O what a marvellous truth for me and for every God-sent minister to know that the iniquity of the pulpit, the iniquity of the closet, the iniquity of my believing, the iniquity of my repentings; ay, the iniquity of the sweetest hours of spiritual enjoyment is borne by our great High Priest.

"I will pray the Father." Look at the model of His intercession given in John xvii. 9: "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me: for they are Thine." Notice that. He does not pray for everybody, but for the given ones. Look at verse 11: "Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as we are." Look at verse 15: I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Turn to verse 20: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word. That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." See! He prays. He demands. He commands. "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world." On what ground does He pray? On that of the Father's purpose and promises, and of His own performances. He pleads His death and blood-shedding, His forfeited life, His perfect righteousness. Look at Rom. viii. 34: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." For who? For those who are loved of God and hated by the devil. For those who are ofttimes feelingly out of the way, and encompassed with infirmity. For those of us who know not what to pray for as we ought, and who experience groanings which cannot be uttered. These are the characters for whom the Lord Jesus Christ makes all-powerful and all-prevalent intercession. Look at that precious declaration in Heb. vii. 25: "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." To the uttermost of their sinning. To the uttermost of all their doubting. To the uttermost of all their ingratitude and forgetfulness. Now look at 1 John ii. 1: "My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin-." That just suits me. It is not "if any man believe." There are many hours in the day when I do not believe, and you may rest assured that I can never believe except the faith of the great and glorious Head is communicated to me by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is not "if any man repent," for sometimes we go whole days with hearts very hard, very cold, very indifferent. I think I hear some one saying, Are you so highly favoured as that? No, my dear friend, I am

not. I have to spend whole weeks and sometimes longer in the cold, and it is only when I am brought into the pulpit that I am blessed with a little warmth and bubbling up within. But mark. It is not " if any man pray." No, no. It is this: "If any man sin." Where does he sin? Some people talk of sin as though it is only to be found in the beer-shop, the gin-palace, or the theatre. If you wish to know where sin is, you must go to the pew where sits a broken-hearted sinner, or to a pulpit where a Spirit-taught preacher stands. These persons see sin where others see beauty and obedience. Those who are taught of God, can see and feel in those things which are virtues according to the world's estimation, so many vices deserving God's eternal wrath. It is to such He manifests Himself as the God of all grace. To such John by the Holy Ghost says, "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." What do you think of such a glorious One as this? He knows that ofttimes you desire to open up your heart to the Father when deadness and barrenness are experienced. He says, "I will pray the Father" for you. It is a precious privilege to know that, at this very moment, the gift of the Father, His own dear Son, who descended to our doom, death, and damnation, bore it all away, made an end of sin, abolished death, entered heaven's highest glory, appears in the presence of God for all the given ones, and, according to Proverbs xxxi. 8, "Opens His mouth for the dumb, in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction." Are there any poor, dumb children here? There is One opening His mouth for you up yonder. He says here, "I will pray the Father." How does He pray? According to that precious 17th of John. Vastly different to the way in which we pray: "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done." Jesus says, "I have" done everything that I held Myself responsible to do for My people, and now I will that they be with Me where I am."

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IV. THE SPIRIT'S PERSONALITY-" Another Comforter-the Spirit of truth." In connection with a vast amount of preaching in the present day, the question may be asked, Is there such a person as the Holy Ghost? In His person and work He is ignored on every hand. But the Lord Jesus Christ positively declared, "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter." This Comforter is God the ever-blessed Spirit who was one with the Father and the Son before all worlds. He appeared in the work of creation according to Gen. i. 2: "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Look at Psa. xxxiii. 6: "By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made." That is God's Christ. "And all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth." That is the Holy Ghost. Turn to Isa. xlviii. 16. Here the Christ of God is speaking: "And now the Lord GOD, and His Spirit, hath sent Me;" or, as it might be correctly rendered: "And now the

