EXTRACTS

He exhorted them that they should cleave to the Lord. Depend on Him. Some are allowed to have a long season of joy on first believing, but God knows our hearts, and how soon we should be depending on our joy, and not on Christ. He is our object—joy is not our object.

Do not let your joy lead you to forget the source of it, and then it need never wane. This joy is right and beautiful in its place; I am not saying a word against it—God forbid. But I warn you against resting in it. Do not lean on it for strength. There is danger of joy, however genuine, making you forget how dependent you are every moment. Depend upon Him—cleave to Him with purpose of heart. Do not be content with being happy (may you continue so!), but with Paul, forgetting the things which are behind press on, etc. (Philippians 3). I have seen many Christians so full of joy that they thought there was no such thing as sin left. It is true sin no longer remains in you; but the flesh is in you to the end. The old stock is there, and you will find that, if you are not watchful, if divine life is not cherished and cultivated in your hearts by looking at Christ and feeding on Him, it will be putting forth its buds; if it does, they must be nipped off as they appear. No good fruit comes off the old stock. It is the new that bears fruit unto God. But though the flesh is in you, do not be thinking of this, but think of Christ—

cleave to Him; and may your souls be maintained in this truth, that Christ is your life—aye, that Christ is so your life that Christ must die (the thought of which is blasphemy) before you can perish. And as He is your life, so is He the object of that life—“The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”, Galatians 2: 20. As you grow in this knowledge of Him, a joy grows deeper than that of first conversion. I have known Christ, more or less, between thirty and forty years, and I can say that I have ten thousand times more joy now than I had at first. It is a deeper, calmer joy. The water rushing down from a hill is beautiful to look at, and makes most noise; but you will find the water that runs in the plain is deeper, calmer, more fructifying.

J. N. Darby (‘Collected Writings’ Vol. 34, pp.395, 396)

There is an overcomer even in Philadelphia. Whatever character an assembly may have, overcoming is always individual. This requires individual energy in spiritual affections. It would be a very great privilege to walk with saints who had truly Philadelphian character, but we should have to recognise that each one who had this character was individually an overcomer. No matter how spiritual the persons may be with whom I walk, I can only have the Lord’s approbation and reward by being an overcomer myself. It requires individual overcomers to hold together in the love of the brethren the precious things which we have spoken of. And this is Philadelphia. It is a condition that can only be maintained in the energy of spiritual affections to which Christ is pre-eminent, and by which the assembly, and all that relates to it, is cherished because it is the subject of the love of Christ, and all is held in the love of the brethren. It is an exercise for us all—for all saints—as to how far we have this character. But at any rate we can allow our desires to be formed by this precious utterance of our Lord, and we can pray that it may increasingly characterise us as seeking to walk with our brethren in truth and love.

C. A. Coates (‘Outline of Revelation’, p.58)

Edited and Published by J. Strachan, 59 Frederick Street, Dundee, DD3 9DE, Scotland Printed by Crystal Stationery, 22 Western Road, Billericay, Essex CM12 9DZ, (T) (01277) 650661