EXTRACTS

The apprehension of grace qualifies us to ascend; being there you see the glory of Christ. I do not think this is beyond the reach of Christians. You are never right until you apprehend the glory of Christ; until you get a glimpse of the glory of Christ you are exposed to the influence of the world. One glimpse of the glory of Christ and the Father’s voice heard will set you free for ever, your heart is fixed. The office of the Spirit now is to bring that before the Lord’s people. Paul says, that we all with unveiled face behold it. Do you behold it? There will be nothing different in heaven to that lovely face seen on earth, the glory of God will be seen in that face, that face will be distinguished from all others in the glory, it sustains the glory.

What a view! The Lord prayed “that they may behold my glory”. We shall behold that, but there is that which is peculiar to Him as a Man carrying out the divine will, and that is seen now by the power of the Spirit. We all with unveiled face behold it and the effect is that there is a race down here like Him morally; we are changed into the same image. Beholding the glory has a transforming effect that goes on from glory to glory. How many glories are there?

Paul says “from glory to glory”. As you behold it there is constant change and there is increasing grace. We become more gracious to each other. The Lord gave Paul all that were in the ship, it was the moment of grace and Paul appreciated that. We do not want to lose the saints; if God gave Paul all, he values them. God gave Paul all, and in spite of the wreck he wanted to present the assembly to Christ. You want all the saints, we do not want to lose one. The Lord would preserve the truth and preserve us with it. How? By mutual consideration. What is the mystery? It involves our relation to one another. Paul knew he would not be with us always, but if we all know the mystery, then Paul can go home.

The one who prays has the saints on his heart, he does not want to lose one, and the Lord will give you every one you seek, and there will not be one lost. All the saints will get to land somehow, it may be in a humiliating way, but Paul will get his “all”.

May we learn the grace of Christ, and knowing the grace we shall see the glory.

J. Taylor (Vol. 6, pp.214, 215)

SJH Why is the throne, which is mentioned here, not an altar as it was in Ezekiel?

JT Well, I think now, it is a question of God’s dominance. We have been speaking of God’s acting in spite of circumstances, but here it is a set way of His. I think it reminds us of being right in our gatherings, so that God may have a free hand, and that influence as clear as crystal should go out. In our localities, if matters of discipline come up, our judgment is not beclouded; things are clear; there is a reason given for everything that is done. In Ephesians 2: 21, it says of the assembly, “All the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord”—leading up to the millennium; so that whatever is done governmentally in the millennium will be clarified. There will be nothing dark; the meaning of everything will be clear. If we pursued right principles, nothing would be dark.

J. Taylor (Vol. 96, p.229)

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