I felt

Once when I was revisiting my native village, I was going to a neighbouring town to preach, and saw a young man coming from a house with a waggon, in which was seated an old woman. interested in them, and asked my companion who they were. I was told to look at the adjoining meadow and pasture, and great barns that were on the farm, as well as a good house. "Well," said my companion, "that young man's father drank that all up and left his wife in the poor-house. The young man went away and worked until he had got money enough to redeem that farm, and now it is his own, and he is taking his mother to church." That is another illustration of redemption. In the first Adam we have lost all, but the second Adam has redeemed everything by His death. A friend of mine who was in Paris went to a great meeting of Jews, at which one of the leading men presided, and that man said the Jews had the honour of killing the Christian's God; and those Jews stamped and applauded at the statement. They were proud of the act. Now His blood either cries for our peace and salvation or for our condemuation. In Colossians i. 20, it is written: "Having made peace through the blood of the cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself; by Him I say, whether of things in earth, or things in heaven." That is what the Blood of the Cross does, it brings peace. In Romans v. it is written: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." In this, three things are stated; there is justification for the past as well as peace. As the believer looks back to Calvary, the blood speaks peace and pardon for guilt. Then there is grace for the present, and glory for the

future.

In John xix. 34, it is written, "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water There is a striking fact intimated in this verse. The spear that went into the side of the Son of God was the crowning act of sin, the culminating crime of earth and hell. I don't see how they could have done a more cruel thing than that. What act could have been more black and hellish ?

And the blood came out and covered the spear, and a fountain was thus open in the house of David for sin. The blood touched the Roman spear, and it was not long before the Roman government became at least nominally Christian. The blood ran down from His side, and God will have the world by-and-by. He is the true Sovereign, and He will ere long cast out the prince of darkness, and sway His sceptre from end to end of this earth. A little longer, and He will personally return and set up His millennial kingdom and reign over this earth. He has redeemed the earth by His blood, and He will have all He has redeemed.

Has the Blood touched you? The blood of Christ makes us one, brings us into the family of God, and enables us to cry "Abba

Father." At the time of the American war, during the days of slavery in America, when there was much political strife and strong prejudice against the black men, especially by Irishmen, I heard a preacher say when he came to the Cross for salvation he seemed to find a poor negro on one side and an Irishman on the other side, and the blood came trickling down upon them and made them one. There may be strife in the world, but every one Christ has redeemed He has made onc. We are blood relatives.

When I go before an audience there is hardly a person I have seen before; but as I begin to talk about the Kingdom their eyes light up, and I sce they are kinsmen, they are blood relatives, and in a short time I become attached to them. A man may go into a town a perfect stranger, but as soon as he finds out those who love God, they will be one. I wish Christians had more of this oneness. I hope the time will soon come when sectarian walls will be broken down, and people will not want to ask whether you belong to the Established, Wesleyan, or Baptist Churches. If washed in the blood, we are blood relatives. I believe God is going to judge the world by the Blood. "What have you done with that blood?" If we make light of it, and send back an insulting message saying we don't stand in need of it, we shall stand speechless before God's tribunal. If we make light of that blood, what is going to become of our souls?

The only way a man can be brought within the family of God is by the blood, as it is said in Romans iii. 24: "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; and again in Romans v. 9, “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Justified from all things from which we could not be by the law of Moses. When God looks into His ledger there is nothing found against the man who is washed in the Blood. One plunge in the crimson fountain, and the sinner is justified in the sight of God. Christ was raised from the grave for the justification of all who put their trust in Him, and such are not only pardoned men but justified men.

Justification is more than pardon. It is said of an Emperor of Russia, that he sent on one occasion for two noblemen who were charged with some conspiracy, and one he found to be perfectly innocent, so he sent him home justified; but the other was proved guilty, but was pardoned. They both returned home, but ever afterwards would stand very differently in the estimation of their Sovereign and neighbours. From that may be scen the difference between pardon and justification.

When a man is justified he can go through the world with his head erect. Satan may come to him and say, "You are a sinner," but the reply would be, "I know that, but God has forgiven me through Christ;" as it is written in Revelation i. 5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the king's of the earth: unto Him that loved

us, and washed us in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God the Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."

Many people try to come to Christ, but think they cannot come unless they first become good. But He loves all Christians even before their sins are washed away. He loves them, and then washes them in His own blood. It is wonderful love! To think that He loves them first and then washes them in His blood free from their sins! There is no devil in hell that can pluck them out of His hand. They are perfectly safe, for they are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

It is said in Hebrews ix. 22, "And almost all things are by the law, purged with blood; and without shedding of blood there is no remission,' It is utterly impossible that a man can be saved who makes light of the blood. There is no other name under heaven given, whereby we can be saved, than the name of Christ Jesus. Are we willing to receive what Christ has already done? The salvation of those who trust in Him was already worked out when He said upon the Cross, "It is finished."

