to the after meeting which closed the day at 9.30 each evening, during which scarcely any left their places, showed increasing interest from day to day.

The singing of the hymns, the prayers that were so frequently offered, the addresses, the Bible readings -all formed a continued stream of blessing, which flowed onward without interruption. To the praise of the Lord let it be recorded that throughout the Convention no jarring word was heard-no element of discord, seen. The Lord was there overshadowing each meeting by His presence, and carrying home to many hearts the instruction, the guidance, the deliverance they were seeking.

It was a noteworthy feature in this Convention that those who gave their testimony-and they were many-gave it from hearts broken by the sense of the Lord's goodness, and filled with the consciousness of His presence. "Not I, but Christ" was the tone throughout.

There was the evident knowledge in almost every case, that it was an oblation they had offered to Christ in presenting themselves to Him, accompanied by the awe which the acceptance of the Sacrifice uniformly inspires.

All this calls for deep gratitude, much humiliation, and increased watchfulness that the adversary gain no advantage, but that such blessings may abound on every side, until the whole Church is brought back to that state of consecration and devotion to the Great Master which marked the early days of the Pentecost.

Most of the old helpers were there, with some additions to their number. May the Lord multiply these additions greatly! The call for labourers is great, the stream of applications for meetings increasing. Will all who are pressing onward help by their prayers, their sympathy, and their testimony? It is not possible to re-produce the proceedings of the Convention in full, so a selection of the addresses only is given in the following pages.

BRIGHT CLOUDS.

BY REV. C. A. FOX.

H. F. B.

We have been invited to the feast: and now the head of the house himself has left us and gone within. He is in the brighter light of the glory, and we are still in the shadow, but it is the shadow cast by Christ Himself, who stands between us.

It was when the alabaster box was broken that the whole house was filled with the odour of the ointment so our dear brother is the alabaster box, which has been broken by death. Oh that the whole Convention might be filled with the fresh odour of his sacrifice; that there might be such a sense of the presence of God, such a sacred sense of the nearness of God, that every heart might be overcome by the power of the very present God!

Surely it will be our prayer throughout the whole Convention not only to ask special blessings for ourselves, but for that bereaved house, that he being dead might yet speak, and that the odour might fill that house, and that every room in it might be filled with the fragrance of the nearness of Jesus: and with the precious savour of His servant's faithful life, so that every child in it should follow, and fill his place as a ministering servant, and that He would fill them with power from on high, and guide and keep them all. The circumstances of the Funeral, solemn as they are, are but the putting away of the poor clay clothes into the wardrobe of earth, whence they shall be brought forth one day all transfigured, and transformed suddenly into the likeness of His glorious body. Let us solemnly glorify God for His call. Let us make use of it to live a more Christ-life. I know what was in his heart, that we who gather here should accept the fulness of Christ, and have the strength He gives. I was permitted to see him several times in London, and saw his entire patience, the perfect peace and sweet rest on his poor wasted face and wasted frame. There was the same quiet saintly smile, and, though knowing how ill he was, and of the meetings where he could not be, there was still the same calm smile, as if he were already in Heaven; and indeed he was so near that it might be said of him, as of another man, that he always lived so near Heaven that when God called him he had not far to go.

Now I would just add one word from Zech. x. 1. "Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field," so appropriate to us all here. "Ask ye of the Lord." You see the whole thing depends upon that-" Ask ye:" and if we are to have any blessing here, it must be by asking: and I do beseech you that there should be a deep platform of prayer this week, that there should be a solid basis of prayer in all our meetings, not only here

but alone all through this week. Let us lie low before God in supplication, and then He will open us the windows of heaven. Then the heart of our brother will be rejoiced by seeing that his people are receiving blessing even by his very absence.

Pray then, first, with deep humiliation of spirit. There is not any other effectual prayer: there is not any other prayer heard in Heaven, but the prayer with the sacrifice of a broken spirit. Let us see to it that we pray from a position sufficiently low from which to appeal to Him. Then, not only pray with humiliation, but with expectation, as if God were very near, and as if He were going to do great things for us. You know what it is in a house where one is lying dead; God seems so near; you always feel as if God were in every room, and you move about in hushedness of spirit, not only hushed by the presence of death, but by the presence of God. He has been so near, and fetched His child away Himself, and left such an atmosphere behind Him. Let us bury ourselves in the dust at His feet, and beg Him to reveal Himself to us here. "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" God is here, and He has promised we shall see let us believe to see, and now, this very night, that we shall see the power and the presence of God. Let it be a believing night.

