be it ours to walk in the light thatwe may be the children of the light whoshall receive the approbation of the Lordof Light when he comes to establish theeverlasting day that will chase from theearth for ever the dreadful night of sin andsorrow that broods everywhere on itssurface.

Robert Roberts,“Seasons of Comfort"

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Taking up the Cross

Wecome eachweek tomemorialize our absentMaster in taking a piece of bread, anddrinking sip ofwine. Simple things, yet profound in their significance as they portrayfor us the body given, and the blood poured out in a sacrificial death for theforgiveness of our sins, and the furtherance of the Divine Purpose. 1 Peter chapter2 exhorts us to see in Christ an example for daily living:

“for even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21).

OurNewTestament reading for thedaycontainsMessiah’sownexhortation to followhim, and it is this passage that we shall go in the search for instruction, comfort andguidance. Luke chapter nine, and verse twenty three reads:

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me …” (Lu. 9:23).

Notice that there are three stages referred to, for those whowish to come after Christ:

1. Let him deny himself2. Take up his cross daily3. Follow the Lord Jesus

We shall consider each aspect in turn.

DENYING SELF

The very first thing to be observed is the spirit of self-denial. In the service of Christ,there is no scope for self-service, putting “number one” first. Allmust be to the praiseof our Father, and the Son of His love – to deny one’s own self is paramount. Thedenial of self involves the denial of the wiles of our own nature, with all of itsaffections and lusts. “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of theeyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the worldpasseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 Jno.2:16-17). The lusts of our own natures must be denied and suppressed,even as the Apostle exhorted:

“put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, andmake not provision for the flesh, tofulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:14).

Notice the point here: “make not provision for the flesh”. Thoughwe experience thedesires and the lusts thereof, we must seek to overcome them: and wemust certainlynot purposefully make provision for them to be fulfilled. Again:

“…if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit domortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom. 8:13).

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Here, the situation is put very bluntly: if we follow the dictates of our own lusts we“shall die”. Wemust “mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body,” to find life. Buteven the most spiritually minded among us will still find themselves succumbing tothe flesh from time to time. If it was so in the case of Paul the Apostle (see Rom. 7),it is certainly so for ourselves.

How then can we find life? Salvation is not of ourselves, as it is written: “by graceare ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).And in this is great comfort. Absolute and total obedience is something which isbeyond our power to accomplish, and so the fact that salvation is not of ourselves, butbyGod’sGrace is a source of great comfort whenwe recognise our personal failings.

The context of this passage in Romans chapter 8, is to do with the development of acarnal mind, or a spiritual mind:

“to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life andpeace” (Rom. 8:6).

A carnal mind is a mind dominated by carnal thoughts. And conversely, a spiritualmind is a mind dominated by spiritual thoughts. We can develop a spiritual mind bydenying ourselves, and seeking after the ways of the living God. To seek first HisKingdom andHis Righteousness above all else. This is what will judge us at the last:not whether or not we trip and stumble along the way of life, but whether we havesought to fill ourmindswith the things of the Spirit: thenwe shall have life and peace.

DENYING CHRIST

Another aspect of denial which wemust not pass bywithout mention, is the denial ofChrist. This is the opposite of denying self. The inspired narrative records theexperiences of Simon Peter, a man great in faith – or so he thought at the time:

“Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offendedbecause of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Mat. 26:33).

Theremight be timeswhenwe feel as invincible as Peter:wewill never leave the pathof life,wewill never deny ourMaster, or be offended by an associationwith him. Butthe reality is that we are no better than Peter, and probably a lot worse. Jesus repliedto him:

“Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, though shaltdeny me thrice” (Mat. 26:34).

The consequence of denying the Lord in word or deed is expressed thus:

“… he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels ofGod” (Lu. 12:9).

Peter, of course, repented, andwhilst in amoment of weakness he denied associationwhich Christ, he spent the rest of his life declaring him, and preaching the gospel of

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salvation. His denials camewhen asked about his association with the Lord by thosehe came into contact with - and interestingly, in his epistle, he wrote:

“… sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give ananswer to everyman that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in youwithmeekness and fear …” (1 Pet. 3:15).

So it was that from being afraid and unprepared, Peter became amessenger of Christ,proclaiming the Gospel, and exhorting others to “be ready” to do that which he hadfailed to do. The exhortation here is obvious: wemust not deny ourMaster by failingto preach our relationship with him, and instead, wemust always be ready to confessand give an answer to those who ask us.

