which are coming on the earth" (Luke xxi. 36), but will be exposed as Rev. xiii. 10-15 shows, to all the horrors of

THE GREAT TRIBULATION.

We are all agreed that these things are to take place at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which may occur at any moment. There must therefore be three classes of believers on earth at the present time, into which the nominal and visible Church might at any moment be divided. This point having been established let us see whether the Scriptures give us any clue whereby we can identify (1) the "woman" and (2) the "man child" and (3) "the remnant of her seed."

(1) The prophet Isaiah has a prophecy parallel to that of John, in chap. lxvi. 7. The "woman" who bears the "man child" is there called "Zion” (v. 8). This woman is addressed continuously throughout the prophetic word as

A BRIDE OR WIFE,

as in Isaiah liv. 5, "Thy maker is thine husband," and Isaiah lxii. 5, "For as a young man weddeth a virgin, so shall thy Restorer or Builder wed thee, and with the joy of the bridegroom in his bride, so shall thy God rejoice in thee" (Barnes). As it is impossible that there should be more than one bride, the woman Zion must be the Bride, the wife of the Lamb, the wife of her Builder and Maker (Heb. xi. 10).

Dr. Margoliouth, a learned Hebraist, author of the "Poetry of the Hebrew Pentateuch," &c., speaking at Mildmay Conference, June, 1873, said: "Who is the sober, serious, and devout reader of the Sacred Book, the Bible, that can withhold his assent and consent to the truth that the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Bride represents one and the same person? and that person is the thricebetrothed Daughter of Zion to the Thrice Holy One. The elect Church of God, of this dispensation, will occupy

A FAR HIGHER POSITION

than the Daughter of Zion, the Bride of Christ, the Lamb's wife. Inasmuch as the Church of this dispensation is emphatically the

Body of the Bridegroom Himself!" (Hosea ii. 16, 19, 20, the betrothal) Isaiah lxii. 1-5.

(2) The last sentence leads up to the identification of the man child, as that which is pre-eminently the Church of this dispensation; the members of which constitute the Body of the Bridegroom, who are also represented as the seed or children of Christ; "the children of the bridechamber" (Isaiah liii. 10, "his seed," Heb. ii. 13, "children of Christ," Matt. ix. 15). "The church which is his body;" "the church of the first-born," is to share with Christ the headship over all things, when all things shall have been put in subjection under His feet, for they are "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ," and by virtue of their union with Christ, they have already (in spirit) been "raised up with him, and made to sit in the heavenly places," "far above all rule and authority, and power, and dominion." Eph. i. 20-23; ii. 6. Now we can

IDENTIFY THE MAN CHILD

with the "church which is his (Christ's) body," because the man child is to "rule all nations with a rod of iron," and to sit (as a body of over-comers) with Christ on His throne (Rev. xii. 5; ii. 26, 27; iii. 21). Being members of the body of the Christ implies absolute and entire union with Him in all things:-Such as (1) an entire giving up of the human will to God; presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, and (2) knowing the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and becoming conformed to His death. Accordingly we find that the members of the body symbolized by the man child, "loved not their life even unto death," and that they "overcame" the devil "because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony." Rev. xii. 11, R. V. Now the practical question to each one of us is-Am I living this overcoming life? Have I

GIVEN UP MY OWN LIFE

with all human ambition, hopes and aspirations "even unto death?" "For if we died with him we shall also live with him:

if we endure (or suffer) we shall also reign with him.” 2 Tim. ii. 11. "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" "The saints (holy ones) shall judge the world." I Cor. vi. 2, 3. "Be ye therefore perfect." Matt. v. 48.

(3) But who are "the rest of her seed ?" Well, first of all, it is certain that they are Christians, because "they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. xii. 17. But that they are not "counted worthy to escape" the great tribulation is evident, because they are, without doubt, "the saints" with whom the dragon, by means of the beast (antichrist), makes war, "and overcomes them." The result of which is that some go into captivity, and some are killed with the sword." Rev. xiii. 7-10.

THEIR "PATIENCE AND FAITH"

will be tried to the utmost, because "no man (will) be able to buy or sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name," and those who will not worship anti-christ will be put to death. Rev. xiii. 15-17. Those who do worship him or receive his mark, shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of His anger." Rev. xiv. 9.

To such fearful alternatives will they be exposed who do not "prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of man." Luke xxi 36, R. V. In view of all this, will any Christian still go on loving the world, and the things of the world, cherishing the "carnal mind" which "is enmity against God;" being satisfied with mere justification, and opposing sanctification by faith? "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light; awake to righteousness, and sin not." Eph. v. 14; I Cor. xv. 34.

A HEART'S CRY.

By A. L. Nathan.

O God! Thou who hast ever been

Mindful of earth's dark woes, and seen

The miseries of man; in this

Our time of need, extend a hand

To help remove this iron band

That binds the sons of earth; that bliss Of Thine own making may be ours.

Grant us Thy peace, that we may be
Thy children in eternity.

Remove the yoke, for Thou alone
Art able, of these hearts of stone,
To make vessels of honor, fit
To hold Thy Holy Name, for It
Alone can save us from our woes.

Look, we now beseech Thee,

With Thy pitying eye

Upon our misery.

Hear Thou our cry,

"O let Thy kingdom come!"

This cry has ever been,

From all the souls of men

Ascending unto Thee.

Answer Thou then

"I will. My Kingdom 's come."

Amen.

BIBLE READINGS.

ST. MATTHEW.
Chapter vii.

7. Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you:

8. For everyone who asks, receives; and everyone who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door is opened.

From the surface reading of these verses it would seem that the promise of the Lord Christ here was, that the mere asking, as we commonly understand it, was sufficient to bring the answer, the result, for in the eighth verse he says, "For everyone who asks, receives." Now, the question arises: Who asks, and how does this asking take place? If the consciousness is all of the flesh, can the flesh ask of the Spirit anything? We think not. God is spirit, and the mere mouthing of requests is not asking. To illustrate, if a friend of yours of whom you wish to ask a favor lives fifty or sixty miles away, and you have a telephone by which you are connected with him, but instead of using the telephone you simply ask him what you want, and continue to ask him without going to the telephone to really ask him, he would not know anything about it. Now, the parallel in this case, "Everyone who asks, receives," is that God is spirit and the son of God is spirit. The mere animal mind cannot ask of spirit, because it knows nothing of it; it asks but it never directs its petition to spirit; it can direct its petition only to that like itself. It is like the man who fails to use the telephone.

The same illustration might be put in another form. If you turn your back to your friend and ask him for something, he would not be very apt to hear you, or pay any attention to you, but if you had your mind on him and asked the question, using