And again, not only must it be a prayer in humiliation, and with expectation, but it must also be the prayer of appropriation. Let us put both hands. out to take. Let us be like a child, who sees its father with bread, and it runs up to him, "Father, give me a piece!" with both hands stretched out. It does not put its hands behind, when it says, "Give me." So let us put out our hands without a shadow of doubt or hesitation, and let us run up to Him and ask Him because He is present, and because we believe He has promised. You see we are to "ask," because He has promised. "Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain." Do not say, "There is no need to ask, because He has promised." Nay, my brother, ask just because it is the time of the latter rain; ask with simplicity of faith, and with determination of desire.

What has God promised? "So the Lord shall make bright clouds"-bright visions of hope, of perfect peace, and holiness and purity, such as we did not believe could be had down here. You cannot get them, unless you know that there are such

But do not be satisfied with "bright clouds," with seeing these bright visions of peace and holiness. Many are, and they go away saying, "O yes, I see there are such blessings. I am quite convinced of it." But God also promises showers of rain. Now do not be frightened at showers. Do not be terrified at a darkened heaven, and heavy clouds. your own heart is opened up to you, and you see things you little dreamt of, do not shrink from it; it is a sign of God's near Presence. I believe that the deepest blessings are the crushing blessings which break us down, and lay us low, and make us ready for whatever He sends.

First, He will show us the bright clouds and visions, and then the darkening of all the land with heavy clouds; but after the visions, and the penitential tears, He gives the "green grass." And this is for "every one." Each of you must have this. Not only penitential tears, but the "grass in the field," which means resurrection life, new deep life ; which means Heaven itself, God come down to earth, living on earth with us and all this for the good of others, for the pasturing of the flock of God; that friends should see, and be the better for it; that the world should see the sign of God about us, and should draw round to see.

It is for everyone. Then leave not to-night, I beseech you, without resolving by the grace of God that "there shall be green grass for me." He has promised, and I will not let Him go, and there shall be green grass in my field to glorify Thee, O God our Father!

WHAT WILT THOU?

ADDRESS BY DR. J. ELDER CUMMING, OF GLASGOW.

READ Mark x. 47-50. Then comes the verse I want to press on your attention, the 51st—“ And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" And another passage in this chapter, vers. 35-41. Now it strikes me that at the beginning of our Conference it may be well to fix your attention upon this question-the question which the Lord puts both to the blind man and to His apostles who were prepared to ask an extraordinary thing of Him, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" In other words I should

like to be made the means to-day of bringing before your consciences the question: What is your purpose in coming to this Conference? What object have you in view? Is there anything you especially need? Have you come to get any one definite thing? What wilt thou, oh Christian, that Jesus should do to you!

Now just a word as to the second narrative.

The blind man knew perfectly what he wanted, and he answered with great faith that he wanted a miracle done on him, and the definiteness of his desire and of his request gets the blessing at once, obtains it in a moment.

In the other passage the mother (as we find from another Gospel) of Zebedee's children joins with her sons in making the very extraordinary request: "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." Now there is a bad element in that request, and there is a good one. The bad was the personal vanity of it, the thought of self and the position self was to get, the desire that self should sit, the one on the right hand and the other on the left. The good element was twofold—a wonderful faith that the Lord was a King who yet should reign, and a love that longed to be near Him, close to Him, His hand on either side touching them. That is the good element. Now, in the answer the Lord drops the bad element altogether, but the disciples don't pass it by. The ten were much displeased. But the Lord fastens at once upon the love that breaks through the request, and rejoices in that love. Seeing the loving desire to be near Him, He thinks of nothing else. He so desires the heart of His people, that if they give Him that He is satisfied, and He answers, "You don't know what you ask. You want to have a share in my glory?" "Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with?" The disciples are thrown at once upon conscience, and they say, "Lord, whatever Thou sendest we are ready for." They put their will on the side of Christ, and then the Lord gives the promise, "Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of." He does not say whether He is going to give them the great honour they covet. He does not tell them whether it is prepared for them or not. But if they drink of the cup, the Lord will show how far they are prepared; and we know, accordingly, how they did suffer. James was taken

early; John was taken late; James put to death by Herod; John passing through his Patmos passing through that time of weakness and old age when, as tradition tells us, he was carried out to the meeting, and could say nothing but, "Little children, love one another." The Lord indicated that in order to get the glory that was in store for them both, there was great suffering. Were they willing to pay that price?

So much for the narrative.

