Shall we not each one take the blessed opportunity of doing what Ruth did when she, in obedience to the advice of her mother, just cast herself at the feet of the great Boaz, the Redeemer, to be His?  Shall we not come into personal contact with Jesus, and shall not each one of us just speak before the world these simple words:  “Lord, here is this life; there is much in it still of self, and sinfulness, and self-will, but I come to Thee; I long to enter fully into Thy death; I long to know fully that I have been crucified with Thee; I long to live Thy life every day.”  Then say:  “Lord Jesus, I have seen Thy glory, what Thou didst for the penitent one at Thy side on the cross; I am trusting Thee, that Thou wilt do it for me.  Lord, I cast myself into Thy arms.”

JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST.

X.

Romans 14:  17.—­For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

In this text we have the earthly revelation of the work of the Trinity.  The Kingdom of God is righteousness; that represents the work of the Father.  The foundations of His throne are justice and judgment.  Then comes the work of the Son:  He is our peace, our Shiloh, our rest.  The Kingdom of God is peace; not only the peace of pardon for the past, but the peace of perfect assurance as to the future.  Not only the work of atonement is finished, but the work of sanctification is finished in Christ, and I may receive and enjoy what is prepared for me.  The new man has been created, and I may in Him live out my life; if a kingdom is established in righteousness, if the rule is perfect, there can be perfect rest.  If there be peace, no war from without, and no civil dissension within, a nation can be happy and prosperous.  And so there comes here, after righteousness and peace, the joy, the blessed happiness in which a man can live; “The Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”  May we regard this joy of the Holy Ghost, not only as a beautiful thing to admire, not only as a thing to have beautiful thoughts about, but as a blessing that we are going to claim.

We often see a fruiterer’s or confectioner’s shop, with beautiful fruit or cake temptingly displayed in the window.  There is a great pane of plate glass before it, and the hungry little boys stand there and look, and long, but they cannot reach it.  If you were to say to one, “Now, little boy, take that fruit,” he would look at you in surprise.  He has learned that there is something between.  If he had never known of glass he might attempt it.  The plate glass is sometimes so clear that even a grown man might for a moment be deceived and stretch out his hand.  But he soon finds there is something invisible between him and the fruit.  This represents exactly the life of many Christians; they see, but