In Matthew xxvi. 28, we get the words of Christ Himself: "For this is My blood of the New Testament, which was shed for many for the remission of sins." That was what Christ Himself said about the blood. He could have saved His life, but He loved the human family so much that He shed His blood for their redemption. He opened that fountain referred to in the lines

"There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Emmanuel's veins."

That hymn will last as long as the Church, and so will others

like

"Rock of ages cleft for me,

L.t me hide myself in Thee."

There is a great deal about the blood in these hymns, and they will all live. Every hymn into which the scarlet thread was woven will live. There is a sweet hymn that will last through all

m, without one plea,

hy blood was shed for me."

these words: "Every priest standeth ering oftentimes the same sacrifice, which this man, after He had offered one sacridown on the right hand of God." Not that He rose to Stephen fighting single

brethren, boldness to by a new and living

way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh." When Christ's work was done, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom. God came out of the Holy of Holies, and man can now go in. He makes all His people in this dispensation kings and priests. Every one can come right into the presence of God Himself. In the Jewish dispensation none but the high priests could enter into the Holy of Holies, but Christ's veil being rent, God came out and man can go in through the veil of His flesh. "Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Let us hold fast the profession of our faith. The new and living way has been opened by His blood. The only thing that Christ left down here was His blood. When He ascended to heaven, He took with Him His flesh and His bones, but His shed blood was left on this earth.

God

The blood has two cries. It either cries for my damnation, or for my salvation. If I make light of the blood and trample it under my feet, then it cries out for God's condemnation: but if I am sheltered behind the blood, there is no condemnation for me. dealt in judgment with Cain; and when Pilate wanted to know what to do with Christ, he washed his hands and said he was innocent. The Jews said, "Let His blood be upon us and our children, not to save us, but to condemn us."

Would that they had said, "Let His blood be upon us to save us and protect us." Nearly 1900 years have rolled away, and the Jews are wanderers on the face of the earth without a king. Their having been scattered all these years, what a proof it is the Word of God is true! May our prayer be to-day, His blood be upon us and our children, not to condemn us but to save us. Let that be our prayer, that we may know what it is to be sheltered behind the blood of God's dear Son. Colossians i. 20: "And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven." The Blood of the Cross speaks peace. If I am sheltered behind the blood there is peace, and there is no peace until my sin is covered. If you had committed sin against a man you would get no peace until that was forgiven. Men are running after peace, and if it could be bought in the market, many would give hundreds of thousands of pounds to secure it. The blood of Christ speaks peace, and it will bring peace to every guilty conscience and aching heart to-day, if you only seek it.

In Hebrews x. 28, 29, we read, "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" To me these are very solemn verses. I don't see how any one can sit here and hear these

indeed be precious when we come to our dying day-it will then be worth more to us than all the world. One sin is enough to exclude us from heaven, but one drop of Christ's blood is sufficient to cover all our sins.

A stage driver away on the Pacific coast-as I was told when I was there about three years ago-while lying on his dying-bed, kept moving one of his feet up and down, saying, “I am on the down grade, and cannot reach the brake." As they told me of it, I thought how many were on the down grade and could not reach the brake, and were dying without God and without hope. I plead with you as a fellow traveller; don't go out of this hall without saying, "Heaven is my home and God is my Father." Don't let the scoffers laugh you into hell; they cannot laugh you out of it. The Blood is upon the mercy-seat, and while it is upon the mercy-seat you can enter into the kingdom. God says, "There is the Blood; it is all I have to give. As long as it is there, there is hope for you. I am satisfied with the finished work of My Son, and will you be satisfied?" Don't leave this meeting until you can claim this as yours.

How dark and sad is it to go to the bed-side of a dying infidel or atheist, or one who is dying without the light of the resurrection morn. But if we trust to Christ, death has lost its sting and the grave its victory.

An eminent minister in America, Alfred Cookman, the Robert Macheyne of his day, was dying, and when his friends were gathered round his couch waiting to see him depart to be with Christ, his face lit up, and with a shout of triumph, he said, "I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the Blood of the Lamb!" And this echoes and re-echoes through America to-day "I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the Blood of the Lamb!" May these be our last words, and may an abundant entrance be granted us into the gates of the heavenly city!

"NO ROOM FOR CHRIST."

"There was no room for them in the inn."-Luke ii. 7.

FOR four thousand years the Jews had been looking for Christ, and now He has come. And the first thing we read of Him is that there is no room for Him in the inn at Bethlehem.

The sinner's heart is very much like that little inn at Bethlehem : it has no room for Christ. If a prince comes to this country from some foreign land, there is sure to be room for him, and the best you have is not good enough to bestow upon him. Your crown