abide in Christ? We shall come to know this abiding in Him, as we give all to, and receive all from Christ. This is the attitude by which God will bring His children gloriously into the light.

There will come a point in the experience when all that offends the conscience is instantly removed, when every evil thing, every selfish indulgence, shall be cleansed by the blood, by the Word, and by the Spirit. Then we shall be able to look up and say, "Lord! Lord! I am Thine alone." We shall be able to call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. What is meant by these words, "a pure heart," may be difficult to understand at first. It may be different from that which any of us expect; but, whatever it is, we may ask God to give us what He meant when He put the words into the Bible. We have just read that Isaiah did not remain on his face all his life crying, "I am undone." There came a live coal from the altar, and by that he was told that his iniquity was purged. And it has also been pointed out that Daniel did not remain in a prostrate condition. He was raised up, and accepted God's message in full communion with Him. If we take the whole of the Bible-not texts nor half texts simply-it will be manifest that Christ died to take away sins, not only the guilt of trespass, but the power and the act of sin. We can never occupy the mind too much with Jesus on the cross; but it should not be forgotten that there is the risen, as well as the crucified Saviour. Let us look up to the risen Lord and see His gentleness, His holiness, and the sweetness of His Face. At half-past nine o'clock there was a large general prayer meeting, closing in time for the services in the public places for worship.

BIBLE READING IN THE CORN EXCHANGE.

3 P.M.

Some minutes before the hour the large Corn Exchange was crowded for Mrs. Pearsall Smith's Bible Reading. The meeting was opened by singing a hymn, frequently chosen by her, "In God I have found a retreat."

After prayer by Pasteur C. H. RAPPARD, of Basle,

Mrs. PEARSALL SMITH, after showing the place that consecration occupies in Christian experience, took, as the foundation of her remarks, the Book of Deuteronomy. Reading the introduction

to the book, she said-I should like you to observe that these words were not spoken to the Children of Israel when in Egypt, SO as to show them how they could get out of that land, but on the wilderness side of Jordan. And to show exactly what position consecration occupies in the Christian experience, may I direct your notice to the four preceding books of the Bible, observing that they give four different stages of Christian experience. First, Genesis gives us man's efforts and their failure, ending with Egyptian bondage; then Exodus records what next happens to the soul, redemption out of Egypt. And here I will point out that the law was never given until after the deliverance from Egypt; for God never demands obedience from people until they are born again. I do not mean that it is not right for unconverted people to obey God's law if they can, but the Bible says that the "carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Before the law of God can be obeyed, redemption must be known. It is essential to see this; and if any unconverted people are present and anxious for salvation, and yet unable to find peace, I feel almost sure that they are endeavouring to obey God's law before getting out of Egypt. There is a place for obedience, a place for consecration, and that comes after conversion; the Gospel is, first the life and then the doing, first the tree and then the fruit, first the fire and then the heat.

After this second step-Exodus, or coming out of Egyptcomes Leviticus, showing us the way of communion and worship. A redeemed people are here seen worshipping God, not worshipping in order to be redeemed, but worshipping because they are redeemed. Next, Numbers gives us the redeemed people wandering in the wilderness. This I fully believe is a type of the Christian experience, which is the common but not the Scriptural experience. It is the soul coming out of Egypt or being converted, but not getting into the land of promise. The children of Israel wandered in this wilderness. forty years. They needed not to have done this, but they failed to enter the promised land because of unbelief; and although the promise of God to His people is that they shall abide in Christ, that they shall have a peace that nothing can disturb, that they shall be filled with the Spirit, and shall have the Spirit in them like a

well of living water; yet, as a matter of fact, all believers do not get it, and, as in the case of the children of Israel, it is because of unbelief. Deuteronomy is the book of consecration. It is the consecration of a redeemed people who have been wandering in the wilderness, but who are now longing to enter the promised land. I feel that, like the Israelites, this congregation of people are assembled on the banks of Jordan, to hear the story of those who have experienced the fulfilment of the Lord's promise, and to see the fruits of that fulfilment brought forth. And, like the children of Israel, although standing on the borders of Canaan, apparently ready to enter the land, there is one thing which has to be done first-we must consecrate ourselves to God, we must have the law rehearsed.