TAKING UP THE CROSS DAILY

This aspect is something that is often misunderstood. When people experience aparticular difficulty in their lives that requires patience to deal with it, they often say,“we all have our cross to bear”. However,whenwe consider it inmore detail, we findthat “the cross” here is somethingmore than the general difficulties that come in life:it is something we must do as part of our service to Christ. That this is so is evidentwhenwe remember that taking up the cross is specifically something that wemust dowhen following Christ.

TheMaster tells us that wemust take up our cross “daily”. Accordingly, the Apostlesaid: “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). Again, he refers to the putting to death of carnaldesires:

“… I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christliveth in me …” (Gal. 2:20)

And again:

“they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections andlusts” (Gal. 5:24).

But how is it that we crucify the flesh? In our association with Christ throughsubmitting to Baptism, it is said that:

“we are buried with him by baptism into death …” (Rom. 6:4)

And again:

“if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall bealso in the likeness of his resurrection” (Rom. 6:5).

So, when we go down into the waters of Baptism, we symbolically undergo a burial,andwe resolve to put to death the ways of the flesh – crucifying the flesh with Christ.But our resolve to crucify the flesh is not something that happened once, when we

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were baptized some time ago: it is something thatmust be ongoing: “I die daily,” saidthe apostle. Again, the Master exhorts us to “take up [our] cross daily …” . This isa feature which also comes out in Romans chapter 6, in the marginal rendering. Inverse 3,we read: “knowyenot that somanyof uswere baptized into JesusChristwerebaptized into his death?” Here, the word “were” is given an alternative rendering inthemargin, of “are”. The difference is this: our baptism is not simply something thattook place some time ago, which we can consider as something we did in the past –it is an ongoing process. We continue to live out the spirit of our baptism in our dailylives, dying daily, taking up the cross daily.

In Matthew chapter 11, the Master speaks of the burden which we must bear as partofour service tohim. Buthere, theburden isdescribedas “light”whencomparedwithlaboring under the burden of sin:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give yourest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowlyin heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and myburden is light” (Mat. 11:28-30).

The burden we must bear is the cross of Christ, and although it might bring us intodifficult circumstances,wemust remember thegreat “eternalweight of glory” (2Cor.4:17). Compared with this, our present difficulties appear in their proper context, as“light affliction”, to become but a fading memory when living in the blessings of theage to come.

FOLLOWME

Returning to the example of Simon Peter, we read that on a particular occasion, hestood as an adversary (satan) to the Lord. Jesus was describing to his disciples howthat he must be “killed, and be raised again the third day” (Mat. 16:21). Peterresponded by rebuking Christ:

“Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee,Lord: this shall not be unto thee” (Mat. 16:22).

Here, Peter took upon himself the role of instructing the Son of the Highest! So theMaster put him in his proper place:

“but he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art anoffence untome: for thou savourest not the things that be ofGod, but thosethat be of men” (Mat. 16:23).

Notice the words of Christ: “get thee behindme”. Our position as disciples is that offollowing Christ: behind him. And it is in this context that Christ spoke of how thedisciples must “take up his cross and follow me”. Rather than to deny the need ofChrist’s sufferings and crucifixion, we need to embrace it, and associate ourselveswith it, by taking up our cross, and following Him.

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Luke chapter 23 introduces us to another Simon, who quite literally carried the crossof Christ, and followed him. Having been scourged, and harshly treated, the Mastercould not physically carry his cross alone to the place of crucifixion. So, a certainSimon of Cyrene was taken to help him:

“as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, aCyrenian, comingout of the country, andonhim they laid the cross, thathemight bear it afterJesus” (Luke 23:26).

The sense here is not that Jesus put the cross down, and then Simon took it up, andcarried it instead. Rather, that Simoncarried the crosswithChrist: he tookup thebackend, so to speak, and carried it following Jesus who led the way at the front. Simonthus literally associated himself with the crucifixion of Christ, following him, andbearing the cross after, or behind, him.

This helps us to resolve a difficulty that some find in the words of Paul to theGalatians. Firstly we read:

“bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

Then we read a few verses later:

“ever man shall bear his own burden” (verse 5).

