must be accepted death with Christ by your own will, and continuously, just because you have taken your death with Him as a fact. For God's sake, my brethren, let there be no confusion between the two lives. Let Christ be the life in you, and be willing to lose your own. (3) Love and the life. God has only one command, "Love!" and when He spoke again, it was "Love!" and when He wanted a new commandment," it was the same again, "Love." "We live where we love." Love Him, and all things are yours; live love to others, and you are rich. The last principle is (4) Daring and the Spirit. Dare out into experience of what the Spirit shows you; dare out in the power of the Spirit, and you shall find your net full; you shall be rich, as He means you to be. He closed with the words, "Remember that one who leaves the tent to-night without trusting Him will have grieved Him to the heart. Yield to the pressure of the Spirit upon you now.” Both were most necessary. We dare not do without, the theory and ground being very clear; for though the lives of the leaders might be faultless, those who followed would have no safeguard against endless error. But on the other hand, oh, beware of being satisfied with the theory, and thinking that enough. The whole Convention was a response to this loving and wise word. The general testimony was that never before had the whole truth been laid out more distinctly and unmistakably; and yet at the same time, the result more pressed, and the clearness of doctrine not allowed to weaken the need of practical action; and we may rejoice that, both being so clearly urged, the blessing will be both fuller and safer than from any former time. Rev. H. Webb-Peploe was the next to speak, every-telling, in strong, full words, that there was no limit to which His power may be proved when we test it in His own way, and accept as facts what He has given and done. The starting-point was Ps. lxviii. 28, 34: "Thy God hath commanded thy strength. Ascribe ye strength unto God." It was Ascension joy and power coming, because death and resurrection had been understood. The after-meeting was again led by Rev. E. H. Hopkins, with great and definite result, many standing in token of present willingness to take, and many, again, standing in confession that from tonight their will should be on the side of the fact that they lose their own life in Christ. THURSDAY. This day we seemed to be led on to results. Up till this time the weather had been unusually bright, but now the rain fell, reminding us of our utter dependence on Him. The tent was not less full, however, and M. Monod's words on Psalm xci. were blessed reminders of what He is. In Him, we were surrounded with the mighty strength of the "fortress," and also with the tender kindness of "His feathers." Ah, friends, this is the Lord who has redeemed us to Himself, and is it not a perfect shame that we should take day after day to think of whether we will allow Him to take His own? Then what follows? Paul had two questions when Jesus met him-"Who art Thou, Lord?" and when that was settled he asked, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Personal service follows, and entire committal to the bidding of Jesus. Canon BATTERSBY began the evening meeting by reading Rom xiii. and xiv., and asking had not some of us been too anxious to get the theory right and neglected the action on it, while others took the practical step, and were careless about the theory? Rev. W. Haslam followed, in happy words, on His perpetual presence all the way. "Let us pass over to the other side," and until you reach "the other side" He stays; but do not be content with the mere fact of having taken Him on board, but use Him. In the after-meeting Rev. E. H. Hopkins put God's order as-first Fact, then Faith, and last Feeling. FRIDAY. On the last day of the feast, our morning meeting began with joyful words, as Canon Battersby prayed, "With exulting praise we identify ourselves with Thee, as Thou hast identified Thyself with us;" and then Mr. Spencer Walton gave a few words on "Grow in grace"-grace, that inexhaustible word. Rev. H. Brooke took the Bible reading on the river of God, said to have four sources, each mention tracing it further back to its fountain head. First, it flowed from the garden (Gen. ii.) like the suburb outside, in the Levite cities. Then, further back, from the city itself (Ps. xlvi. 4); then from the Temple (Ezek. xlvii.); and in the New Testament, after the veil is rent, we may pass through the temple, and see the river rise from the very throne of God (Rev. xxii. 1). It grows deeper as it flows; where are you in it? and where it flows is life, sweetness to the salt and the sour, fruitfulness, increase, and beauty. Is that the visible history of your life? But the marshes are not healed. Why? Is it because they have a certain moisture of their own, which they are not willing to part with? They have a certain amount of greenness, too, for reeds and rushes flourish, but no fruitfulness. All hearts deeply echoed Mr. Peploe's closing words of prayer, "Let Thy river flow through us. We yield ourselves to it, and as it flows it shall keep clean the vessel through which it flows." Mr. Bowker and Mr. Haslam shared the next meeting, and to each was given power to further clear and urge His claim. The evening meeting still kept us face to face with Himself,- our grand keynote and central fact all through. Canon Battersby read Col. ii. 6 to iii. 17, the passage which gives us the facts that we want to know in experience. "Dead with Him;" and then -"ye are dead—mortify therefore." He then referred to the history of the movement which began with the Oxford Convention, and spoke of his own experience at Oxford. "I got a revelation of Christ to my soul so extraordinary, glorious and precious, that from that day it illuminated my life. I found He was all I wanted; I shall never forget it; the day and hour are present with me. How it humbled me, and yet what peace it brought! Since then I have had opportunity for eight years to prove what is in Christ, and whenever I have trusted Him, I have always found Him faithful. I have never been disappointed in Christ; whenever I have trusted Him with a full and entire trust, I have found Him all I needed. That is all I will say about myself. But I think it is important it should be known, that it is not anything of our own we have discovered, or any definite thing we have got, but Christ Himself. 