to its close -- presently -- "at the eventide" (Gen. xxiv. 63) her Isaac will come forth to meet her, and receive

her unto Himself and present her to Himself in glory. Her Bridegroom has now gone to prepare a place for

her (John xiv. 1-3), and meanwhile he "cleaves" to her, and supports her (Gen. ii. 24). Oh how much higher

than our poor thoughts are His ways! Our thoughts do not rise higher than trying to cleave to Him: Man

represents her as some poor drowning one trying to cleave to a rock! No, dear brethren this is not the truth!

It is not the weaker one trying to cleave to the stronger one, but it is the strong one cleaving to the weak

one, as it is written:-- "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall CLEAVE unto his

wife, and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. ii. 24). "This is the great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and

the Church" (Eph. v. 32). Yes! and He will cleave unto His poor bride until He perfects in glory what He has

begun in grace; until caught up to meet Him in the air, she shall be for ever with the Lord.

This is the calling of the Church, and this is her hope. She has turned from idols to her beloved Lord. She

tries to serve Him, "the living and true God," while she "waits for His Son from heaven" (I Thess. i. 9-10).

This is the work of the Holy Ghost, in this the dispensation of the Spirit, "To make ready a people prepared

for the Lord" (Luke i. 17); to "save some" (I Cor. ix. 22); to "take out of the nations a people for His name"

(Acts xv. 14); and "a remnant from Israel according to the election of grace" (Rom. xi. 5); baptizing them all

into "one body," bestowing on them "one calling," and giving them all "one hope" (Eph. iv. 4-6).

Now, we are waiting for the fruition of this hope, and looking for His appearing. Having been betrothed unto

Him we long for the marriage-day to come. The scene of that marriage is to be in the glory. It is called "the

marriage of the Lamb" (not of the Bride), for His is the greater joy, in glory as well as in grace.11

It is His pleasure, His honour, and His glory to do all this for poor vile sinners. And when He shall have

assayed their service (2 Cor. v. 10, I Cor. iii. 12-15), and awarded their crowns (2 Tim. iv. 7-8), Heaven shall

ring with the marriage song, while yet She is with Him in the Heavenlies, before the Heaven opens (Rev. xix.

11), and she appears with Him in glory. The words of the marriage song are given:-- "Alleluia: for the Lord

God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is

come, and His wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. xix. 6,7).

So long as the Bridegroom tarries and is absent, She mourns and fasts, even as He foretold. "The days shall

come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days" (Matt. ix.

15; Mark ii. 19, 20; 2 Sam. xix. 24). But at His coming His own words shall be fulfilled:-- "And the glory

which thou gavest Me I have given them" (John xvii. 22, 23). Ah, then indeed, there shall be "joy in

heaven," joy to the Lamb, joy to His Bride, joy to all that are called to partake of this wondrous scene. But

"in all things He must have the pre -eminence," and great as must be the joy and gladness of the Bride in

Him, His joy in Her must be the greater. This is "the joy that was set before Him," for which He "endured the

cross and despised the shame" (Heb. xii. 2). That He might teach us all this, and set it all before us, Marriage

was His first institution in Eden: a marriage was the occasion of His first miracle where He turned the water

into wine, and "manifested forth His glory:" and He limits the day of grace, with this aspect of the day of

glory when He said "I will drink no more of this fruit of the vine, until I drink it new with you in the Kingdom

of God" (Matt. xxvi. 29).

His last message to His bride, is "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. xxii. 20), and she cries through her tear-

dimmed eyes, "Even so, come Lord Jesus." Each night as she lies down to sleep she prays that He may

come before the morning; and each morning as she rises, she prays that He may come before the night. For

I Thess. v. 5-8

In Luke xv. it is the Father's joy to save, the Spirit's to s eek, and the Son's to find, and the joy is not the joy

of the Angels, as is generally and erroneously represented, but it is joy "in the presense of the Angels of