The difficulty is that if we are bearing our brother’s burden instead of him, how is itthat he is said to be bearing his own burden? The answer is in the example of Christ.Simon helped to bare Christ’s burden, just as we must help to bear one another’sburden. Not that we can take that burden away, and carry it instead of our brother,but that rather, we can share it, and help each other bare our cross as we walk in thesteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We began by citing the words of Peter concerning the example of our Lord JesusChrist:

“ … Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye shouldfollowhis steps:whodidnosin, neitherwasguile found inhismouth:Who,when hewas reviled reviled not again;when he suffered he threatened not;but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously …” (1 Pet.2:21-23).

The steps of Christ lead us through the difficulties which beset us as we labour underthe infirmities of a mortal life. They take us through the sufferings which involvecrucifying the flesh to the glory which shall follow. So, we are exhorted to:

“look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy thatwas set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set downat the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

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Before the crownof glory, came the crownof thorns. To live a life following theLordJesus Christ, is to live a life of crucifying the flesh daily. Crucifixion was the mostpainful and cruel death imaginable: even so to crucify the flesh is not pleasant – it ispainful. But we are not alone in bearing the burden. We saw above, that we are toput on the yoke of Christ (Mat. 11:30). A yoke is something that was born not by oneanimal alone, but together in pairs. We are not alone in our bearing of the cross ofChrist: he is there to helpus, andour brethren and sisters helpus also– andwe to them.All of these thoughts come together in the emblems that we partake ofweek byweek.We think of the suffering savior, and what he has done for us, in laying down his lifefor his friends. Even so, we lay down our lives in service to him, coming after him,denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following him in all his ways.

Christopher Maddocks

Loving the Word

Our scheduled readings for the day bring us to consider a portion of Psalm 119, andit is to the section of verses 97 to 104 that we shall go for words of exhortation. Thefirst verse in this section expresses the Psalmists love for the words of God:

“O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psa. 119:1).

The loving of the law of God is a characteristic of the faithful, who search theScriptures daily as circumstances allow, and this is by no means the only passage inthe Psalms that expresses such a sentiment. The very first Psalm reads:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, norstandeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Buthis delight is in the law of Yahweh; and in his law doth he meditate dayand night” (Psa. 1:1-2).

Notice the contrast here: rather than to conform to the ways of the ungodly, therighteous keeps himself separate – and the means by which he can achieve this, is tomeditate in the law day and night. The Apostle cites this Psalm:

“I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law inmy members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me intocaptivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom. 7:22-23).

The context is to do with an internal struggle between two principles: the love for theWord of God and the accompanying desire to follow it, and the natural inclination ofthe flesh, styled in this chapter as “sin that dwelleth inme”. There is enmity betweenthe two, as Paul expresses it elsewhere:

“the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: andthese things are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the thingsthat ye would” (Gal. 5:17).

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Weareyet “without strength” (Rom.5:6) to saveourselves, andovercome this sin thatdoth so easily beset us – but through Christ we achieve the victory, and can rejoicewithPaul: “I thankGod throughJesusChrist ourLord. So then,with themind Imyselfserve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin” (Rom. 7:25). That is to say,his mind was dominated with spiritual thoughts, and when he sinned it was not of hisownwill, but a consequence of the sinful nature possessed by all of Adam’s progeny.

The first Epistle of John describes the means by which we might control our sinfuldesires: “whosever is born ofGod doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him:and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 Jno. 3:9). The mortal brethren inChrist do continue to sin: we do not have the strength to overcome our own flawednature. But when they do, it is not the “inward man” that sins, but the old man of thefleshwhich raises its head from time to time, andwhichwe seek to crucify daily. Theseed of the word remains in our thinking, and influences our minds to becomespiritual, that is, dominated by spiritual thoughts.

InPsalm119, andPsalm1(above), thePsalmistdescribeshowoutof love for theLaw,hemeditated upon it daily – in fact, all the day. It is a consistent principle of Scripturethat we must continually attend to the Word, as opportunity arises:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not tobe ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Combining the senses of these verses, we find that Christ’s brethren do not study theword out of compulsion, but of desire. We enjoy finding the hidden treasures of theWord, and delight in learning new things.

We might ask the question, how can we possibly meditate on the Word all the daylong: we have other things which wemust do; daily chores and work. The answer tothe problem comeswhenwe realize themeaning of theHebrewword for “meditate”.Literally, it means to “speak”: the Word speaks to us throughout the day. We seekto apply the principles of theWord inwhatever circumstancewe find ourselves. Andas we conduct our daily business, we will find that verses of Scripture that we havecommitted to memory come to mind in particularly appropriate circumstances. Weseek to follow those passages as a guide to how to conduct ourselves throughout theday. But if we do not study the word, it will not be dwelling in us, and we will losethe great strength and comfort that it can give.

