in considering himself deserted, and in taking up a separate home to which he could take such of the children as had not been thoroughly poisoned by the mother's wrong course. His obligations toward such a wife have already been terminated by her course; it is she that has deserted and broken the marriage contract; and in withdrawing her support he is merely acceding to the demands of her course. If, however, she is repentant at any time, he should be generous to a fault in forgiving her and in re-establishing upon a proper basis the family arrangement. Nothing in this advice should be understood to cultivate impatience or a readiness to take offense and feel injured. Love demands that all bearable treatment shall be borne; and that if evil has been rendered for the evil, in word or deed, the wrong shall be considered offset and condoned.

In other cases the desertion may be on the part of the unbelieving husband. The meanness of his depravity may make of him a brutal tyrant, regardless of the health and happiness of his wife, and especially hostile to her religious views. As we have already pointed out, the believer is to seek and to attain the grace of the spirit of love which will enable the endurance of practically "all things," and to be profited thereby—to grow in grace under such conditions; by cultivating the Spirit of the Lord and its various graces. But there is a limit to all things, and beyond that limit it would not be proper to go. Beyond that limit the influence upon the unjust companion would be injurious instead of helpful. Each must decide for himself what is the proper limitation of submission in such matters. His own conscience must decide, after that conscience has been educated by both the letter and the spirit of the divine Word. As growth in grace is attained the trials may become the more severe; but there should be the larger capacity for endurance with meekness, and the larger amount of "the spirit of a sound mind" with which to determine when the point of unendurable severity and injury has been reached. Grace from on high is needed, is promised, and should be earnestly sought under such conditions.-Jas. 1: 5.

There are ignoble, brutish husbands who have no proper conception either of a husband's duties or of a wife's proper liberties-whose only conception of a wife is that of a drudging slave, better than any he could hire, or that of a cheap substitute for a harlot. Such treatment from a husband is a desertion on his part, and the law of God as expounded here by the Apostle properly interpreted is, we believe, fully in accord with human laws, which declare that for such a man the name husband is a misnomer-that if he ever did intelligently and really make a marriage contract with his wife he has most thoroughly and decidedly broken it, and by such treatment has most convincingly proved this. A wife so circumstanced is at liberty to consider herself deserted and to make as much better conditions for herself as she can; but she is not on this account permitted, either by human or divine laws, to remarry. In such a case she should look to the Lord either to mitigate her condition, or, possibly, to open a way of escape from it. She should take into consideration the ages of her children and what provision could be made for them as well as for herself, and should weigh the circumstances carefully and prayerfully before taking the step. But if her conditions are endurable, let her remain, as the Apostle says; and let her hope that in showing forth the spirit of meekness, gentleness, patience, love, she may win back again the heart of her spouse and possibly also win him to the Lord.

We have dealt with this subject at considerable length, realizing from a wide private correspondence that very many of the Lord's most faithful children live in a matrimonial furnace of affliction. Under the terms of the call of the New Creation, none should expect that the present life would be a smooth and pleasant dream of earthly felicity, for our Lord specially declared of such, "A man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Matt. 10: 36.) They should not be surprised to be called upon to endure much for the Truth's sake, and thus to evidence to the Lord their faithfulness to him and to his Word: their willingness to endure all the fiery trials

which he sees best they should have for the development in them of the graces of the Spirit. They should realize, too, that they are not to choose the kind of fiery trials that shall develop them and prepare them and make them meet for the Kingdom, but are to leave the entire matter in the hands of the Lord. It is our duty, however, to point out to all such suffering ones that they, after reasonable trial and development, should be on the lookout for divine deliverance and the opening to them of a way of escape from things too difficult for them to endure. This is in line with our Lord's admonition and example: "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another."-Matt. 10: 23; 2: 13; 4: 12; 12: 15.

CONSCIENCE, THE FINAL test.

