mercy to as many as believe in Him, repenting of their sins; and the further proclamation that all needful influences and help will be supplied by the Holy Spirit for their complete regeneration and purification. Now this is not a story likely to be concealed in the hearts of those who happen to know it. It is of such a nature that those who know it and have acted upon it instinctively desire to communicate it to others. Why? 1. Because it is true. 2. Because it redounds to the honour of its chief Personage, whom they have learned to love with supreme devotedness. 3. Because it is closely connected with the interests and destinies of the human race. Their participation of its blessing, their falling under its influence, has brought them into sympathy with the love of God to man, which, like a spark from the central fire of love, has fallen on their susceptibility and set it aflame. Men need the gospel, in life and in death; and the gospel inspires its recipients with the benevolence which cannot rest until the blessing has been universally received. Nor is it conceivable that He who provided the gospel should not desire men to avail themselves of its provisions; having prepared a home for the wanderers, He desires them to come into it. II. This sentiment is in accordance with the spirit of prophecy. There is a marked difference between the Christian and Jewish dispensations. The Jews, with a narrow strip of territory, were separated from the nations. Their religion was intimately associated with their national life and being. It was given to them; adapted to them. No wonder that they became possessed of the idea that God never meant to bring other nations into His Church; that therefore they never sought the conversion of the heathen, nor welcomed the idea when it was propounded. Yet in their own Scriptures there was abundant evidence that the time would come when God would both welcome and seek the heathen. Inti mations in the earlier Scriptures. Isaiah prolific of passages. He dwells on the idea, delights in it as if he had already caught the spirit of that Gospel time whose advent he was inspired to predict. Our Lord distinctly enunciates the idea in terms almost similar to those of the text (Matt. viii. 11, xxiv. 14). Paul anticipates the coming in of the fulness of the Gentiles. His labours were conducted with that view. The assumption is everywhere that in the great future the gospel shall be universally prevalent. III. This sentiment is in accordance with the course of events. Be Has the genius of the Gospel vindicated itself? Have the predictions of its attracting the heathen been verified? Take the history of the Church from the earliest time to the present. Its course has been one of steady advancement towards the point at which the predictions of its extension will be fully accomplished. During the apostolic age, although to a less extent than subsequently, the Gospel travelled north and south and east and west of Palestine. ginning with a very small handful of Jews under persecution, before three hundred years were over it had made itself so felt that the Emperor of Rome found it his advantage to adopt it publicly. Through the centuries since, it has gradually covered a larger area. And the text is now in course of fulfilment. With a map in your hand, survey the parts of the earth in which the Gospel has been preached. You will find that it has planted its foot in every quarter, and that its converts are gathered from almost every land. China must not be overlooked. It is probably specially mentioned here. Christian missionaries of various names are attracting numbers of that multitudinous and remarkable people. As the completed fulfilment of the prophecy, there will be in heaven" multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peop e, and tongues, who will stand before the throne and before the Lamb." a Two points may be mentioned as suggested by this subject-1. It recognises the brotherhood of man. For the purposes of this prophecy, every man must be regarded as belonging to one great family, equally capable of and needing redemption. God has put the highest honour on human nature by giving His dearest and best. Let not the most degraded be supposed beyond our reach. 2. It imposes a stupendous obligation on the Church. God works by means. Are we doing all in our power to help those who are labouring among the heathen-J. Rawlinson. CHINA FOR CHRIST. xlix. 12. Behold these shall come from... the land of Sinim. Most commentators are agreed that this refers to China. "The Arabians and other Asiatics called China Sin or Tchin; the Chinese had no special name for themselves, but either adopted that of the reigning dynasty or some high-sounding titles. This view of 'Sinim' suits the context which requires a people to be meant from far,' and distinct from those from the north and from the west'" (Gesenius). In these words we have a promise of the conversion of China, the spiritual needs and claims of which the Churches of Christendom will do well to consider most prayerfully. Observe 1. The population, extent, and religion of China, &c. Next to the Russian Empire, the Chinese Empire, including Mantchuria, Mongolia, and