prophet, and the greatest of men; in his own eyes he was not worthy to stoop down and

loose the latchet of his Saviour's shoe; his "text" might have been his own words

recorded in John 3: 30, "He must increase, but I must decrease". John speaks of Christ

as having come from heaven, and of himself as being of the earth, yet the Lord's question

of the chief priests and elders, "The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?",

shows that John could have found reasons for placing himself a grade above the "earth"

with regard to his ministry.

What true greatness is here! Christ and His glory filling the heart and the vision. To

be greater than John the Baptist means to be lower and more humble, to be more

completely devoid of self and self-seeking; to be more proof against the temptations of

the flesh. Humility of mind too should characterize every member of the One Body; this

can only be attained, as John's example teaches, as Christ is central and Christ is all.

Beloved reader, how would you answer if a learned and important body waited upon

you and asked the question, "What sayest thou of thyself?"

The apostle Paul, speaking of one phase of his own experience in Rom. 7: said,

"When the commandment came". He, as a Hebrew and a Pharisee, knew the law, and

many many times he had read and recited the commandment, "thou shalt not covet". One

day, however, it came, and the effect of the coming was immediately manifest. The

words of our title have been read many times. We knew those words were in the epistle

to the Colossians, we could have quoted the verse and its context from memory. One

day, however, the words came, and despondency gave place to joy, weariness to renewed

vigour, and murmuring to peace. "CHRIST IS ALL."

Starting from the innermost circle of the Church of the One Body, the doctrine of

Scripture expands in ever-widening circles, but all concentrate in Christ. It will be

helpful if we refresh our memory of this blessed fact, and notice a few passages of

Scripture which point in this direction. First let us notice the verse itself wherein out text

occurs. "Ye have put on the new man. . . . where there is neither Greek nor Jew,

circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all,

and in all" (Col. 3: 9-11). In keeping with this is the statement of chapter 1: 26, 27:--

Or again in chapter 2: 2 (following the best texts):--