reme Antidote. He, "considered," considered fully, is not so
much the clue out of the labyrinth as the great point of view from which
the mind and the soul can look down upon it and see how tortuous, and
also how limited, it is.

But the message of our chapter has not yet been fully heard. It has
spoken to us of Christ Jesus, and of the "consideration" of Him to which
we are called. At its close it speaks to us of faith: "Take heed, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God" (ver. 12). "To whom sware He that they should not enter into
His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief" (verses 18, 19).

That is to say, our "consideration" of Jesus Christ must not be all our
action towards Him, if we would be sure, and safe, and strong. It must
be but the preliminary to a "heart of faith." That is to say again, we
must personally and practically take Him at His word, and rely upon Him,
committing our souls and our all to Him, to Him directly, to Him solely.
We must, in the exercise of this reliance, use Him evermore as our
Prophet, Priest, and King. We must venture upon His promises, just as
Israel ought to have ventured upon the promises of Him who had redeemed
them, although He _tried_ their will and power to do so by the terrors
of the wilderness and by the giants of Canaan.

Thus to rely is faith; for faith is personal confidence in the Lord in
His promise. And such faith is not only, as it is, the empty hand which
receives Divine blessings in detail. It is the empty arms which clasp
always that comprehensive blessing, the presence of "the living God" in
Christ, so making sure of a secret of peace, of rest, of decision, of
strength, of deep-sighted and tranquil thought upon "things which
differ," which is of infinite importance at a time of confusion and
debate in the Christian Church.

Therefore, alike for our safety and for our usefulness, let us first
afresh "consider Him." And then let us afresh "take heed" that with "a
good heart of faith" we draw to and abide in union with the "considered"
Christ, in whom we know and possess the living God.

CHAPTER III

UNTO PERFECTION

HEB. iv.-vi.

Our study of the great Epistle takes here another step, covering three
short but pregnant chapters. So pregnant are they that it would be
altogether vain to attempt to deal with them thus briefly were we not
mindful of