Christians, and this accounts for many of His dealGod's grace does not do

ings with His people.

away with His government.

Some may feel a difficulty as to how the unmer ciful servant could be punished after he had been forgiven, as if the forgiveness of God were a sort of conditional pardon, that could be withdrawn, if we were unfaithful afterwards. But there is no such thought in scripture, and the parable does not say that the servant was punished for the same debt he had been forgiven. He was forgiven that debt, and then punished for what was afterwards due. Man is suci. a failing creature, that, if he were forgiven to-day, he would owe another debt to-morrow. This we see exemplified in Israel. On the day of atonement, the Jew's sins were atoned for, and forgiven; when he again began to sin, and there was, of necessity, a remembrance made of sins every year (Heb. x. 3), and a new atonement made, and forgiveness given. Now the one sacrifice of Christ perfects the believer for ever; but the parable does not enter into the subject of justification, nor was the work of atonement then completed.

The last part of the parable has also presented another difficulty to some, because it seems to imply the loss of the soul. The unmerciful servant was delivered to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due; but in scripture, persons are taken up in the character they assume. Here the

persons spoken of are "servants," and the parable must not be taken out of its connection. Professed servants may be thus unmerciful, and may be lost eventually; and the parable may also apply to those Jews who had been forgiven their "ten thousand talents," but who would not forgive their Gentile fellow-servants their "hundred pence." Their condition was indeed hopeless; for they could never repay to God what they owed.

Still, it has a lesson for us all. Let us not forget the mighty debt we have been forgiven. The unmerciful servant "went out" from the presence of his lord, or he could not have dared to seize his fellow-servant; and so we may forget what we have been forgiven, and fail to forgive our brethren seventy times seven. As we have seen, God, in His government, will measure to us according as we have measured to others. The merciful shall obtain mercy, and we surely need this to the journey's end.

IMPORTANT INQUIRIES.

"E. W."

As your questions are of importance to thousands, we will state them in full. You quote, "shall never perish" (John x. 28); "abide not in me" (John xv. 6); "live after the flesh, ye shall die." You say, "I came to Christ, a lost sinner. I believe that He died for me, became my Sub

stitute, and, through His sacrifice, I am made whole. I rest on John v. 24, and also 1 John v. 10-13. I believe that the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin, because God the Father, who sent the Son, says so. My hope and trust is in His word ONLY. I know I have eternal life the Spirit witnesseth with my spirit that I am born of God." We will now take each of your momentous questions.

"Can a believer, a man born again, live after the flesh, and, consequently, die eternally?" We often create difficulties by adding to scripture. You will notice, you have added the word, "eternally." "Consequently die eternally." A believer may so fail, so sin, that it is a sin unto death; and if you compare 1 Corinthians xi: 30 with 1 John v. 16, 17, you will see what is meant there is the death of the body in chastisement. But the scripture you refer to (Rom. viii. 1–17) is evidently characteristic-those in Christ, and those in the flesh. Life and holiness characterise those in Christ; sin and death, those that are in the flesh, and walk after the flesh. "They that are after the flesh." But ye are not in the flesh." Thus it is not a man born of God, but a man in the flesh; if not born again, he walks in the flesh, and the end is death. If, therefore, a man walks in the flesh, he has no right to conclude he is born of God. We will now put your question again, that is, as you intend it: Can a

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man truly born of God so walk in the flesh, can he so sin, as to perish eternally?

The scripture answers, No, he cannot so sin, because he is born of God. The man who practises sin is not born of God, but is of the devil Read carefully 1 John iii. 8-10; v. 18. The believer is to reckon himself dead to sin, and no longer in the flesh-not on that ground-but alive to God. It may be said, But do we not see such as have made a great profession afterwards walk in the flesh, and practise sin? We do, and this proves they never were born of God-they never had any root. (See Matt. xiii. 21, &c.) Can an apple-tree evermore grow crabs? It may grow good apples, or poor fruit. And so with us, and so the reward.

"Can he abide not in Christ, and be burned?" It has often been observed, that the theme of John xv.-the vine-is fruit-bearing. The Lord does not say, If YE abide not in me, YE shall be cast forth, withered and burnt, &c. If He had, then our final salvation would depend on ourselves, and not on what He has done, and what He is. He says, "If a man abide not in me," &c. He may be an outward disciple, like Judas, and, having no living link with Christ, will ultimately perish.

"Shall never perish." (John x. 28.) Here the Lord is speaking of His own very sheep, given to Him of the Father. "My sheep." There

can be no mistake about these. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand."

You ask, "Is it not that I shall never perish, if I abide in Him; and that, if I abide not in Him, I shall be lost?" Now this is mixing up two scriptures on quite different subjects-fruit-bearing and eternal life. If we do this, we are perplexed, and in confusion. Let us keep to the plain facts of these words-John x. 27-29; the eternal life and absolute security of the sheep of Christ, given to Him of the Father. Now what is eternal life? Is it not, at least, the contrast of mortal life? Mortal life is the possibility and liability to die-a life that can cease to be. Eternal life is surely the opposite of all this. It is the life that cannot possibly be liable to cease -it is imperishable. And more, read the blessed words the Spirit used at first to your soul. (1 John v. 10-13.) "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Therefore, if any man says that it is mere life in us, liable to perish, depending on something we do, that man makes God a liar, and denies what God says— that it is eternal, or imperishable, and is in the Son. This is a character of Christianity peculiar to us, and to deny it is so, is to make God a liar.

We repeat your further words, they are most im