The Psalmist continues to describe the wisdom that the Word can give:

“thou hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.I havemore understanding than allmy teachers: for thy testimonies aremymeditation” (Psa. 119:98-99).

This is another delightful effect of a continual application to the testimonies ofScripture: it will give us a wisdom that greatly surpasses those who do not engage inregular Bible study. Jeremiah portrays Israel, and the wise men thereof, as spurningthe revealed Word:

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“how do you say we are wise, and the law of Yahweh is with us? Lo, certainlyin vainmade he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamedand taken: lo, they have rejected the word of Yahweh; and what wisdom is inthem?” (Jer. 8:8-9).

Here were the great men of the age - but yet they rejected and spurned the Word ofGod. Professing themselves to bewise, they become fools by comparison. The sameis true today: great men of the clergy portray themselves as wise authorities of theBible, whereas their wisdom is seen to be but folly when compared with the faith ofthe humblest of Christ’s brethren. So “it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of thewise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise?Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of thisworld?” (1 Cor. 1:19-20). The calling of God does not appeal to those who are wisein their own conceits: it is rather extended to thosewhowould delight in, and embracethe Word of God, and the promises it contains. “ye see your calling, brethren, howthat not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called:but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and Godhath chosen theweak things of theworld to confound the thingswhich aremighty” (1Cor. 1:27).

Christ’s brethren therefore, in whatever circumstances they find themselves in,possess a wisdom that is greater than those who would profess to be teachers, andgreater still than their enemies.

In these things, we have as a preeminent example in Messiah himself. Being but 12years of age, he was in the presence of the “doctors” of divinity of their day, “bothhearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished athis understanding and answers: (Lu. 2:47-48). At the tender age of 12, Christ’swisdom was greater than the teachers in Jerusalem – teachers that soon became hisfoes.

Ofcourse, it almost goeswithout saying thatwisdomis something tobe implemented.It is the ‘doing’ part of knowledge: i.e.weact on andapply theknowledgeofScriptureto the various circumstances of our lives. That is wisdom: the application ofknowledge.

Verse 101 of our section of verses then, tells us the consequence of keeping wisdom:

“I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thyword” (Psa. 119:101).

There is a way that is evil, and which we must not walk along. Proverbs chapter 1exhorts the student of the Word to avoid the path of the wicked: “My son, walk notthou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path …” (Prov. 1:15). Again,Psalm 1, which we just looked at, speaks the same sentiments:

“blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, norstandeth in thewayofsinners,norsitteth in theseatof thescornful”(Psa.1:1).

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“The way of sinners”, AKA, the “evil way” of Psalm 119 is something to be avoidedat all costs. Messiah himself taught that there are essentially two ways traversed byall ofmankind: a broadway, able to easily accommodate themultitudes, and a narrowway, whose entrance must be diligently sought for:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate; forwide is the gate, and broad is theway, thatleadeth to destruction, and many there by which go in thereat: Becausestrait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and fewthere be that find it” (Mat. 7:13-14).

The majority of mankind walk forward into destruction at the last, whereas Christ’sbrethren walk a lonely path, with only a comparative “few” for company along theway – but theirs is the Way of Life. But how can it be so? How can so many peoplehave got it all wrong? Why should we suppose that we are in the right, consideringthat we are in the minority? The answer is in Proverbs 14:

“there is a waywhich seemeth right unto aman, but the end thereof are theways of death” (Prov. 14:12).

This is the “broad way” – it seems to be right until scrutinized carefully in the lightof Scripture, and being wide, it is able to accommodate all the things that ‘narrowminded’ brethren cannot accept. But it leads to no other destination, than death.

Going back to Psalm 119, verse 103 returns to the delightful aspect of the word: it ispleasant to partake of, comparative to sweet honey to the taste:

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter far than honey tomy mouth” (Psa. 119:103).

Psalm 19 speaks likewise:

“… the judgments of Yahweh are true and righteous altogether. More tobedesired are they thangold: sweeter also thanhoney, and thehoneycomb.Moreover, by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there isgreat reward” (Psa. 19:10-11).

More precious than gold itself, the judgments of Yahweh are greatly to be desired.There is pleasure in partaking of it: we have often found that even just the reading oftheWord can calm themind, and lift it to a higher plane. Truly, it is sweet to theBibleStudent.