Thibet, is in extent of territory the largest in the world. China itself is onethird the size of Europe, seven times the size of France, and is equal to eleven of Great Britain and Ireland. The population is estimated at 400,000,000-twenty-two times the population of England; or more than one hundred and thirty times that of Scotland. Were all the subjects of the court of Pekin to march past a spectator at the rate of thirty miles a day, they would move on and on, day after day, week after week, month after month; and more than twentythree and a half years would elapse before the last individual had passed by. The number is inconceivable-the view is appalling. The daily mortality of China is 33,000! Think of it-a mortality which in less than three months exceeds the whole population of London ;—which in a year and a half exceeds the total number of the inhabitants of England. The thought is overwhelming. The State Religion is founded on the ethical and political maxims of the sage Confucius. His writings ignore the existence of a God and a future state, consisting mainly in the advocacy of what is expedient and useful and proper, &c. Various species of idolatry prevail-Taouism, Buddhism, ancestral worship, &c. 2. We cannot say that the amazing population of China has been altogether neglected by the Christian people of Europe and America. For some years the London Missionary Society, hoping against hope, and exhibiting a perseverance worthy of all imitation, sustained the only Mission in China, begun by the honoured Morrison in 1807. China can never again be isolated as here. tofore. We have long prayed that China might be " open to evangelical effort. Prayer has been answered; "the fields are white to the harvest," but as yet the labourers are few," and bear no proportion to the magnitude even of the initiatory work which remains to be accomplished. 3. Among the obstacles which oppose themselves to Christian missions in China, may be mentioned (1.) The theocratic assumption of the imperial government. (2.) The ignorance, immorality, conceit, and superstitiousness of the population. (3.) The system of ancestral worship-a plausible custom, but one which is a most unequivocal form of idolatry, &c. (4.) Sundry superstitions. (5.) The opium traffic, which has created a most powerful prejudice against us among the best men in the country. A Wesleyan missionary, writing home (in 1884) said, "It would interest the supporters of our society if they could hear the various objections the Chinese make on the one hand against abandoning old customs, and on the other, against becoming Christians. To give just one specimen of each kind. At the close of a service held some weeks ago at Fatshan, and when the congregation were requested to ask any questions they might wish on the address just delivered, or on the new religion generally, one man maintained very strongly that it would be wrong in him not to worship idols, for his parents had worshipped them before him. He must do as they did, or be unfilial. This reasoning (if such it may be called) was easily disposed of, but not to his satisfaction, for he still held to his point. Another man seemed, however, annoyed that nothing stronger could be urged against the Gospel, and, leaning forward, he touched the man-who was so afraid of being unfilial-on the shoulder, and said, 'You will do no good arguing that way. I tell you what to do, you just ask the foreigner, Where does the opium come from?' And with that he ran out of the chapel, and we saw him no more. Whether he thought he had really vanquished us, or he was afraid of being van quished, I don't know. I suppose his reasoning was something like this: Opium is from abroad, and is injurious; the Gospel is from abroad, and it is, ergo, injurious.' Or, 'The Gospel is not much good, or it would keep foreigners from hurting China; and if it has not made them good, why do they bring it here?' Opium, the impure lives of foreigners, and brandy, are the staple objections against the Gospel, when none can be found against its doctrines and morals. If opium could be got rid of, and the lives of Europeans and Americans were at all in accordance with the Bible, I am persuaded that our work would make greater progress. But as it is, opium (grown in British territory) is eating out the very life of the nation, physically and morally, among both high and low, and the ungodly lives of foreigners cause the adorable name of Jesus to be every day blasphemed among the heathen." 4. There are some advantages on the other hand. The press is a powerful instrument; and the circulation of the Scriptures and other books is furthered by the cheapness of printing and paper, so that the entire Bible can be sold for less than a shilling, and the New Testament for fourpence. One cheering sign of the times is the organised opposition to missionary teaching which has recently appeared; a proof that the new opinions are beginning to move the apparently inert masses of the Chinese population. 