April 21

Partakers of his promise in Christ. — EPH. iii. 6.

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. — MATT. viii. 11, 12.

THIS is a very important and most precious passage of the divine Word. It is a positive declaration by our Lord himself that there shall many come from all lands into the true Church of God, which was first established in the covenant with Abraham. In Luke xiii. 29, the words, "from the north and the south," make the expression more comprehensive of all the world. Jesus came to be the Saviour, not of the Jews only, but of all who will call upon him, of all nations and of all people. When he was on earth, the dispensation of the Gentiles had not come; yet he gave a gracious answer to the few Gentiles who approached him, as he did to this centurion, the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22), the nobleman (John iv. 46), and the Samaritans (John iv. 40). He specially commended the faith of the centurion and the woman of Canaan. It is often seen now that heathen converts manifest strong faith which enables them to endure persecution and death for the name of Jesus. Church of Christ, to whom the blessed commission is given, "Go ye into all the world!" labor on, pray on, increase the agencies that this "multitude which no man can number" may be gathered in!

While the promise is thus full and precious to those that believe, the other alternative remains true: even "the children of the kingdom," if they believe not, "shall be cast out into outer darkness."

Andrew F. Happer.

Salvation, oh, salvation,

The joyful sound proclaim,

Till earth's remotest nation

Has learned Messiah's name. HEBER.