'As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord.' Have you ?" He then appealed to the unconverted. And then, having received Christ Jesus the Lord, "walk in Him;" see Him as all you need for the walk; all for the life, and for the service, and for everything. "Christ is all and in all." He is in every believer, but, oh, how little we know what He is! How long we take to learn what we have got-all summed up in Christ—all hid in Him-till the Holy Ghost reveals it. And more is being revealed, and I suppose none in this tent who have had their eyes opened, but have seen more than ever in this great treasure-house, Christ Jesus, the Blessed, Blessed Saviour. Rev. E. H. Hopkins spoke to those who had received blessing, and were wondering how they should keep it. He gave the Word from Prov. iii. 26, "The Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." The Lord now. The ground of "confidence" is changed now, fastened into a living present Person: not now, on the fact of my having received blessing, but in Him in whom I have it. Rev. C. A. Fox followed, further, on the means of retaining blessing: by resting on it as when we want to keep a chair we sit upon it; then by spending it; and―very important-by humility. This is the bond that binds all the other graces; if this is unfastened they drop. Then keep by love to the brethren, by submission, by Christian courtesy. Don't think this a light matter. Then keep by instant confession of any failure, not only to God, but to your brother, if you have made it before him. Don't gloss it over, or use soft words about it. Oh, how many lose thus! Then came inspiring words for our separation, "So it was alway." What was alway? (Num. ix. 16). Every move at the commandment of the Lord; every journey taken by His direction, every moment moving or resting under His shadowing Presence. Keep the eye fixed on the cloud, and you cannot mistake! Then, the resolution-"I will go!" but how? "In the strength of the Lord!" My own strength left behind, my self obliterated, hidden “in” Him. Then came powerful words on the anointing of the Holy Ghost for service, from Captain Payne, of the Salvation Army, enforced with great knowledge of Scripture. They stirred many to seek that power at once. The two closing gatherings on Saturday were most blessed; so full of bright, clear testimonies of definite blessings-all summed up in this, "Christ Himself, and all there is in Him, has been revealed to me more distinctly. Not half could speak who wished to testify, and all were short and brisk with the certainty of joy, needing no long words to disclose. This was also a marked feature of the after noon meetings. Throughout the week, instead of being given up to questions, testimony nearly filled them; for so many were rejoicing to tell of what Christ was to them. These meetings were under the care of Mr. Bowker. Then on Sunday we were again sent forward by words from the Lord through Mr. Fox-" When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled, and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus." We heard how boldness was the blessed prerogative of every child of God, and that we might have it in three points. Boldness in Access first (Heb. x. 19), the "therefore" leading back to three wonderful "no mores in the same chapter-no more remembrance of sin; for every Christian is dependent on the forgetfulness of God about his sin, as well as, like the thief, on the memory of God for himself; no more offering for sin, for none is needed, His being complete; no more conscience of sin. Then again, from Heb. iv. 14-16-For whom is the boldness of access? Ah! thank God, it is for tried ones; for tempted ones! II. Boldness in service; in public service (from Phil. i. 20, 21); in home service, and common money matters (from Heb. xiii. 5, 6); and in writing for Christ (2 Cor. x. 1). III. Boldness in judgment (1 John iv. 16, 17). This last "boldness" depends on two things-seeing our standing in Him, and in loving one another. Our evening message was from the voice of His dear servant who had been the means of gathering us, to whom we owe so much, and whose love and humility has indeed proved the bond which has kept all together during this sacred time. His word was 2 Cor. iv. 14, 15, pressing in all we had learnt, and urging to continuous experience of the once-for-all accomplished fact-"If He died, then all died." (R. V.) After this, we gathered round His table, a larger number than ever-376-showing forth together His death; first, in glad gratitude for the complete atonement He had wrought by it; and further, in willing pledge that we joyfully agreed that our life was ended with His on the cross, and therefore, because His death was our death, His life alone should be our life. It was happy work to say, "Here we offer and present ourselves unto Thee," when we had seen more fully than ever how much the sacrifice of Himself for us had meant to us. the number of distant workers