Now let us turn to what we may learn from it, as by a dialogue between Christ and the soul. The Lord is in the tent, and like the one of old it becomes a most holy place. The Lord is here to-day, and to each disciple He is putting the question, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"

Dear friend, will you answer the Lord what you do desire?

1. One soul I can imagine to answer in sincerity, "Lord, I have come here in order that I may understand this teaching, which hitherto I have failed fully to comprehend. I am told that there is a power in the Holy Ghost to enable me to live much closer to Christ than has been my experience in the past. And I have come here in order that I may study this question more fully, and that I may obtain an answer. That I may know if it be possible for me to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost." Is that, oh Christian, thine answer to the Lord? Thou dost desire to inquire? If so, wait on the Lord, be silent before Him. He will teach thee. No one who comes to be taught by the Lord shall go away without knowing something of the secret of the Lord.

2. What wilt thou? An answer comes from another soul, "I desire to have power over temptation, power over care, power over evil. I know it is possible. I have friends whose life I have observed. But the other day there walked upon these streets a holy man, whose life has convinced many that there is a power in the Lord to keep men above the petty cares of life? May we not learn this lessson from his life? To such a soul the Lord answers, "Do you know what you ask? Do you know the way to this blessing? Canst thou drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptised with my baptism?" You know the Lord's cup, you know the Lord's baptism. Art thou able? Nay; thou art not able: but art thou willing to put thyself into the Lord's hands?

66

THE TWOFOLD EVIDENCE. (JER. xxxii. 6-17.) (BIBLE READING.)

BY REV. HUBERT BROOKE.

THE words of the Lord are pure words, purified seven times; His judgments are a great deep; His commandment is exceeding broad; therefore we may search into them many times and yet at every search find fresh light and glory. Taking the passage just read as an example, we see at the first glance its grand, simple, surface lesson. At a time like this, of distress and suffering through the siege, the Lord encourages His people's hearts; He fills them with confidence in His coming deliverance; He gives them such trust in Himself and His power, that they will pay ready money for the ownership of land which the enemy actually holds in possession. "Ah, Lord God! there is nothing too hard for Thee."

But underneath this surface lesson we can discern other precious truths, deduced from New Testament usage of words here employed-Redemption, Purchase, Inheritance, Price, Witnesses; words full of teaching concerning the Lord's dealings with the souls of His people.

1. The story itself is very simple. Into the court of the prison his uncle's son comes to Jeremiah, and offers him for purchase a field in the country of Benjamin, just now in possession of the Babylonian army. Jeremiah accepts the offer, weighs out the money, and in the presence of witnesses signs two copies of the deed which transfers possession of the land. It would appear that of these two copies one-" that which was sealed "would be kept by the purchaser, the other--" that

which was open "-would be kept in some public office, where any intending purchaser or creditor might find authoritative proof as to the lawful ownership of the land.

The application of the story is just as plain. The Church of God is that "which He hath purchased" (Acts xx. 28); the redemption money was not silver and gold, but "the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. i. 18, 19); and the purpose in view was "that He might redeem us from all iniquities, and purify unto Himself a people for His own possession, zealous of good works" (Titus ii. 14, R.V.). The witnesses were Pontius Pilate (1 Tim. vi. 13); Judas the betrayer, compelled, even as Pilate was, to own the value of the payment (cf. Matt. xxvii. 4, with John xviii. 38; xix. 4, 6); and the centurion confessing the divine price (Mark xv. 39). There remains the twofold evidence of the purchase, for which we must surely seek some counterpart in the Lord's redemption of His people: "for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning;" "All these things happened unto them for types."

So

2. In 2 Tim. ii. 19 you will find the doctrine of a twofold evidence of the soul's redemption exactly detailed. "Nevertheless the foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having this scal: The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let everyone that knoweth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." You sometimes find that a seal has two impressions, an upper and an under, each used for a different purpose; one, perhaps, engraved with the arms, the other with the crest, of the owner. this seal of God's foundation has two impressions: one, the upper, secret between the soul and the Lord its owner-"the Lord knoweth them that are His;" the other, the lower, open evidence to all the world as to the ownership of the pardoned soul-"let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." An illustration of this doctrine is found in Matt. ix. 2-7-" Jesus said unto the sick of the palsy: Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." That conveyed the secret evidence to the happy possessor of pardon; but the world around did not believe, because they could not see, this evidence. "Then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house." It was as though the Lord asked, "Whether is easier for Me, to give the upper seal, or the under seal ?