O Lord! 'tis sweet the thought That Thou art mine!

But brighter still the joy That I am Thine.

Oh, dear Christian readers, how happy we might be if only all this were constantly real to our hearts and our minds were occupied with that blessed, glorious One. What joy and blessing we will have, if we walk closer with the Lord and live that life to which we have been called, live by the faith of the Son of G.o.d.

And the words He left us are just like Himself, Love, Hope and Comfort. There is nothing to fear for one who is in Him. He would have His beloved people free from all fear, anxiety and care. Twice He has told us "Let not your heart be troubled." "Fear not!" "Be not afraid!" How much these words mean if we consider Him who spoke them. They must calm every fear and lift the trusting child of G.o.d over all the dark and difficult things on the way. The blessed words we have quoted are the never failing comfort for His people till they are gathered in His own presence.

The greatest anodyne, however, He has given to us, the anodyne for all pains and sorrows, griefs and perplexities is the blessed Hope.

"I will come again and receive you unto myself" was spoken long ago, and yet it is still unfulfilled. Almost the last pet.i.tion of His great high-priestly prayer is the pet.i.tion to have His own with Himself in the Father's house. "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." This prayer is still unanswered. "Behold I come quickly" are His own words in the third chapter of Revelation, words so full of meaning for us, exhorting us to hold fast what we have. And in the very end of the Book, almost the last word of the Bible is the last word He ever spoke. "_Surely_ I come quickly. Amen." He has not spoken again after this last utterance, so full of a.s.surance. The next time His blessed voice will speak will be when He comes into the air and gives the mighty shout (1 Thess. iv:16) which will call the saints from their graves and ourselves from earth's sorrow together with them to meet Him in the air. That blessed Hope is the great anodyne, the soothing as well as inspiring truth of the Bible, which stands next to and in closest relation with the Gospel. That blessed Hope is an imminent Hope. How cheerless it would be to think that the Lord cannot come for many years, that He cannot fulfill His blessed promise. How cheerless, yea, how depressing and discouraging it would be if it were true that the true believers must pa.s.s through the great tribulation, suffer under Antichrist, taste of the wrath, which will then be poured out. Such an expectation would not be a blessed Hope, but a depressing outlook. But blessed be G.o.d this is not the teaching of the Word, but only the invention of man. We are not to wait for the apostasy, the great tribulation, great earthquakes and disasters, but for Himself. He may come at any time and call us into His presence. To wait daily for Him is the true Christian att.i.tude, which is a mighty power in the Christian life, walk and service. How we shall be weaned away from the pa.s.sing things of this age, how we shall look upon all in its true light and be faithful witnesses for our Lord, if we walk in this daily expectation of meeting Him. And this we need. The Lord Jesus Christ must become more real to our hearts. Our fellowship with Him, our trust in Him, our walk in Him, our waiting for Him, all must become more real. The Holy Spirit in His power will accomplish this in our lives. In the awful darkness, which is settling upon this age, only such can abide faithful who cling closer to the Lord and who wait for His coming. The Lord grant this to all His people.

He'll come again, And prove our hope not vain; We wait the moment, oh, so fair; To rise and meet Him in the air; His heart, His home, His throne to share-- O wondrous love!

Make Haste.

THE little book called Solomon's Song, in the Hebrew "the Song of Songs," because it exalts and describes the Bridegroom, closes with that longing cry, "Make Haste my Beloved." How this applies dispensationally we do not follow here. It is the same desire for Himself, which is found almost the last thing in the Bible, the great prayer, "Even so come Lord Jesus." The soul which knows Him, follows closely after Him, and gets daily more of Himself will ever long for Him and for His Coming. The desire and prayer will arise many times each day from such a heart, "Make Haste my Beloved"

--"Even so, come Lord Jesus." The Holy Spirit ungrieved and unhindered in the believer will not alone produce this desire, but keep it alive in the soul and make it more intense. One may hold the Second Coming of Christ in a mere intellectual way; there is no profit in that. The blessed Hope must have its seat in the heart and affection. It is therefore a good test of our spiritual state. If our hearts are crying more for Him, longing to be with the Beloved, and we daily sigh for Himself to come and take us home, we are then certainly walking in the Spirit. Such a desire will also lead us into holiness of life and true service for Him. And as we look about us at the condition of things, surely only the Coming of our Lord appears to be the remedy. Nothing less than that event can arrest the dreadful conditions and bring the long promised deliverance.

"The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of the body" (Rom. viii:22-23).

What a day it will be when at last He descends into the air to call His own, His Beloved together! What a day it will be when together with those who are raised from their graves we shall be caught up in clouds to meet HIM in the sky! What a day when He purges the earth by fire and comes with all His Saints to reign.

Make haste! Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, come!

And take Thy people home; That all Thy flock, so scattered here, With Thee in glory may appear.

Lord Jesus, come!

"Soon the day-dawn will be breaking And the shadows flee away; Now, by faith, in joy and gladness, I await the coming day, For I know my soul is safely Hidden in His wounded side; And anon He sweetly tells me I shall soon be satisfied.

Lo! He tells me _now_ His secret, Cheering with His heavenly smile; Telling me, in love's low whisper, It is but 'a little while;'

Yes, for soon, to brightest glory, He will fetch away His bride; Then I'll shine in His own likeness, And be ever satisfied!"