present; they, and all, coming with such deliberate intention, and not with any mere vague hope of spending a refreshing week; but with full meaning of letting ourselves be searched and then cleansed, and therefore able for more fruitful work. And the natural result was more praise than ever that He was true! and glad testimony to Ilis faithfulness. To many it seemed as if last year's Convention had brought them very, very low, emptying and draining. But this time the sunlight of His face could shine because the searching had been so terrible; and now, because He had taken such pains to "prepare room," He could plant the vine which will fill the land; individually the little land of our own lives, covering it with shade and fruit, and also as to the larger land of His work, north, south, east, and west. Now we bless Him with our whole hearts for the deepening which prepared for the filling; for the long, long trenches and ditches which He only wanted to flood with living water. M. Monod remarked that this Convention was far in advance of Oxford. There it was the Rest of Faith; here it is the power of God, which we may have if we pass with Him through Death to Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost. Strong glowing words on the enduement of the power of the Holy Ghost for service closed our week, which probably we had not been fit for before. Mr. Hopkins showed in one after meeting what God's order was, Peace, Purity, Power. It was just the outline of the general teaching these last few years, as it is the order of the blessing to individual souls: rest first, then there wakes the need of cleansing, and when that is grasped comes the cry for Power, and the yearning for anointing for His work. It is as it was with Isaiah, the cleansing first, and then the willing offering, "Here am I." Rest in Him comes first, like the folded wings to listen, and when we have heard, we may go forward, with wings expanded for willing, eager service. It was remarkable how the speakers, without any previous consultation, all followed in the same line; and though there were more speakers present than at any former time, we seemed to see and hear only Him; and to each speaker was given a full sheaf, and many bore thankful witness to the blessing received through the words of each. Another marked feature was the way the continuousness of blessing was dwelt on. The first One very marked feature of this Convention was apprehension of the accomplished fact might be sudden, but the result was prolonged. The first in-flow of the river might be sudden, but it should be continuous; we might give ourselves in one very definite act of consecration to God, but it should be daily renewed; the yielding may now be done, but constant yielding in every act should follow; the blessed renewed sense and joy of cleansing was joyfully quick with many; but unless that cleansing was continuous, and we were always living in the momentary power of the blood, the joy would die, for the stains would remain, defiling the con science. And the same with the anointing of the Holy Spirit; it was to be always going on, and we never must pause at one special anointing, over in a moment. The same with death. It is complete, —“Ye are dead," and yet it is to be acted out perpetually, and dying daily, and "always bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus," should follow the act accepted once for all. Thank God, too, His Presence is continuous also! The Presence which empowers for all the rest. We accept it at once, and as we accept, it becomes increasingly real, and the act becomes an attitude. It is joyful rest to lean back on His Heart, and know that all is folded there; not ourselves only, but our blessing, are clasped in His wounded hands. In the words of M. Monod's hymn, which we often sang, "Ah, this is rest indeed!" so that instead of wearily wondering how long our poor hands will keep our new riches, we know that "the blessing" is a living Person, and that it is He who held us. Then we, too, shall "keep by the Holy Ghost what is committed unto us." What have we left? The speakers all gone, even the tent taken down; but we say with joyous certainty, "But THOU remainest!" and as we separate, and we return to the level of daily life, these words ring to us, "The Lord said unto me, Arise go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. Then I arose and went forth into the plain, and, behold the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river, and I fell on my face." Yes, the same glory in the plain as on the hill, for "Jesus came down with them, and stood in the plain," and He hath said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." SATURDAY. CLOSING MEETING. We gathered once more in the bright early morning for a farewell meeting. Only He in whose name we met could tell how many gathered there with hearts lightened of many a burden which had weighed them down when we met on the Monday previous. Many an eye was turned to Jesus now, which had been turned on the fears and falterings within, and, of course, joy had taken the place of gloom, for "they looked unto Him, and were lightened." Our opening Hymn was No. 218, with its joyous refrain of "Jesus saves me now ;" and after prayer from Canon Battersby, we sang No. 234; and then came the requests, and what joy to find the numbers asking praise for definite blessing received in answer to prayer offered on the former mornings. "How true the Lord my strength is!" was what we could not but remember. Some of those through whom the Holy Ghost had so distinctly breathed in words of strong searching, or powerful revealing of Christ, had already left, and we missed M. Monod, Rev. H. Webb-Peploe, and Rev. E. W. Moore, but those who remained gave now each a parting word. Mr. BOWKER gave the first, from Ps. xcvi. 10-12. