privilege indeed (see Matt. xi. 11). But not of privilege only; of spiritual, well-- being also. It is to be high and far above the baseness of selfishness, of vanity, of ingratitude, of rebelliousness; above the low ground of unbelief, of indecision, of procrastination. It is to live and move on the sacred heights of devotion, of sacred service, of consecration, of the sonship and friendship of the living God. II. 'l'HAT wrrHm THAT KINGDOM ABE DEGREES OF SPIRITUAL ALTITUDE. Not every one that is "in Christ Jesus" stands on the same spiritual level. There is not only considerable variety of character and service, there is also much difference in degree of attainment. There are those who are behind and those who are before in the race; there are those who stand lower down in the outer court and those who stand higher up in the inner court. Many are the degrees among the disciples of Christ in : 1. Knowledge. Some have but a very elementary acquaintance with the truth of God; some hold the faith of Christ much mixed with corrupt accretions; others have a comparatively clear view of the doctrines taught by Christ and by his apostles ; there are those who have gone far into "the deep things of God." 2. Piety. A Christian man may have but a slender capacity for devotion; he may only be able to worship God and commune with him feebly and occasionally, with no power of Sll.!r tained devotion ; or he may have ascended the higher ground, and be " praying always;" his" walk may be close with God;" he may be "a devout man and full of the Holy Ghost." 3. Moral worth. ll'rom the recently converted idolater whose licentious habits cling to him and have to be hardly and laboriously torn away by long and earnest struggle, to the saintly man or woman who, inheriting the pnrified nature and dispositiou of reverent and godly parents, has breathed the air of purity and goodness all his days, and has grown up into holiness and Christliness in a very marked degree, there is a great ascent. 4. Influence, and consequent usefulness. There are those whose influence counts for very little among their fellows ; there are others who weigh much, whose presence is a power for good everywhere, who can pro- duce a great and valuable effect by their words of wisdom. • III. THAT SPIRITUAL ASCENT IS ATTAINED BY DIVINELY PROVIDED MEANS. Thero were steps or stairs leading up from the lower to the higher ground within the temple. There are steps of which we may avail ourselves if we would rise in the kingdom of God. They are these: 1. Worship; including public worship in the sanctuary, meet- ing the Master at his table, private prayer in the home and the quiet chamber. 2. Study; including the reading of the Scriptures and also of the lives of the best and noblest of the children of men. 3. Fellowship with the good ; associating daily and weekly with those like-minded with ourselves, and choosing for our most intimate friends those, and those only, whose convictions and sympathies are sustaining and uplifting. 4. .Activity in one or other of the many fields of sacred Ullefulness.-C.
Ver. 44.-Sacred song. "The chambers of the singers," The ideal Church would not be complete without the service of sacred song. Abundant o.rrangement was mnde for this order of worship in the first temple (1 Kings x. 12; 1 Chron. xxv.). lt wns to be a do.ily offering unto the Lord (1 Chron. xxiii. 30). And it ho.s found a large and honourable place in the Church of Christ. The Master himself nod his disciples "sang an hymn" on the most solemn and sacred of all occasions (Matt. x.xvi. 30) ; and Paul refers to "psalms and hymns and spiritual son11:s" as if they were well known in the experience of the early Church. '!'his service of song should be-- I. COMPREHENSIVE IN ITS RANGE. It should not only include praise (with which it is more particularly identified; see infra), but also adoration, e.g. "We praise, we worship thee, 0 God," etc.; and confession, e.g. "Oppressed with sin and woe," etc.; e.ndfaith, e.g. "My faith looks up to thee," etc.; and consecration, e.g. "My gracious Lord, I own thy right," etc.; and prayer for the Divine guidance and inspiration, e.g. "0 thou who camest from above," etc., "0 God of Bethel, by whose hand," etc. ; and resignation, e.g. "My God, my Father, while I stray," etc., and solemn, reverent challenge to one another, e.g. "Come we that love the Lord," etc., "Stand up, stand up for Jesus," etc., "Ye servants of God," etc.; and holy, heavenly expecta- tion, e.g. "Jerusalem, my happy home." So that there is no sentiment suitable to reverent lips, no grace of Christian character, that may not find expression in sacred song; and such utterance may not only be true worship, but it may gi.ve real relief TtlE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIBlt. (oa. :lLI. 1-26.
to the full and perhaps burdened soul, while it also deepens conviction and elevates chiiracter. II. MARKED BY THREE OHARAOTERISTICS. 1. Musical harmony. For that which we offer to our Lord should be the very best we can bring; not the blemished but the whole, not the disfigured but the beautiful, not the rude but the cultured, not the discordant but the harmonious. 2. Spirituality. The God who himself is a. Spirit must be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John iv. 24). And however musical may be the sound, no service of song even approaches the satisfactory which is not spiritual; we must make melody in our heart, as well as with our voice, unto the Lord (Eph. v. 19). 3. Congregational. There are services in which it is not possible for "all the people" to participate audibly; but these are exceptional; as a rule, the order of worship should be such that every voice should be heard "blessing and praising God," for expression is the true friend of fe.eling. • III. J ovous rn ITS PREVAILING NOTE. The word "praise" is commonly asso- ciated with "singing." The singers sing "the praises of Jehovah." As already saiil, there is no spiritual experience to which vocal utterance may not be well and wisely given in sacred song. But the p1·evailing strain is that of praise or thanks- giving. And this may well be so when we realize, as we should in the praise of God: 1. How worthy, in his own Person and character, is the Lord our Saviour of our most • reverent and joyful praise. 2. How great things he wrought e.nd suffered for us when he dwelt among us. 3. How perfect is the "great salvation," and how open to all mankind without reserve (Jude 3). 4. How high are the privileges e.ud how heavenly the blessings we have in him whilst we live below; how much it is to be able to say, "For us to live is <Jhrist." 6. How grand is the heritage to which we move.--C.