saved. The weary thinking is over, the conscious enjoyment has begun.

Nor, secondly, is it "I feel." Feelings are but the evidence of my senses, and these are as changeable as the sand of the desert or the waves of the sea. You cannot build on either. It would be a poor thing indeed if the word of God depended for its truthfulness on my feelings about it. A man suffering from fever and ague will shiver on Midsummer-day; or a blind person may declare the sun is not shining. They go by their feelings "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." You believe the report, and the result is salvation.

Far less, thirdly, is it, "I doubt." Doubts may characterize the sceptic or infidel, but not him who has proved the truth of God's word. That word, when received by faith, banishes every fear. It places the sinner on the ground of being utterly lost; it reveals to him a Saviour once dead, now glorified, whose blood cleanses from all sin, and whose work on the cross makes full atonement; it assures him of salvation at the moment of bellet "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Hence * we know." Doubt is gene; we rest in the calm and quiet assurance of salvation. We may know little beside. We may be ignorant and unlearned; but happy the soul that can truthfully say, "One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."

There is no sermon so power as that which is Sawn from experience. One fact is worth a bushel of theories" It I speak what my soul knews, and not that which I have merely heard from others. I speak in even we use the truth we have, more will be

given; but, for an effective testimony, I should speak what I know. Hence, if you know but the forgiveness of sins, bear witness to that; if justification, or sonship, or whatever truth you have made your own, tell it out faithfully, distinctly, by lip and life, so that the blessed Saviour may obtain praise for the salvation He has given. J. W. S.

CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF THE CHURCH. He calls them His brethren, and sings in the midst of the Church. Think what it is!-not, You may sing now, for I have accomplished redemption, though this is true; but I will sing! Christ leads our praises; He has associated us with Himself now that He takes up all our thoughts and feelings. It is praise for redemption, but it is every thought and feeling I can express to God. For He is a man; He knows what it is, as none of us ever will know, to bear God's wrath. It is over; it is gone for Him on the cross; and it is gone for us by His having taken it. When risen, He declares the Father's name to His brethren, and leads their praises. It is from below the praises go up, founded on redemption and atonement; but the expression of every thought and feeling that can be in my heart, as an exercised man down here, goes up in praise. Christ has gone through all this, enters into it all, and sings in the midst of the Church-a figurative expression, but true. That is, He is the person who leads every feeling and thought of exercised persons, because He has gone through it all. J. N. D.

THE ADMINISTRATIVE FORGIVENESS

OF SINS.

BELOVED BROTHER,-I desire to offer a few remarks with reference to "the forgiveness of sins by the Church," on which an article appeared in the May number of the Christian Friend. It appears to me that Scripture regards the assembly as administering forgiveness in this world towards those that are without, and that this forgiveness was administered on the reception of persons into the professing Church. This character of forgiveness was connected with baptism. Paul was told to arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins. Peter, to whom the keys of the kingdom of heaven were entrusted, and the authority of binding and loosing on earth was given, admitted Jews (outside) to the kingdom, in Acts ii., and Gentiles (outside), in Acts x. The authority given to the disciples in John xx. 23, appears likewise to be connected with their mission and ministry in the world. "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." (See v. 21.)

The binding and loosing in Matt. xviii. 18, stands more in connection with Church discipline, but a distinction clearly must be made between the assembly or the disciples administering forgiveness towards those without, on their reception into the house, and the discipline of the house of God, under the authority of Christ, for the maintenance of holiness amongst those that are within.

Christians in the house have received administrative forgiveness, and stand in a place of responsibility,

where all the privileges of the dispensation are to be found and enjoyed. Now what do we learn from the epistles to the Corinthians as to discipline, or the responsibility of the assembly in relation to sins committed by those within? In 1 Cor. v. the apostle states, "Do not ye judge them that are within, but them that are without God judgeth." Unjudged evil in the assembly constituted the leaven with which the Corinthians were keeping the feast, and the course of the assembly in relation to the leaven and the evil-doer is clearly laid down: "Purge out the old leaven;" "put away from among yourselves that wicked person." As to the saints, they were identified with the sin, and should have mourned and humbled themselves about it, which they did subsequently. (See 2 Cor. vii. 7–11.) But God's house was no place for fornicators, idolaters, railers, drunkards, extortioners, covetous persons, and such like; and if any man " called a brother" so acted as to deserve such a character, the company of the saints was no place for him. With such an one no not to eat," marks the social separation, as putting out from amongst those "within" marks the ecclesiastical separation to be made between the saints and the evil-doer. Now it is perfectly clear that if the assembly had bound sin, or put away and judged an evil-doer, on his repentance the assembly should have rejoiced to restore, to comfort, and to forgive.* Hence in 2 Cor. ii. the apostle instructs the Corinthians to act in grace, to comfort and forgive, on the ground of the sufficiency of the punishment which had been inflicted, and lest

* The word used for forgive in 2 Cor. ii. is that used in Luke vii. 42, He "frankly forgave" them both; not that used in v. 48, "Thy sins are forgiven,'" or for remission in John xx. 23.

the person should be swallowed up with over much sorrow. But we must not forget that the saints had previously identified themselves with the sin committed, and made it their own; had felt it as their shame and sorrow; had cleansed God's house, had purged out leaven; had vindicated the Lord's name, and approved themselves clear in the matter. (See 2 Cor. vii. 11.) All these exercises of soul had been gone through and were over in relation to the sin which had brought leaven into the assembly and dishonoured the Lord, before grace and forgiveness were shown and the public restoration of the offender took place; so that it would be a serious thing to build on 2 Cor. ii., severed from 1 Cor. v., a doctrine that the assembly has merely to administer forgiveness, on repentance, in cases in which leaven has been brought into the assembly, or to allege that there is any warrant in 2 Cor. ii. for the assertion as to a saint inside, that "if my sin has been open wickedness, and has brought leaven into the assembly, I must get the forgiveness of the assembly as well as God's forgiveness." A person put out must clearly be restored or forgiven by the assembly; but when an obligation is laid upon saints in the house of God, I think scripture should be given which clearly proves the obligation. Doubtless when a saint has fallen, one mark of true restoration would be confession to another; but to bring the assembly into the case, or to oblige confession to the assembly, appears to me to put the assembly out of its place, and to be contrary to Scripture. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed," is evidently private, and not administrative forgiveness by the assembly.

The case supposed, of a saint having sinned and re