THE KING' HIGHWAY

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grace for grace." So, on the whole, would I explain the difficult phrase just cited,-grace after grace, favour upon favour. The words of James may be thought of here: "He giveth more grace." Even as the stream receives outflow after outflow of water from the spring; even as the earth receives wave after wave of light from the sun; even as from beds of fragrant flowers the passing winds bear cloud after cloud of perfume; so, and still more abundantly, we obtain, day after day, hour after hour, grace to help us in time of need; ever-growing supplies, carrying us from excellence to excellence, till we reach the perfection of heavenly light; and grace heaped on grace culminates in glory.

Joining, thus, verses 14 and 16, we regard the intervening verse as parenthetical, introduced to confirm the evangelist's declaration regarding the divinity of Jesus. As one, in proceeding with a narrative, will sometimes, at an important point thereof, appeal to a bystander, acquainted also with the facts, saying, "Is it not as I have stated?"—so the evangelist here turns aside for a moment to say, My record concerning the Word is confirmed by the witness of John, who assigned Him the preeminence on the ground of his pre-existence and divinity." But a more minute reference to the terms of this parenthetic verse may be fitly conjoined with examination of the detailed account of John's testimony, which follows in the next paragraph.

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Having stated our indebtedness to the fulness of Jesus, and enhanced our estimate of that fulness by showing how all believers draw from it, the evangelist reverts, in verse 17, to "grace and truth." In these two things, the plenitude of gospel blessings in Jesus contrasts with the Mosaic covenant. "The law was given by Moses; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." This distinction of phrase should first be noticed: the law was given, grace and truth came. The first is measured, finished, a cistern of water; the other is unmeasured, continuous, a full fountain, ever springing: "For God gave not the Spirit by measure" unto Jesus. Then the law was not grace and truth. The law of Moses had two aspects. It was, first, a declaration of what must be done by the creature to obtain justification by works. It said, "Do, and live." Thus viewed, it had no "grace" in it; no favour. It was justice only: it blew a trumpet in the soul to wake the echoes of conscience. But Jesus brought in grace. He

HIGHWAY

said, "Live, and do." His voice was as the call of spring, waking the flowers to life. It was not thunder in the desert, but rain. In the law, however, in another aspect, there was the teaching of mercy; but it was only the shadow. The instruction was by type, and symbol, and adumbration. The truth, as opposed to this, came by Jesus Christ. True sacrifice, true atonement-the verity of oblation and typical rite-came by Him. The full unfolding of the purpose and heart of God waited for his coming, and then broke into the light of day.

Finally, in this passage, we learn that it was fitly so decreed; for the Only-begotten alone could unfold the purpose and love of the Father. No one else had seen the Father-possessed that intimate and full knowledge which vision well expresses. Moses himself, in whose hand, as a mediator, the law was ordained (Gal. iii. 19), saw not the face of God. The true mediator between God and men must be one "with God." Therefore He is the Son, the Word. He hath seen the Father, is in the bosom of the Father, having a most perfect knowledge of the Father's heart. The allusion, in the expression "in the bosom,” suggests not merely the nearness of friendship, as John leaned on Jesus' breast at supper, but the intense and intimate affection of the parental and filial relationships. Love best understands; God can be known only as loved; infinitely known only where infinitely loved and loving. Thus the Father and the Son love and know. The word, it is worth remarking, is "into his bosom," as if to say He fills it— meets the infinite heart of Jehovah with that which satisfies it. And He is in the bosom of the Father even while incarnate on earth. Therefore, the revelation of the Father is fitly in Him. He hath declared Him. So He says himself, "No man knoweth the Son save the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son; and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”

Let the last words suggest the closing reflections. Has the Son made known the Father to us? Has the Spirit of the Son been sent into our hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father? Have we received the Son as life-as light? Have we become in Him sons of God? Then, are we receiving more and more from his

fulness? For the sinner, for the saint, what words of mercy are these: "FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH."

Feb. 1, 1862.

THE JUBILEE YEAR.-(Lev. xxv.)

THE Jubilee Year! the Jubilee Year!
The bondman rejoices to hail it near;
Sevenfold Sabbath and Year of Grace,
The burdened and weary and poor to bless.