Psalm 34 also speaks in this vein:

“O taste, and see that Yahweh is good: blessed is the man that trusteth inhim” (Psa. 34:8).

We must esteem the commandments of God as being of greater importance than ourdaily food, and “taste” them daily. For those who say they have no time for Bible

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Study: Do you find time to eat your food? Then why not the Spiritual food? Cutsomething out of your activities if necessary: turn the internet, radio, or television off,and read your Bible instead – the benefits will greatly outweigh the sacrifice.

This section of Psalm 119 ends with verse 104:

“through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every falseway” (Psa. 119:104).

This aspect of hate is something thatmanyof our generation do not understand. “Godis love,” we are told, and we ought not hate others. Truly it is that “God is love,” butHe is also a God of righteousness and judgment. He does not love those who corruptHis Word into another gospel, which is impotent to save. There is a time and placefor all things: “a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time ofpeace” (Eccl. 3:8). Indeed, Proverbs defines the fear of Yahweh for us: “the fear ofYahweh is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evilway, and the frowardmouth,do I hate” (Prov. 8:13).

Aswe come to focus our attention on the sacrifice of ourLord JesusChrist,we beholdboth love and hate. Hatred of sin, but love extending to those who repent, and seekfirst the kingdom of God in their lives. In the death of our Master, we receive loveand forgiveness, and in his resurrection, we have a hope of an endless life with him.The commandments of God are able to make us wise unto salvation, and a love forthem indicates a mind which is healthy in spiritual things.

The 1st Epistle of John has as it’s main theme, the aspect of love. Chapter twoindicates those things that we ought not love:

“love not theworld, neither the things that are in theworld. If anyman lovethe world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not ofthe Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lustthereof: but he that doeth thewill ofGod abideth for ever” (1 Jno. 2:15-17).

If we love the things of the spirit of God, we will inevitably hate those things thatbelong to the world. But our hope is not negative, focusing on those hateful thingsof the flesh, but positive, focusing on the forgiveness of God through the shed bloodofHis son. Here is the exhortation: ifwe love theWord,wewill love thosewho followthat Word.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one thatloveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth notGod; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us,because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we mightlive through him …” (1 Jno. 4:7-9).

Aswecome to the emblemsof bread andwine,webehold tokens of love,which speaktousof the sacrificeofour absentMaster, and thecertainhope that hewill surely come

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at the time appointed by the Father. But the love which we behold, and seek toreciprocate is not a passive emotion, but something which finds its outworking in apractical reality: the crucifixionof the flesh. Even asChrist lovedus,weought to loveone another, and help each other along the way. Here is the example of true love: thelaying down of life for one’s friends (Jno. 15:30). Even as Christ laid down his lifefor his brethren, we ought lay down our lives in service to each other, and to Him,seeing to reciprocate that love shown tous. And then, being amongst that bandofmenwho love the appearing of Christ, we shall be given entry into the kingdom to come,to live and reign with Messiah throughout the ages to come.

Christopher Maddocks

“Let This Mind be in You”

Our readings for the day bring us to a consideration of the epistle of the Spirit throughPaul to the Philippians. The ecclesia at Philippi hadmuch to commend it: its exampleof steadfastness was a source of great joy to the apostle – indeed, the aspect of Joy isone of the main themes of this epistle. Paul, we are told in Chapter 1 and verse 3,thanked God “upon every remembrance of you”, and again, he writes: “God is myrecord, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ” (verse 8). Butthere was a problem within the ecclesia. There were two individuals that disturbedthe peace and joy between the brethren and sisters: namely Euodias, and Syntychetwo sisters who were at variance with each other. So Paul exhorts them: “I beseechEuodias, andbeseechSyntyche, that theymaybeof the samemind in theLord” (Phil.4:2). Whatever the root problem was, we are not informed, but they were entreatedby Paul to be “of the same mind”.

This same exhortation is brought to bear in chapter 1:

“let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind leteach esteem other better than themselves …” (Phil. 1:3).

Here is the secret to solving personal problems between brethren and sisters: toesteem each other better than ourselves. As Paul expressed it elsewhere: “be kindlyaffectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring oneanother” (Rom. 12:10). Love does not vaunt itself (1 Cor. 13:4), but seeks to covera multitude of sins. We must exercise the same forbearance to our brethren andsisters, aswe require from them. Love seeks not her own (1Cor. 13:5), but the benefitof others. In esteeming each other better than ourselves, we adopt the position ofservants,ministering to theneedsofoneanother. So theexhortationcontinues: “Look

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not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things ofothers” (Phil. 2:4).

