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e wide, but there is no bridge. What gives
unity to these diiTerent kingdoms, binding
them together in what we call the universe
Materialists find this bond of unity in material
laws and call it evolution. They explain each
higher type as coming into existence through
the resident forces of the lower kingdom. It
is life from below. Nicodemus was told that
life came from above. The Spirit is the single
source of life in all its forms. The universe
is one not because of resident forces, but
because the Holy Spirit vivifies it. The one
Spirit acting through all, makes all one.
SCHISM IN THE BODY.
The twelfth chapter of First Corinthians is
the descriptive anatomy of the redeemed body
of Jesus Christ. In this body each regenerated
life is a nerve or a muscle, a hand or a
foot. Each ore has his importance, has his
life indeed, because he is a member of the
body. When each one does his work properly,
then the body of Christ is in good health.
When any part refuses to function, then there
is sickness and weakness in the body of Christ.
This is what Paul calls "schism in, the body.'*
Whenever there is disease at any point, for
example congestion in the lungs, the attention
of the whole body is focussed on that
lawless member to bring it into proper working
order. The cells are filled with waste matter
because the veins are not able to do their
work in the congested part. If the blood could
flow unhindered the waste matter would be
carried away to the other organs where it
could be cleansed, or else thrown out of the
body. But the veins are closed by the inflammation
until tbe blood can with difficulty
force a passage. When a heavily loaded team
comes to a hard spot they quicken their steps.
The driver of the automobile throws his machine
il a different gear when he has a hill
to climb. With the added work to be done the
heart speeds up and tries to drive the blood
through the obstructions. The kidneys and
the liver respond to the call. The stomach
tries to relieve the diseased portion. "If one
member sufifer all the members suffer with it."
Often the heart collapses under the heavy
work it has to do. This is schism in the body.
The lawless member, or members, calls up the
vital religious forces of the whole congregation
to bring him into proper functioning,
-Sometimes some of the other members also
cease to function properly through sympathy
with the one that first went wrong. But whether
this takes place or not, the body ceases to
do anything except try to live. A good many
congregations have congestion of one part or
another, that puts the heart to a severe test.
Collapse is not unusual and if one could diagnose
the disease he would find there had been
schism in the body. This schismatic condition
has been the cause of weakness and death
in congregational life and work, in church
life and work. Too often the whole strength
of the body is dissipated in the effort to bring
the lawless member into right adjustment.
THE (THRISTIAN NATION. Vol 61.
]\Iost of the strength of the body goes into
this form of waste, instead of being made effective
in doing its work in the world. It is
sometimes quite as imperative for the health
of the church that it should practice surgery
as to make additions to the body. It emphasizes
the need, if church work is ever to become
normally effective, that every member
should be brought into harmony with the
purposes of the body. If there is to be a forward
movement it must be an every-member
movement. Inaction of the hand cripples the
work of the foot. A failure of the eye throws
extra work upon the ear. A hundred nerves
and muscles are working together in an act,
where the paralysis of one of the hundred
would prevent the work being done. The
congregation in its members must be saved
before it can be saving. It must be gifted before
it can be giving. We have foreign mission
and home mission and intermission.
This last needs to be changed into an innermission
so that the lives of the membership
may have power through such adjustment as
will bring each life into more vital relationship
with the head, which is Christ. Through
lack of this, many are weak and sickly and
many sleep.
WALKING WITH GOD.
By the Rev. T. M. Slater.
The Bible records the names of many who enjoyed
great distinction in their relations with
God. Abraham was his friend. The Lord knew
Moses face to face. David was a man after his
own heart. Daniel was greatly beloved. The Baptist
was a man sent from God, Paul was the
bond servant of Jesus Christ. John was the
disciple beloved of him. What titles could exceed
these in dignity What eulogy more eloquent, or
what more enviable epitaph could be written over
our grave And earlier than all these lived
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, of who little is
known save that he was a prophet; that like
Elijah he was translated that he should not see
death; that before his translation he had this
testimony that he pleased God; and that the great
distinction of his life was that he walked with
God.