5. The ultimate conversion of China's teeming millions to Christ. Unprecedented opportunities now offer for Christian enterprise. Success has attended the labours of the past— upwards of 20,000 Chinese are now in Christian communion in Protestant Churches. A vast preparatory work has been done in a much wider circle, opening the way for the missionary reaper. Many fields are white already unto harvest. Let the Churches of Christendom obey the imperative command of their Lord, "Go ye," &c., and the stupendous work shall be accomplished in due time, for "Thus saith the Lord, behold, these shall come from the land of Sinim." Blessed be God, they are coming and shall come, until the word of promise is completely fulfilled. "Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, GOD'S CARE FOR HIS CHURCH. xlix. 13-17. Sing, O heavens, &c. I. Nothing can furnish us with better matter for songs of praise and thanksgiving than the tender care God has of the Church (ver. 13). Let the whole creation join with us in songs of joy, for it shares with us in the benefits of the redemption (Rom. viii. 19, 21). II. The care which God has for His Church is never to be doubted by us. True, the troubles of the Church have given some occasion to question His concern for it (ver. 14). The case of His people may sometimes be so deplorable that they seem to be forsaken and forgotten by Him; and at such a time their temptation may be alarmingly violent. Weak believers, in their despondency, are ready to say, "God has forsaken us," &c. But we have no more reason to question His promise and grace, than we have to question His providence and justice. He is as sure a Rewarder as He is a Revenger. Away, therefore, with those distrusts and jealousies which are the bane of friendship. The triumphs of the Church, after her troubles, will in due time put the matter out of question (ver. 17). 66 -Alfred Tucker. III. Be assured that God has a tender affection for His Church and people (ver. 15). In answer to Zion's fears, He speaks as one concerned for His own glory; He takes Himself to be reflected upon if Zion say, "The Lord hath forsaken me;" and He will clear Himself. As one concerned also for His people's comfort, He would not have them droop and be discouraged, and give way to uneasy thoughts. You think that I have forgotten you; can a woman forget her sucking child?" 1. It is not likely that she should. A woman, whose honour it is to be of the tender sex as well as the fair one, cannot but have compassion for a child, which, being both harmless and helpless, is a proper object of compassion. A mother, especially, cannot but be concerned for her own child, for it is her own, a piece of herself, and very lately one with her. nursing mother, most of all, cannot but be tender of her sucking child. But, 2, it is possible she may forget. A woman may be so unhappy as not to be able to remember her sucking child; A she may be sick, dying, and going to the land of forgetfulness; or she may be so unnatural as not to have compassion on it (Lam. iv. 10; Deut. xxviii. 57). But, says God, "I will not forget thee." His compassions to His people infinitely exceed those of the tenderest parents toward their children (P. D. 1499). IV. Be assured that God has a constant care of His Church and people (ver. 16, 17). "I have graven thee "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands," alludes to the custom of wearing signet or locket rings in remembrance of some dear friend. If we bind God's law as a sign upon our hand (Deut. vi. 8-11), He will engrave our interests as a sign on His hand, and will look upon that and remember the covenant, "Thy walls shall continually be before Me;" "thy ruined walls, though no pleasing spectacle, shall be in my thoughts of compassion." Or, "The plan and model of thy walls, that are to be rebuilt, is before Me, and they shall certainly be built according to it."Matthew Henry: Commentary, in loco. A GLORIOUS IMPOSSIBILITY. xlix. 14, 15. But Zion said, I. The believer, like Zion of old, is sometimes led to form suspicions concerning the Lord's goodness. Such suspicions are apt to arise-1. In periods of deep spiritual temptation: times of dark and mysterious providences; days in which God's people "walk in darkness and have no light." Such times are apt to come upon us through neglect of prayer, through neglect of some known duty; and then, instead of blaming ourselves, we are apt to distrust God. 2. In times of deep temporal trial. II. The love of God for His people renders all such suspicions utterly unreasonable. A mother's love for her child is tender and strong; many mothers have contentedly laid down their lives for their children; but history is full of proofs that a mother's love for her child may utterly pass away. But God's love for His people will never fail. "Can a mother forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will not I forget thee." How tender, comprehensive, and touching is this figure! There is much to be considered in it: the tenderness of the tie, the helplessness of the child, the very posture of the child. 