Lord God hath sent Me and His Spirit." The Son was sent, and having accomplished the work the Father gave Him to do, He returned to His Father to render an account of the work done. See Psa. lxviii. 18: "Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive; Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them." The first gift bestowed was that of the Comforter at Pentecost. Christ, according to ancient prophecy, had comforted sad hearts in Zion. When He was about to be taken away, and the hearts of His disciples were filled with sorrow, He said, "I will send you another Comforter." Another Paraclete. Another Teacher. Another Guide. Another Conductor to eternal glory. Why did the Lord Jesus Christ send another Comforter? Because He knew how short-sighted and forgetful His people would be. Read ver. 26: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." All things. What! do you know all things? Yes, all things necessary for me to know up to this moment of time. It is the blessed privilege of every child of God that the Holy Ghost, as the Witness of the covenant, holds Himself responsible to communicate to the waiting people of God all things necessary to their salvation, spiritual education, and safe conduct to glory. He is not only the Teacher, but the Remembrancer. That will do for some of us who have bad memories. Ofttimes we have heard the voice of the Beloved, and have been blessed with sweet instruction from His lips, so that our hearts have melted under a sweet sense of His love and kindness; but where are we now? Forgetful, and like leaky vessels. In purest love and sympathy with you, Jesus says: "He shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The blessed Spirit will see to it that not a gracious word committed by the Father into the hands of Christ for His people before the worlds were framed, shall be void. Look again (John xvi. 13): "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." With so blessed a revelation and apprehension of the personality and power of the Holy Ghost our hearts must of necessity be filled with joy. See Acts ix. 31: "Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." What is this comfort? Rom. v. 5: "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Tell me, ye who know anything of the shedding abroad of this love in your hearts, has it not filled you with comfort unspeakable

and consolations which you could never communicate to another? Turn to Rom. viii. 14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Led in the footsteps of the suffering and glorified Head. See Matt. iv. 1: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Have you been led there? Then after the temptation returning by the power of the same Spirit to declare what God has done graciously in you? What think you of verse 26?-"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Is it not a comfort for me to know that all acceptable prayer to the Father is by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost who creates desires for those blessings which God in covenant fore-designed to give. Read Gal. iv. 6: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Who cries? Not you, but the Spirit of God's Son in you. Blessed Spirit, do Thou take of the things of Christ and with them comfort our hearts.

V. THE WORLD'S IGNORANCE AND ENMITY-" Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him." The world's enmity to the Spirit is manifest everywhere. In the old dispensation the world said of the Father: "Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways" (Job xxi. 14). When Jesus came in the flesh, the world said of Him: "We will not have this Man to reign over us." In this dispensation of grace, the world and the professing Church ignore the Spirit. Christ came unto His own and His own received Him not; but seized Him, crucified Him, and slew Him. So now, the religious and irreligious world would crucify the Holy Ghost. Jesus conveyed this fact to His sorrowing disciples. "The world will seize upon Me and tear Me from you, but I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter whom the world cannot seize upon nor tear away from you." Why not? Because it seeth Him not." He is a Spirit. "Neither knoweth Him." The time is gone, and I can only glance at

VI. THE CHURCH'S KNOWLEDGE AND LOVE"But ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." In you as your Counsellor and Comforter, according to that precious

verse

"And Thou, eternal Spirit vast,
What love can Thine transcend?
Since Thou Thy lot with me hath cast,
Indwelling God and Friend."

God the Holy Ghost

in the Church and with the Church. How long? For ever. Through grace to glory. In life directing. Throughout a long eternity. blessing for Christ's sake. Amen.

In death consoling.
May He add His

JEHOVAH-JESUS, THE LOVER, HUSBAND, AND

GLORIFIER OF HIS CHURCH.

A Sermon

PREACHED IN GROVE CHAPEL, CAMBERWELL, ON SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 30TH, 1878, BY

THOMAS BRADBURY.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it:

"That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

"That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."Ephesians v. 25-27.

THE

HE design of the Holy Ghost in inspiring the apostle Paul to write this marvellous epistle was to set forth the fellowship, privileges, and immunities of the family of the living God. God's elect, who are brought to the spiritual knowledge of their high calling of God in Christ Jesus, not only know that they are born again and possess certain evidences indicating JEHOVAH'S care and concern over them, but something higher, grander, and more glorious, as declared by the Holy Ghost in Isa. lvi. 5: "Even unto them will I give in Mine house and within My walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters: and I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off." There appears to me a spiritual exposition of this in the second chapter of this epistle, where, after a description of the Church and people of God in their natural state, the apostle says, "But." That is a marvellous "But" of the Lord God Almighty, appearing like a glorious breakwater, over which the floods of

*Suggested by the marriage of Miss Eugenie Whitlock, eldest daughter of Mr. Frank Whitlock, of Limpsfield, Tulse-hill, and a member of the Church of Christ worshipping in Grove Chapel, to Mr Clement John Cowell, of Chelmsford, second son of Mr. George Cowell," Wayside Notes'" writer in the Gospel Magazine, on the previous Wednesday, June 26, 1878.

No. 83.-PRICE ONE PENNY,