There is something very fascinating about that
description. It speaks of an intimacy of relation
that we all covet, of a blessed companionship and
comradeship, of an acquaintance and fellowship,
and heart-to-heart knowledge that belongs only
to lovers. Surely Enoch was a highly privileged
saint to be chosen as God's walking companion!
Any one who knows this much of him cannot but
wish that they knew more, especially concerning
all that those walks were to him. But perhaps if
we observe something of his habits of walking we
may get suggestions as to how we may learn to
walk with God.
For at the outset we should remember that
there was nothing tangible or material about this
companionship. In Enoch's day God was no more
visible than he is now, and then as now, men had
to walk by faith and not by sight. So let us not
despair of less advantages in entering into the
reality of a true walk with God. In fact our advantages
are far above those of Enoch, for we
. have the Scriptures that reveal where God is to
be found, and Christ who is the Way; and meeting
God there our hand joins his by faith.
Neither let us suppose that to walk with God
we must withdraw from the ordinary paths of
life. Bnpch was no hermit, but active in the affairs
of his time. God meets with us in the solitude
but leads us out among men. Those who retire
from the work of life in order to walk with
God, are in peril of being left to walk alone.
Enoch did not have easy walking all of the
time, and neither will we it we walk with God.
Our journey with him is not an idle stroll, for
he is going somewhere, and the path leads through
rough places. The Lord is a man of war, and
if we keep step with him we will have marching,
running and climbing. As a prophet, Enoch had
to walk the rough roads of a prophet, denouncing
the wickedness of his time, receiving the opposition
of his fellowmen, foretelling the judgment to
come; but he had to take this course or else part
company with God.
Another thing noticeable about Enoch's walk;
it had a definite beginning. It is distinctly stated
that his walk with God began when he was
sixty-five years of age, and seems to have been
in some way related to the birth of his son
Methuselah. The record seems to imply that up
until that time he had walked hy himself, or with
Satan. Or if he went with God at all he may
have crept as a child, but did not walk as a man.
Was it some anxiety in connection with the birth
of his son, or joy at his coming, or new lessons
of his relation to his own Heavenly Father, that
led him to stand upright and live on a new and
higher plane of life None of us walk from the
beginning. There is a definite day on which a
baby takes its firststep, and with what joy that
development is noticed. Even after our religious
experience has begun, some of us creep too long.
God is not satisfied to have us always children;
much more is he vexed if as wilful, headstrong
sinners we walk contrary unto him, for he then
must walk contrary unto us.
In order to walk with God what is necessary
First of all we must be at agreement with God,
for how can two walk together except they be
agreed The original, natural disagreement between
a sinner and a holy God must be put away
and we become reconciled to him. Only when
this is done do our lives move in the same direction.
Before that they are moving in opposite
directions and going further and further apart. If
we agree upon the direction our paths will lie
together.
But more than this, in order to walk together,
we need to be in sympathy. A dozen people
may occupy the sidewalk going the same direction,
but they could hardly be said to he walking
together if they never speak to one another or
take any notice. And can Christian people who
do God's work unwillingly, or who never speak
to him or respond to anything he says to them,
whose thoughts and hearts are not with God,
but roaming in other paths, be said in any true
sense to be walking with God Walking with God
means sympathetic fellowship.
Then there come places in our walk with God
when we have to follow. We can neither go
ahead, nor even keep at his side, but must take
our place behind. At times when we are uncertain
where the path lies we are glad to follow, for
we trust him to be the guide. And again at
times when we think we know the way, but our
wills come in conflict, what else shall we do Is
it hard sometimes to be resigned about this inatter
If God and we were equals we might not be
resigned, for then there would be an equal
chance that each of us might be right. But so
long as God is God and we are what we are, it
is for us to submit even when we disagree. I
often watch with interest two walking companions
who pass my window each day, a mother
and her little boy. Every time they pass the end
of an alley, the child wants to go down that
way to play in the mud. In the end they always
agree, though it sometimes takes a good deal of
argument, and the mother's will prevails as it
shoulrf All separations from God come from «»