First Sunday in Lent.

"JESUS."

Learn, Phil. ii. 9-11. Passages to be referred to, -Josh. i. 1-9; Zech. iii.; Matt. i. 18-25; Phil. ii. 5-11.

How precious is the name Jesus! Though several titles are given to Him in the Bible, this was our Lord's own name, Luke ii. 21; and as we find with many others that the leading feature of their lives was wrapt up in their name— Abraham, Gen. xvii. 5; Moses, Exod. ii. 10; Samuel, 1 Sam. ii. 20, &c., so with our Lord: His name was called Jesus, "for He shall save His people from their sins," Matt. i. 21.

This name was given before His birth, as was the case with a few others-Isaac, Gen. xvii. 21; Cyrus, Isa. xliv. 28, &c., and shows the Divine working; but we must specially look at its meaning. Jesus is the same as Joshua, a name familiar to us, Acts vii. 45; Heb. iv. 8. Two Joshuas were remarkable types of our Lord as Saviours in Israel, Josh. i. 1, 2; Zech. iii. 9; but our Lord was Jesus in a peculiar manner.

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Think of the power of that name.

1. In healing. The lame man is made to walk; The and how is it accounted for? Acts iv. 10. evil spirit is ejected, but by what authority? Acts xvi. 18.

2. In praying. We know that we have only to come to the throne of grace, and make our petition known, for an answer; but we may well ask, why? John xvi. 23.

3. In daily walk. We want some rule to guide us in all the intricacies of daily life, some maxim to guide us in dealing with the world; what is the best? Col. iii. 17.

4. In conversation. How shall we speak of God to the sinner? what name will come with most power to his heart? Listen to the word that came from heaven. Acts ix. 5.

5. In looking to the future. There is only one name that shall at once call forth the praises of the saint, and demand the acknowledgment of the sinner, Phil. ii. 10, 11.

And why all this? We find it in the peculiar meaning of the name-" He shall save." He has the power of salvation in Himself, Isa. xliii. 11; and therefore He is God, Ps. iii. 8. "He shall save His people," those who are His own, who believe in Him and love Him, John xvii. 12, iii. 36; Heb. v. 9. “He shall save His people from their sins," 1 Tim. i. 15. This is His special work, Acts iv. 12; 1 John iii. 8. No wonder He is called, as no one else could be called, Jesus.

Children, if every other title of our Lord should fade from our recollection, let us never forget this name. In life or in death, in time or in eternity, let our one song be, "I love the Name of Jesus," 1 Cor. vi. 11.

Second Sunday in Lent.

"THE ANGEL OF GOD'S PRESENCE."

Learn, Isa. lxiii. 7-9. Passages to be referred to, Exod. xxiii. 20-25; Judg. vi. 11, &c.; Ps. xxxiv.; Isa. lxiii. 7-14.

THERE is only one place in the Bible where we find this name, Isa. Ixiii. 9. Some think it refers to a created angel, Heb. i. 14. We know that the little ones' angels are always in God's presence, Matt. xviii. 10; but I think it refers to that angel of whom God spake to Moses, Exod. xxiii. 20, 21; and as He is called the Lord (i.e. Jehovah), Exod. xiii. 21, xiv. 21, 24, we know that it was Jesus, the angel of the Covenant, Matt. iii. 1.

Angel, you know, means messenger, or one sent: thus Jesus was sent, Gal. iv. 4; Rom. viii. 3; and He is the Angel of God's Presence, as the Glory of God shines in His face-" the express image of His person," Heb. i. 3. And so God has always made man to know His presence in the Lord Jesus Christ. How far angels are present with us we cannot say; but Christ is always, Matt. xxviii. 20; Emmanuel, God with us, Matt. i. 23.

We may think of Jesus as the Messenger of God's
Presence in three ways, from the Bible.
He ap-

1. There was His Angelic Presence. peared as an angel to many of the saints of old: Abraham, Gen. xviii. 22; Jacob, Hosea xii. 3, 4; Manoah, Judges xiii. 21, 22, &c. How comforting was this manifestation, Exod. xxxiii. 15; but yet there is fear from an angel's appearance, Matt. xxviii. 5.

2. There was His Human Presence. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, John i. 14. Thus was He seen and known by His disciples, 1 John i. 1-3. This was far superior to the Angelic Presence, Luke x. 23, 24. How comforting to see and know Jesus in the flesh, Matt. xvi. 17; but yet, corporeally, He could be only in one place, John xx. 13.

3 There was His Spiritual Presence. It is this which we enjoy, John xiv. 18. It is thus that we know Jesus as the Angel of God's Presence, John xvi. 14. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit He is with all His believing people in every place at every time, Rom. viii. 9; Heb. xiii. 5. Can anything be better than this? Rom. viii. 16, 17. It is an earnest of the full enjoyment of Christ's Presence in Heaven, 1 John iii. 2; Ps. xvii. 15.

Try, Christian reader, more and more to realise the Presence of Jesus by the Spirit, Ps. cxxxix. Thus shall you be kept, 1 Pet. i. 5. "The Angel of His Presence saved them," Exod. xiv. 19.