THE FAMILY ALTAR

June 9.

"We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works

of God." Acts 2:11.

What the wonderful works of God were which the astonished

multitude of Jews and proselytes heard the apostles speak in their

native tongues, we hear from the lips of Peter in the following

verses. They are the wonderful works which God has done in His

only-begotten Son for the salvation of the world. The Gospel,

the blessed Gospel, is now being preached from the house-tops,

and that is the second divine and heavenly gift which Pentecost

has brought us and for which we need to thank God all the days

of our life. The Gospel, as we know, is the glad tidings that we

poor sinners are saved alone by the grace of God through faith

in our Lord Jesus Christ. This blessed doctrine was known also

to the children of God in the Old Testament. They possessed

it in the promises which God gave them concerning the future

Messiah, or Savior. But they were still under the bondage of the

Law, and the Gospel-promises were to them like the first golden

beams of the rising sun. They longed and sighed for the time

when the Savior would come and lead them out into the glowing

noontide of His grace, and peace, and liberty. With the out-

pouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and with the resultant

preaching of the Gospel of free and full salvation in the crucified

and risen Savior in all tongues, the bright-shining sun of God's

mercy and love for sinners rose upon the world never to set again.

Now the glad spiritual springtide has come of which the Bride

sings: "Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the

flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is

come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; the

fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender

grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, and come away." (Song

of Sol. 2, 11 — 13.) Yes, come, all ye dear, beloved souls that are

weary and heavy laden with sin and sorrow, come to Jesus, and

He will give you rest.

The Spirit, in our hearts,

Is whispering, "Sinner, come!"

The Bride, the Church of Christ, proclaims

To all His children, 'Come!"

Let him that heareth say

To all about him, "Come!"

Let him that thirsts for righteousness,

To Christ, the Fountain, come!