The allusion here appears to be to the Cherubim that overshadowed themercy seat ofthe tabernacle system of things. Exodus chapter 25 records their position andformation:

“the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seatwith their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercyseat shall the faces of the cherubim be” (Exod. 25:20).

Notice that here, the faces of the Cherubim, it is said, “shall look one to another”, aswell as being “toward the mercy seat”. The interesting thing here, is that the wordtranslated“another” is theusualword for “brother”. That is, these twoCherubimwerelookingeachone tohis brother! So it is thatwhilst our direction is focusedonMessiahas being the antitypical mercy seat, we also look towards each other, with care andconsideration, seeing how we can encourage each other, and share the burdens thatlife brings.

In exhorting the dissenting members to be “of one mind”, the Apostle directs ourattention to the example ofMessiah himself. “Let thismind be in you,whichwas alsoinChrist Jesus…”. Here is the ultimate example of humility, and seeking thewelfareof others. In Christ Jesus we see amindwhichwe should seek to emulate: amind notdominatedwith the selfish cares of this life, but onewhich inclined to the doing of hisFather’sWill, and amind of subjection in order tomeet the needs of his brethren. Wefind that there a number of particulars described in this chapter relating to the mindof Christ, and we shall proceed through them in order.

The Image of God

Verse 6 describes the Master thus:

“who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal withGod” (Phil. 2:6).

The word “form” carries the sense of a likeness, or image. Accordingly, we read inHebrews chapter 1, that Christ is “the brightness of His glory, and the express imageof his person” (Heb. 1:3). Trinitarians misuse this verse in Philippians to attempt toprove that Jesus wasGod, being part of a triuneGodhead, but it proves nothing of thesort. Rather, it proves that Jesus was in the image, or likeness of his Father.

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Genesis chapter 1 records the original purpose ofGodwithman, whichwas to reflectthe likeness, or image, of his Creator:

“and God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… so Godcreated man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male andfemale created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27).

Adam, however failed. He transgressed against God, and so instead developed thelikeness of sinful flesh. Jesus, however, overcame where Adam fell short. He diddisplay the glorious array of his Father’s Attributes, so that whilst bearing the weakand sinful nature of all of Adam’s progeny, he showed forth the image of AlmightyGod in his life.

TheAVrenderingof theverseunder consideration is: “Whobeing in the formofGod,thought it not robbery to be equal with God…”. However, other translations renderit “though not equality with God something to be grasped”. Assuming this to be anaccurate rendering, we have another allusion to the first human pair. Genesis chapter3 recounts how that Eve was tempted by the Serpent to transgress:

“…and the serpent said unto thewoman,Ye shall not surely die: ForGod dothknow that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shallbe as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).

To be “as gods”, or elohim (the heavenly host)was part of the temptation. Eve soughtto attain to it by reaching out, and grasping the forbidden fruit. But by contrast, Jesusdid not grasp for equality with God, but humbled himself to become “the form of aservant”.

The Form of a Servant

The apostle continues to describe the mind of our Master:-

“…butmadehimself ofno reputation, and tookuponhimthe formof a servant,and was made in the likeness of men…” (Phil. 2:7).

Theword translated “no reputation” is literally, that he “emptied himself”. Divestinghimself of every element of human pride and self-aggrandizement, he emptiedhimself totally in service to his Father, like the drink offering being poured out undertheLaw.Speakingof “my servant” through the prophet Isaiah,Yahwehdeclared: “…his visagewas somarredmore than anyman, and his formmore than the sons ofmen…” (Isa. 52:14).

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His form was that of a servant, and his service required that he be found “in thelikeness of men”.

This latter aspect is something emphasized very strongly in the book of Hebrews:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he alsohimself likewise took part of the same… in all things it behoved him to bemade likeuntohis brethren, that hemight be amerciful and faithful highpriestin things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of thepeople” (Heb. 2:14, 17).

The point is, that Christ could only defeat the great enemy – human nature itself – bypossessing that nature, and overcoming it’s inclination to evil. The record could notbe stronger: “he himself likewise” took part of the same flesh and blood of hisbrethren, and this was necessary for him to be “a merciful and faithful high priest”,to atone for the sins of his brethren.

