between it and the spirit. Now, God tells us distinctly what are the works of this flesh which profiteth nothing. They are manifest. "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation [laudable after the world's ideas], wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like" (Galatians v. 19-21). The flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, against which it is at enmity. In it is "no good thing" (Romans vii. 18). These works are the results of its corruption; it serves the law of sin; what is born of it is flesh. It is not "subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Romans viii. 7). None in the flesh can please God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John iii. 6). (Every one of the above mentioned sins emanate from a root, the condemned flesh, which must die and be sown before it can be quickened; the creature must be sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness, before it can be raised in incorruption, and glory, and power; the creature will then be released from the bondage of corruption to the "glorious liberty of the children of God.") If the flesh profiteth nothing, then neither do its works. To profit nothing signifies to make no difference, either one way or the other; therefore whether a man is guilty of the above works or not is immaterial to his ultimate welfare or salvation. And now we see the breadth of God's law: there is not a being in the earth who is

not guilty in God's sight of every one of these works for with God the thought is the deed.

There are seen in the world persons guilty of some of these works, which militate against the law and well-being of society; and such are therefore outcasts from that society which seeks to make the world a better home and condemns those works which would incommode it; but society takes little heed of those works which do not materially interfere with its comfort and well-being. This is right so far as acts are concerned, but it should extend also to the sins of the heart. Society is the creature, and the creature knows only the flesh which has to be restrained outwardly by the law.

Dives says, to dress meanly would be peculiar, not to wear false hair of dead people would be to make my daughter conspicuous. If Dives' daughters could by any means obtain wings, they would not care for this peculiarity, but would be proud of them. Few of us are above the question of dress, but we seldom feel the same bashfulness in wearing goodly apparel that we do in wearing mean apparel.

We are all lepers. Some have their leprosy covered with silk, some with tattered rags; take off the silk and take off the rags, there are the lepers! Cover the face, and cry "Unclean, unclean!" The leper in rags shows more to the fleshly eye of his leprosy than the leper in silk. Adam, Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Herod, eminent divines,

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bishops, kings, all are lepers in the flesh; after the flesh you will not inherit. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians xv. 50). From a corrupt tree corrupt fruits necessarily are produced.

Leprosy is of all sorts. I know it does not show so much in one who is quite occupied as in one who is idle; hence my ardent wish to be employed some way or another, and thus be more free from temptations. I know therefore you will let me leave you for employment. I fear settling on my lees, I fear waxing fat, I fear my God, and this fear at times makes me deeply sad. Perhaps, as my God has given me great gifts in His secrets, so He has given me a rebellious body to humble me. A query arises if works are immaterial as far as salvation is concerned, and if I am guilty of them in thought, I am no more guilty if I commit sin than I was before. Such would be the result of these truths, if we followed human reasoning; but here we have to deal with One who is all powerful, all loving, and who works in us to hate the garment spotted with the flesh, and in our souls. to hate these sins or works. Quickened by union with Him, the flesh, and consequently its works, have to contend with an Almighty foe; and it must little by little decrease in strength, as Christ in us waxes older and older.

"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed

weaker and weaker" (2 Samuel iii. 1). Victory is assured to the soul; flesh is mortal, it has its term, its seventy years rule of tyranny and sorrow. Every day brings this tyranny nearer to an end; it is grass soon to wither, its goodliness to fade, but the words of God incarnated in it will abide. Flesh can believe only what it sees, it is therefore condemned; it cannot enter the gates of Heaven, though they are never shut, "for there shall in no wise enter anything that defileth," it must rest without with "dogs, murderers, sorcerers," &c. &c. But those who enter have their names written in "the Book of life, of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation xiii. 8). Words of God proceeding from His mouth, they shall not return unto Him void, they shall accomplish that which He pleaseth (Isaiah lv. 11). Born of God, from above, they sin not, neither can they sin; their birth is the day of the death of the flesh ("This day have I begotten thee").

For a small moment had the Lord forsaken them, but with great mercies hath He gathered them; in a little wrath He hid His face from them, but with everlasting kindness will He have mercy on them (Isaiah liv. 8). "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted" (Isaiah liv. 11), great shall be thy peace. The "holy ones" will not see corruption, they leave a land-in which they are strangers and sojourners, where they have no abiding cities, but live in frail tents; in the day the drought consumed them, and by night the

frost-for a city in which there are many mansions, houses made without hands (2 Corinthians v. 1), eternal in the heavens, a holy city, New Jerusalem, having "no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation xxi. 23). In those frail tents they had groaned for those houses from Heaven, desiring to be free from the bondage of corruption.

"And who are these who have come out of so great tribulation?" Those who have everlasting life not of this world, not of the flesh, though they have been in the world and in the flesh. They are inhabitants of another kingdom, to which they are appointed and which was prepared for them before the worlds began, a kingdom that cannot be moved and that will have no end. They owe no allegiance but to their King (the King of kings and Lord of lords, rejected by this world); they (the prisoners of the Lord, His hidden ones, of whom the world was not worthy) were sought for and released by their Head from the iron furnace. The joys of this earth have no allurements for them, are not their portion, and cannot satisfy them. Dimly at first and by degrees they have seen the light, often obscured by their veils; they have been led on by little and little to see another kingdom, and that kingdom's King in the Man of Sorrows.

Though feeble in age, stature, and understanding, in spite of the carnal reason of their bodies, they are insensibly drawn to Him closer and closer, till