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Monday evening, Oct. 8, 1904.

JOANNA had been reading her Bible to Judges xiii. and deeply pondering in her heart how the Lord visited Man, from the beginning, age after age, and in what a familiar manner he was with men, made her call to her remembrance how the world had cried out about her writings; some saying they did not believe that the Lord would condescend so to visit in the Spirit; others saying, it is too low for a GOD. Here then they must deny the truth of their Bible, especially the books of Moses. And now I shall bring forward the Bible, from the first condescension of the Lord, after he had made Man. In Genesis . 18-And the Lord God said, it is not good that the Man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Here was his condescension in the beginning. Chap. iii. 9-And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou? Ver. 10-And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; . and I hid myself. Ver. 11-And he said, who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? In reading this chapter through it appear

S. Rouffeau, Printer, Wood Street, Spa Fields.

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eth to me, that the Lord deals perfectly with men after the manner of men, and after the language of men and with mercy mixed with anger, see in what manner the Lord speaks to Cain, in chap. iv. 6—And the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? Ver. 7-If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. After Cain slew Abel, the Lord said unto Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? And he said, what hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto ME from the ground. After the Lord had reproved Cain, he said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear and the Lord said, no man should slay Cain ; and he put a mark upon him, lest any should find him and slay him. Here were mercies mixed with anger, both in the reproof to Adam and Eve, in casting the greatest curse upon the Serpent, and then next in his mercy, in giving Cain room for repentance. Then after the world had been near 2,000 years standing, and sin greatly abounded in the land, see how the Lord cometh to instruct Noah, in chap. vi. Hear what is said in ver. 6-It repented the Lord that he had made Man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart; and the Lord said, I will destroy Man. In ver. 14. he telleth Noah how to make the Ark, as a master builder would tell those he employed; and perfectly as man would direct man, so the Lord directed Noah; and directed him, in what he should take into the Ark. In chap. ix. the Lord spake with Noah, as man with man, when he tells him, the Flood shall no more destroy the Earth ; and said he would set his bow in the clouds-"and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between GoD and every living creature. Now see how the Lord condescends to talk to Noah, in chap. xi. when they were building the tower of Babel, to reach to the heavens: in what manner does the Lord

THE FAMILIARITY OF GOD WITH MAN. 195 speak in ver. 6, 7 ?-Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Let us go down, and there confound their language, and that they may not understand one another's speech. Here the Lord speaks and acts after the manner of men. Again, in chap. xii. in what manner did the Lord appear to Abram, but as man speaking to man-Get thee out of thy coun➜ try. Ver. 7-And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, unto thy seed will I give this land. In chap. xvii. it is said, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before ME, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between ME and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. Here the Lord condescends to talk with Abram, as man would talk to man. If you go on in the chapter, where the Lord saith, thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations I have made thee. And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt no more call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be; and I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her. Thus the Lord condescended to talk with Abraham, as man with man. In chap. xxii. HE trieth Abraham, by ordering him to offer up his son; and when Abraham goes through, the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of Heaven, saying, (the second time) by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing, I will bless. thee; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the ' earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. It is fruitless to go through with all the condescension of the Lord with Abraham, and how He gave Abraham liberty to plead with HIM for Sodom and Gomorrah. Again how often the Lord appeared to Jacob, when he was distressed by his father-in-law.

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Chap. xxxi. 3-And the Lord said unto Jacob, return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And HE sent his angel through the journey with him and the Lord visited Jacob, throughout all his troubles. Now when we come to Exodus, we see how the Lord visited Moses, in chap. iii. where the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire-Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people, which are in Egypt. Here the Lord goes all through, reasoning with Moses, as man reasons with man. When he complained of his slowness of speech, did not the Lord send Aaron his brother to speak for him? And the Lord gave Moses a Covenant of spiritual things, which was his command, and he gave him a Law of temporal things, in every particular as the kings of the earth make their laws, and in what manner they are to be punished for every law they break. In Numbers xiv. 11-And the Lord said unto Moses, how long will this people provoke ME? and how long will it be ere they believe ME, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with a pestilence and disinherit them.

And Moses said unto the Lord, and pleaded for the children of Israel, saying, the Egyptians shall hear of it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might, and they will tell it to the inhabitants: for they have heard that thou, Lord, art among this people, that thou, Lord, art seen face to face, that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, there,

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