We have referred to conscience in connection with these matters, and it may be appropriate here to call attention to what we mean by that term. We mean conviction as to what is right, what is duty. With the perfect man conscience would be an absolute guide and he would know right and duty instinctively; but the six thousand years of falling have brought our race to a condition in which conscience is certainly out of order-perverted by wrong views. The basis of Christian conscience is faith in God, and acceptance of his will as being absolutely right, and acknowledgment of our proper obligation to be thoroughly and heartily obedient to the divine will. Conscience, therefore, needs just such education as the Word of God affords, and the developed New Creature is for this reason to have "the spirit of a sound mind”— his conviction as to what is right and what is wrong expanding and clarifying in proportion as he grows in grace and in knowledge and in the spirit of love. To obey conscience is to do what he believes the Lord would have him do; and he is not to jump to a conclusion on this matter, but is to weigh carefully the testimony of the divine Word and to decide accordingly. There are people who permit fear and servility to dominate their conscience and to vitiate it as a true monitor. A proper course for the Lord's people is to guide their consciences

—that is, to guide their convictions as to what is right and what is wrong by the Golden Rule and all the collatteral instruction which the Scriptures afford.

EUNUCHS, VIRGINS, CELIBACY.

The questions of sexology are amongst those which certainly give the New Creation considerable perplexity; and should, therefore, not be ignored here. Those begotten of the Spirit to spiritual joys and blessings, fellowship and communion, instinctively realize that fleshly or carnal intercourse is not spiritually elevating, but that its tendency is rather in the reverse direction. It is well that all the unmarried of the Lord's consecrated ones should weigh this subject thoroughly before entering the marriage relationship and undertaking its responsibilities. The Lord seemed to refer to the celibate state approvingly when he said, "Some are born eunuchs, some are made eunuchs by men and some [figuratively] have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. (Matt. 19: 12.) That is, some by the exercise of their wills, after their consecration to the Lord, have determined not to marry but to maintain their virginity by living celibate lives. The Lord himself was one of these, and is surely our noblest example, in all of whose steps as closely as possible we should follow. The Apostle urges this matter upon our attention saying:

"Now concerning virgins [males and females] I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my judgment as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I think, therefore, that this is good by reason of the present distress [that is to say, under present conditions

our own imperfections and the imperfections of others on the one hand, and the special duties, privileges and opportunities of those who have made a full consecration to the Lord on the other hand]—namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is [to remain in the condition in which the Truth may find him, married or single]. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a [female] virgin marry she hath not sinned.

"Nevertheless, such [as are married] shall have tribulation in the flesh; and I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none [ignoring earthly relationships as much as possible, and setting the affections specially upon heavenly things]; and they that weep [who are in earthly trouble] as though they wept not [endeavoring to forget the trials and disappointments and difficulties of the earthly state in the joy and rejoicing of the better promises that are ours for the future]; and they that rejoice [in earthly prosperity] as though they rejoiced not [their rejoicing in spiritual things quite overshadowing all earthly sources of joy]; and those that buy as though they possessed not [not setting their affections upon the earthly things]; and they that use this world as not misusing it [permitting moderation and the interests of the New Nature to exercise a controlling influence in all of life's affairs]: for the fashion of this world passeth away [we are as New Creatures to live in accord with our new hopes, and not to be continually making provision for the flesh; but rather seeking at every cost to make our calling and election sure and thus to be joint-heirs with our Lord in the glorious dispensation and world to come].

"But I would have you free from care [of an earthly kind; and hence, in addition to the foregoing admonition of change of affections and transformation of mind, I now call your attention to certain unquestionable facts]. He [fully consecrated] that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord: but he that is married is careful of the things of the world, how he may please his wife. [He will find himself in continual danger of a division of his affections and a continual need to be on his guard, lest the earthly affections shall absorb all of his time and love and interest, and that to a violation of his covenant with the Lord; and the interests of the Truth must be paramount if he would be an overcoming disciple and a