Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-04-06

on the Cross Oh
Calvary. They belong to him in the
third place by their own surrender to
him. These things are full Of assur-
ance and of blessing to the believer.
The Father will " take back the
gift he has made to the Son. the Son
will never give up that which he has
purchased at such awful cost, and
that which is surrendered. he will
never allow to be wrested from him.
Christians are his own peculiar prop
erty to have and to hold and to love
unto the end; or, as the Revised Yer
sion has it. TO the uttermost."
As q child becomes the peculiar care
Of a home so the believer becomes the
peculiar care of the Lord. All other
cares take.a secondary place. 1t is
his care to guard his property. 1t
sometimes seems as though the Lord
dealt with his own in a hard way. This
is because the Christian, like the child,
does not understand the why" Of
many things. Many of the seemingly
hard things that come to the Chris
tian may be but the guarding Of the
Lords property from dangers unseen
but to his eye. Again. it is the Pc
culiar care of the Lord to guide his
own people. He knows what lies along
each pathway and when he seems to
close a path which looks attractive to
one of his own, that one a rest
assured it is because he sees danger
there or else he sees more blessing
along some other road. The unknown
and untried Of the Lords choosing
are the ones where richest blessing
lies, and happy the Christian who al
lows him to guide the footsteps. Once
more it is his own peculiar care to
provide for his own. Many are the
ways he has for providing for them.
Sometimes by natural. sometimes by
unnatural ways, as in the case Of Ell.
jah at the brook. The ravens were
called to bring meat to the prophet,
and they were sent to feed Elijah just
where the Lord told him to be. Had
he been elsewhere he might have
missed what the Lord had for him.
SO the Christian often misses much
that the Lord has for him by being
out Of the Lords place. See to it that
you are in Gods place for you and he
will see to it, though he must work
a miracle, that every need Of yours
will be supplied.
His Own Peculiar Love.
The peculiar love of the Lord for
his own covers all their shortcomings
and their peculiarities. The Lord gra-
ciously warned Simon Peter OF his
coming time Of denial, but Peter boast
ingly said he would lay down his life
before he would leave him even.
When, therefore, Peter SO miserably
failed it might seem that the Lords
love would grow a bit cool. But in
| spite of the failure there was no les
SEEMING of love, there was no cooling
of the affection. 1t vas his love that
was in the look that brought Peter
to his repentance. Let no Christian
who may have failed his Lord think
that the love Of Christ has cooled or
been diminished. He loves with an
everlasting love that many waters can.
not quench, Return unto him and 1t
will be found that having loved his
own he loves them unto the end in
spite OF any failures. Again some are
kept away from him because they
seem to be SO backward in learning
of him. But he loves in spite Of the
backwardness Of his disciples. Think
Of Philip after three years Of COM
partnership not being able to discern
who he was. but had to be told. in
answer to his inquiry for the Father.
"he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father" He knows 80 well the make.
up Of the believer that no slowness to
understand can surprise him, much
less make his love grow cold.
He loves his own with a peculiar
love that nothing can cool or turn aside
from its object.
His own peculiar property. which is
his own peculiar care. Is the object of
his own peculiar love.
Even the unbelief Of his own is not
sufficient to cool the warmth or les.
sen the depth OF his love.
Poor Thomas, the doubling one, was
never loved any more truly Or more
deeply than in the midst Of his refusal
to believe in the resurrection until
he had thrust his hand into the wound
prints.
There Is nothing that a bring to
an end the love OF the Lord for his
own. for having loved his own he
loves them unto the end; or, as the Re.
vised Version puts it, He loves them
to the uttermost."
We toll for frivolous riches, as II