This is a second consecration. When the Israelites left Egypt they had a consecration, they had the law given to them, not in detail, as in the Book of Deuteronomy, but they had it, and they did not keep it. This, I think, is typical of what is called the first or early love of Christians. When converted they are more or less consecrated to God, but the love which accompanied that conversion was not expected to last, and it was considered that it would be a great mercy if they got anything as good as that in after Christian life. This is not the Bible idea; the Bible idea is shining more and more, and brighter and brighter, till changed into Christ's image-a plant that grows taller and taller, continually developing and growing more beautiful. As to the matter of theology in this, I beg, as I always do, that nobody will listen to me with theological ears. It is very likely that I make plenty of mistakes in that direction, but if you get hold of the experience, then you can put the matter straight for yourselves. Some theologians may be present, and not think this a very clear or exact statement of Christian truth; but I am sure they will have to agree with me that it is an exact statement of Christian experience, and of what has happened to the vast majority of the Christian Church, and very likely to themselves. And so I ask you to deal with the experience, and see if you cannot get hold of something to help you out of the wilderness in which you are. The historical reason for rehearsing the law to the children of Israel was, that every one had died who had heard it before; and I think this is typical of the necessity for a second con

secration, because Christians wandering in the wilderness for many years, or even months, have actually forgotten the law of God, or put it out of sight, not living such devoted lives as they ought. To prove this, you have only to look at the universal Church, and the complaints made by Christians in their daily prayers and conversations. I do not think unconverted persons are able to consecrate themselves. They do not know what God wants; they are apt to think that when they give up glaring sins they are all right; but Christians know that they want to get rid of something more-the inside sins, of which, perhaps, nobody knows anything but themselves—for those who love Christ cannot endure the slightest cloud between their souls and God. I here would call attention to portions of Epistles in the New Testament, which, in my opinion, are the counterparts of Deuteronomy. These are II. Corinthians vii. 1; Romans xii. 1, 2; and I. Corinthians vi. 19, 20. The "therefores" at these places are just like all the "therefores" in the Bible, pointing out that because something has been done for us, therefore we must do something for God. Turning back to Leviticus, I notice God's command to be holy, on the same ground,-because He Himself is holy. I make this appeal this day because God is your God, because he has brought you out of the land of Egypt, because your bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost, and because you are not your own, but are bought with a price, "therefore" should you be holy. The 6th chapter of Deuteronomy, commencing at the 17th verse, brings out a reason why you should be holy. I now pass on to the 12th chapter, to notice the divine command that no other god but Jehovah should be worshipped. People build up gods out of their own notions, and worship them instead of the God of the Bible; and the first and most essential element of consecration is to give up all false notions of God, and believe in the God of the Bible, in the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Word, the Saviour of all.

If you believe in Jesus Christ as He is, you will have the higher Christian life at once, without further delay. I will endeavour to show what a blessed thing it is to be consecrated to the Lord; but, before doing this, I will define what such consecration is. It means wholly following the Lord, knowing no will but His, obeying Him at all times, and under all circumstances, looking at and considering things as He looks at and considers them

-to put it short, giving up liberty of choice. Many think that this is a hard and dreadful thing to do; but I can assure you that it is not hard, but a great and blessed privilege, so blessed that if strangers to it could but get a glimpse of it they would enter right into it without further hesitation. Usually, when I begin to talk about this blessedness, some of the foreigners say I speak too rapidly; but then I feel like the rapids just before they go over Niagara, I seem as if I could not speak fast or earnestly enough to make people believe my statements. I beg of you to look at this matter practically, for I am certain that Christians grieve our blessed Lord far more than they think by grudging devotedness to Him. How easy and delightful it is to say to those whom we dearly love, "Thy will be done." And this illustrates in some degree that it is no hard and difficult thing to say to the Lord, in trial or sorrow, "Thy will be done;" but that it is an inexpressible comfort, for the Lord loves His people with love unutterable, and, in the words of an old writer, "God's will is not a load to carry, but a pillow to rest on ;" and if anyone has made it a load to carry, it is because that one has not known the Lord. I beseech you to pray that you may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the length and breadth and height of the love of Christ, that passeth knowledge ;" and when you once get a glimpse of that love, you will not find it difficult to say, “Thy will be done." I next call attention to a few practical things concerning consecration. In the 26th chapter, the process or steps of consecration are clearly set forth in verses 16-19. First comes God's command-"this day." Then comes our "avouching" this day. And finally comes God avouching us to be His. I would urge you to make these three steps definite, and would plead with those who have not yet, in the words of the chapter, avouched the Lord to be their God; to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to harken unto His voice -to do so at once, to cry to God, without further delay, "Thy will be done." I have to-day received a note-I do not know whether the writer is present or absent--stating that several persons had for a long while been giving themselves to the Lord, consenting to His will, but nothing had come of it. The 18th and 19th verses of the 26th chapter of Deuteronomy tell us what comes of it-the consequence of not believing that God had taken them to be His