Becoming “obedient unto death”

One of the great difficulties for Trinitarians is to explain how it is, that part of animmortal godheadwouldhave to ‘become’obedient untodeath. That is the testimonyof Scripture: “he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the deathof the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Similarly, it is stated elsewhere that “though he were a Son,yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:8). Whywould animmortal part of the Godhead need to learn anything, let alone how to be obedient tothe will of the Father part? Why would he need to learn, and become obediencethrough suffering? We can readily understand however, if he were born of a woman,and partook of a nature that needed to be mastered. Each trial he was subjected towould be greater than the last, building him up to the greatest trial of all: to lay downhis life for his friends – and to take it again, being elevated in glory. His sufferingstaught himobedience, and it took apreparationperiodof 30years before hewas readyto commence his ministry, and make the ultimate sacrifice.

It is stated that “he humbled himself”. It is an aspect of Divine Wisdom, that beforeglory comes humility: “whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he thatshall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mat. 23:12). In this,we have the divine order,as exemplified in the Master himself. Rather than to vaunt ourselves above ourbrethren, we need to “each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3), and it isto the mind of Christ that we go, to learn humility before glory.

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The Exaltation to Follow

Because of our Lord’s obedience unto death, “God also hath highly exaltedhim” (Phil. 2:9). This exaltation of Christ comes out in many Old Testamentprophecies, for example Isaiah chapter 52:

“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, andbe very high” (Isa. 52:13).

Again, theNewTestament echoes this same vital teaching, speaking of howour Lordis:“far above all principality, and power andmight, and dominion, and that everyname that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is tocome” (Eph. 1:21).

Though he was despised and rejected of men, he was raised to a highly exaltedposition, and it iswithDivine authority that he shall comeagain to reignover the earthas king. He is above “every name that is named”, for his name contains his Father’sName (Yah-shua), which shall be highly esteemed in the age to come.

Bowing Before the Name

Whereas in our day, the phrase “Jesus Christ” is used as an oath of contempt, in theage to come, it shall be highly esteemed and honoured:

“at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and thingsin the earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue should confess thatJesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).

There is an interesting contrast here, with the idolatry of Babylon, as described inDaniel chapter 3. Here, Nebuchadnezzar made an idol of gold, and commanded thatevery person should bow before it:

“to you it is commanded, O people, nations and languages, that at what timeye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and allkinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image thatNebuchadnezzar the king had set up …” (Dan. 3:4-5).

At the soundingof the instruments, everykneewas tobowbefore the Image. But therewere threemenwho refused to conform to the commandment, and the example of themajority who obeyed it. Even though they were threatened with death by being castinto the fiery furnace, they refused:

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“If it be so, our Godwhomwe serve is able to deliver us from the burning fieryfurnace, and hewill deliver us out of thine hand,Oking. But if not, be it knownunto thee,Oking, thatwewill not serve thygods, norworship thegolden imagewhich thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:17-18).

Here was an uncompromising refusal to bow before the altar of mammon. When allaround them, men and women were bowing down in worship to the golden image,these three men stood tall, and trusted in the power of their God to save. A passagein Romans chapter 12 seems to be relevant:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by themercies of God, that ye present yourbodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonableservice. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by therenewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).

These threemen refused to conform. Theworld around themworshipped an idol, thework ofmen’s hands, but they refused to do likewise. Even so, all around usmen andwomen bow before the god of this world, even King Sin. But what is our approachto these things? Shall we conform? Only at the Name of Jesus shall we bow, and noother. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, we will not submit, but rather trustin Yahweh’s power to save – and of a certainty he will.

The Mind of Christ

In considering these things, we have a powerful exhotation in the example of ourRedeemer. Rather than to strive with our fellow brethren over matters of noconsequence, theApostle exhortsus todevelop theMindofChrist. Andwhatwehaveseen is that theMind ofChrist is amind of humility, subjection, and obedience beforeYahweh Himself. The Psalmist describes such a spirit, to be developed in truebelievers:

“Yahweh, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercisemyself in great matters, or in things too high for me …” (Psa. 131:1).

The Lord Jesus Christ showed the true spirit of humility, and we must do likewise.Devoting our lives in Divine service, we seek not our own affairs only, but like theCherubim of Glory, we look also to the affairs of others, to give brotherly helpwherethe need arises. And humbling ourselves in the hand of Almighty God, we lookforward to theglory that shall follow, asweshall liveand reignwithChrist throughoutthe ages to come.

Christopher Maddocks