1. The tenderness of the tie. (a) The tie between God's children and Himself is infinitely closer than that be The Lord hath forsaken me, &c. tween a child and its mother. True, the child derives its life from the mother, as the medium by which the Lord doth communicate it; but God is the life of His saints. They live and move and have their being in Him, and He lives in them. 2. The helplessness of the child. The helplessness and dependence of the believer is still greater. In a few months it will be able to walk alone; in a few years we shall find it not only walking and running, but labouring independently of its mother. But look at the believer—at those most advanced in the life of God, most filled with heavenly wisdom; look at "Paul the aged." He is as feeble, as dependent, as helpless in himself as at the first moment (1 Cor. xv. 10). 3. The posture of the child: that is more touching still. There are few sights more endearing, as every mother will acknowledge, than that of a child hanging on her bosom, deriving the support of its physical life from herself. It is one of the most touching pictures that can be presented to our eye. And yet, compared with that of a believer, it is as nothing. His is not an unconscious hanging upon the author and sustainer of His being; His is a conscious, glad dependence upon God for those supplies that come from His Father's heart, and minister to His spiritual life that life which is the commencement of life eternal. Who can compare the one with the other? It is a closer tie, a tenderer tie, a more dependent object, and a posture infinitely more endearing. No wonder God gives the strong assurance which our text contains. III. God's love for His people manifests itself in a constant remembrance of their condition and needs. "Yet will I not forget thee," is only another way of saying, "I will always remember thee." 1. He does not forget their persons (verse 16). 2. Nor the work of grace that is in them. It is described as His poem: 66 we are His workmanship"-His poem (Eph. ii. 10). A man takes care of his book; but if he has his own poem, will he be likely to forget that? 3. Nor their trials (ch. xliii. 2). 4. Nor their returns to Him (Jer. xxxi. 18). 5. Nor their obedience (ch. lxiv. 5; Heb. vi. 10). 6. Nor their needs in death (Ps. cxvi. 15). Blessed truth, it is full of unutterable sweetness. The subject is full of instruction. 1. It should lead to self-examination. Are we of the number of those whom God knows, in the sense of reproving and acknowledging as His? If He does not thus know us, how can we expect Him to remember us? 2. A sight of the helpless child hanging upon its mother's breast should show us our own dependency, and take away every thought of self-sufficiency. 3. The fickleness of the tenderest of human affections brings out more clearly into view the glory of God's love for His people. 4. The constancy of the Divine love should make us ashamed of our despondency and distrust in times of trial. 5. If God never forgets us, we should never forget Him.-J. II. Evans, M.A., Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. iv. pp. 305-316. (a) The young of all creatures are lovely and attractive always: but let us survey the image here. Here is a child, a harmless object, a helpless object, an endeared object, and towards which any one may feel compassion and tenderness. But you will ob serve that the child here is the mother's own-"the son of her womb;" lately a part of herself, and endeared by the anxieties of bearing it, and the pain and peril of bringing it forth. Nor is this all; for the mother is a nursing mother. Isaiah scorned to take an image of exquisite tenderness from those wretches who, when they have it in their power, devolve this pleasing and (ask all the physicians) this salutary duty upon others, upon strangers, and upon hirelings; no, it is a nursing mother, and the child is a "sucking child," looking up with ineffable satisfaction to his benefactor, and with his little hands stroking the cheeks of her who feeds him.— Jay. I. A MOURNFUL COMPLAINT (ver. 14). The wicked think too much of the goodness of God, in reference to themselves; they mistake the effects of His general bounty for evidences of His peculiar friendship (H. E, I, 3977-3980). The very reverse of this is the disposition of all subjects of Divine grace; they know that selfdeception is tremendous, probable, common, and are therefore afraid of it; they often carry their solicitude beyond the point of duty; they apply to themselves what was intended for others, and sometimes think themselves forsaken of God. 1. This arises sometimes (1.) from the weakness of their faith (a. H. E. I. 2014-2017). (2.) From ignorance; they have a knowledge of God, but it is very imperfect, and therefore they form mistaken apprehensions as to the manner in which He is likely to deal with them. (3.) From a suspension of divine manifestation. The sun is always in the sky, but it is not always visible. God hides Himself from the house of Jacob; and if you are part of the house of Jacob, you will be affected thereby (Ps. xxx. 7). When He does this, it is not in the mere exercise of Divine sovereignty, but either as a prevention of sin, or as correction for it (Isa. lix. 2; Hos. v. 15; Job xv. 11; H. E. I. 1644-1659). (4.) From conflict with the troubles of life. It is forgotten that these are really proofs that God has not forsaken us (Prov. xiii. 24; Heb. xii. 6; H. E. I. 189– |