'Tis the Day of Atonement! The utmost bound
Of Israel's land hears the joyful sound
Of the silver trumpet, so loud and clear,
Proclaim the gladsome Jubilee Year,

Fifty years' burdens of sorrow and wrong

Fall from their shoulders, and homeward they throng;
To their fathers' possession, their childhood's home,
Like doves to their windows they come, they come.

The fraud and the folly, the struggle and strife,

Of half-a-century's human life,

The usurer's riches, the poor man's cares,
Are all dissolved by this Year of years.

To Moses Jehovah rehearsed the tale

Of the glories hidden within the veil ;
In Jeshurun's ears did their king recount
The things he had seen in the holy mount:

Shadows on earth of the things above,
The Father's grace and the Brother's love;
Promise of glorious things to come,

The enduring substance, the Heavenly Home.

Deliverer, Jesus, my Friend, in Thee
Jubilee, Sabbath, and Home I see;

Thou hast wearily laboured that I might rest,
Thy soul was afflicted and I am blest.

The atonement is made, and the trumpet's voice
Bids every sinner, "Rejoice! Rejoice!"
The Gospel proclaims an eternal release,
And bids the debtor go home in peace.

O God, for grace not to set our love

On the earthly things, but the things above;
For while the Jubilee Year draws nigh
They lessen in value, they fade and die.

In a little while shall the firmament ring

With the trumpet that heralds earth's patient King,
Who has sat so long at his Father's side
That none might perish for whom He died.

What then shall profit the stores of wealth,
Whether justly gotten or gained by stealth,
When every object of man's desire,
In the flaming flood rising ever higher,
Proclaims our God a consuming fire?

Enter thy chamber and safely hide
In the riven Rock, in thy Saviour's side;
Escape for thy life! To the Mountain haste!
Till all these sorrows be overpast.

The anguish'd earth is expecting the sound,
And the creature cries from the cursed ground,
"Thou risen Lord, by thy brethren slain,
Come, bless the world with thy righteous reign."

But man, whose nature He deified,

To his Brother, who sits at Jehovah's side,
Cries out in his madness, "Away! away!
Let me fill my belly with husks to-day."

Oh, charm him wisely, Almighty Love,

Let thy Spirit's breath o'er his heart-strings move;
Let the listening angels hear him cry,

"To my Father's house I will turn and fly."

O Lord, from sin set our spirits free,

And quickly come for thy Bride and me;
And every soul of thy loved ones bring
To share the throne of our Saviour King.

M.

GOD'S WAY THE SAFE WAY TO WALK IN.-If a man travelling in the King's Highway be robbed between sun and sun, satisfaction is recoverable upon the county where the robbery was made; but if he takes his journey in the night, being an unseasonable time, then it is at his own perill; he must take what falls. So, if a man keep in God's ways, he shall be sure of God's protection; but if he stray out of them, he exposeth himself to danger.Spencer's "Things New and Old." A.D. 1558.

"OPEN THY MOUTH WIDE, AND I WILL FILL IT."

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AVE you ever peeped into a nest of unfledged birds just escaped from the shell? And if so, have you noticed the fact that their mouths are always open, wide open too? instinct teaching them to be constantly looking up to their parent for the nourishment she will bring them. Is not this why they grow so fast? Every day tells wondrously upon their appearance. Had the mother to stir up their nest and rouse them to receive each supply, what time would be lost, and how tardy would be their growth! They know not what they want; but a continually wide-open mouth implies a sense of need and expectancy of supply. It is their natural position.

May we not, as God's little children, learn a lesson from these nestlings; just to live in daily, hourly expectancy of blessing? "Thy blessing is upon thy people." David had learnt it when he said, "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord." Utterly helpless, and empty and starving, as we feel we are (if God is teaching us), a wide open mouth, "eyes which fail with looking upward," constitute our only true position, for we know not what we want; only our Father knows, and only He can give it. "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." It is impossible for God to feed and his child not grow, and equally impossible for God's child to keep his mouth wide open and God not fill it, for He has said, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it," and "He is the Lord God of truth." May not tardy growth in grace be traced to shut or only partly-opened mouths?

One great difference, however, there is between the unfledged nestlings and our Father's little ones. The former soon get beyond the need of a parent's care, the latter never. In fact, they are always dependent; as they advance, become more sweetly so than ever. They get to know these things through Jesus; and the more they know of Him and his will, the less do they feel able to go a step without Him. At first, stern necessity only drives them to Him. Then his matchless beauty