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." There are few Christians who would not put their seal to this. Now then, " rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks to the memorial of His holiness" (margin). Ah! what is this? Not giving thanks for a mere remembrance, but to "the memorial," Jesus Himself, in whom rests God's holiness; give Him the thanks, the living present Person in whom we have the holiness, and let there be every morning a fresh consecration, saying, "My Lord, according to Thy Word, I am Thine, and all that I have." Then we shall find that light is sown, and shall spring up all around us. Mr. WILSON, to whose quiet service we hardly realise how much of our comfort is due, gave as his parting word, John xvii. 20, 21, calling us to remember that we were all one, that we had not to make ourselves one, but to show forth, and to live forth, the union which the Lord Jesus had wrought. Then we were reminded how soon He might come, and how the power of His spiritual Presence was to be so proved by us now that we should be ready to meet Him. Rev. W. HASLAM hardly gave more than the triumphant cry, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Rev. C. A. Fox chose for his parting word Rom. vi. 13, “Yield yourselves unto God." As you go from this place, remember that you are to live in the perpetual attitude of yielding-yielding unto God. You have done it here, you have opened upon it here, you have begun the habit here, but remember you must yield yourselves anew every day. You must not only think, "I did do it once," but do it again. The only way of yielding fruit, is yielding yourself. The best way of rendering praise, is to surrender yourself. My friends, I beseech you, yield to the pressure of the Holy Ghost. We are not sensitive enough to His pressure, just because we do not recognise it when it comes, and we resist it. Yield, my brother! and if you are inclined to vindicate yourself, remember, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." God has the care for your character, and as you yield to Him He will take care of your reputation. Yielding brings blessed fruit. Yield in little things-the daily common things. Many do not think them worth doing, but the Lord Jesus lived thirty years of His life in doing little things. Do not despise Christian courtesies; in everything let there be more yielding to each other, and if a brother does tread upon you, and hurt you, yield to it, as part of the surrender. I am bound to yield to the Holy Ghost in all things. Take all that comes, submit to Him, and let Him have His way in everything. And if there is failure; such failure as your going out to speak, and it does not succeed, and you come home feeling flat; it is one of the highest victories to yield to Him there, and say, "It is good for me to be humbled, my Lord! I accept Thy will for me in this!" My brother, yield to Him; accept all He sends, I beseech you in the name of God. 66 Mr. SPENCER WALTON followed in prayer. Rev. H. BROOKE then said he had only one word to give. It was a request : Brethren, pray for us." Remember that those who have spoken to you need your prayer. God brought Abraham forth, and said: "Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Brethren, pray for us, and His seed shall be multiplied as the stars. Rev. E. H. HOPKINS said: There is a passage in Ezra viii. which very much describes our gathering here" Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance." Is it not this that we have needed and sought-“a right way for us," and for all we have? And now that we have found it, and that we have confessed Him as our strength, let us be "ashamed" to seek any other henceforth. (See verse 23.) Then they prepared to carry home their riches, and amongst these were "vessels of fine copper, precious as gold." You may not seem to have had so precious a blessing as some have had, but He gives the best, and what He has given, is "precious as gold." Now what did they do with their blessings! Did they lose any Nay, all was brought home safely, for "the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way." When I was bidding farewell to our dear brother Monod, I asked him what parting word I should give you. He talked over this passage, and then later I had a telegram from him from Preston, saying, "Compare the 'committing' and 'keeping' in Ezra viii. with 2 Tim. i. 12, and that again with ver. 14." "He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him," and then "that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost." He gives us blessings, and the right way to keep them is to commit ourselves and all our blessings unto Him. "Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them." Then nothing shall be found to be lost of all He has given. Mr. SPENCER WALTON gave Deut. xxxiii. 12, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders." Then Heb. vi. 1, “Let us go on unto perfection." If we are on His shoulders, we shall be borne along unto perfection, and we shall not think we have enough now. If we follow, even if He allures into the wilderness, He will make us sing there, and make of the valley of Achor a door of hope. Rev. W. JACOBS gave Psa. lxiv. 6, "I will freely sacrifice unto Thee, for it is good." Last year I was chiefly occupied with the first part of the verse, "I will freely sacrifice unto Thee"; but this time my joy has been more, "and I will praise Thy name, Lord, for it is good." Canon BATTERSBY drew us to Joshua xxiii. 14, "Ye know in all your hearts and in your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you. |