greatest conformity, the deepest fellowship must leave their depths unfathomed. Let us

not err by measuring ourselves with ourselves, let us not grieve the Lord by desponding;

an honest endeavour by His grace, though it fail, will be more pleasing to Him than to

hide our one talent in a napkin; prove once again that grace is still sufficient.

Did Paul himself attain the out-resurrection? Scripture does not say. He desired "to

depart and be with Christ", and in II Tim. 4: he says, "the time of my departure is at

hand"; he does not say that his death is near, but retains the same word that he used in

Philippians. In II Timothy there are none of the misgivings of Philippians, the apostle

stands now on the verge of the grave, life and service are now behind, what is the

God-given review? "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept

the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness". Paul does not say

that the prize of the high calling was his, he does not say that for him sudden death would

mean sudden glory; we can only feel that the apostle who so ardently desired as to say

that he had but "one thing" before him, would hardly say at the close, "I have finished my

course", if he did not feel the Divine assurance that his desire was to be granted. We

cannot but believe that the silence of the Scripture is salutary; we believe that the Lord

would not lay before His children the impossible. We realize the difficulties a little, we

need to be kept constantly humble all through our course, and may well leave the end to

We trust that none will feel disposed to surrender because of the trials of the

wilderness, but will rather, like Caleb and Joshua, seek to wholly follow the Lord.