To the many readers of the Trumpet and especially to the beloved brethren and sisters: --I desire to speak of the great love of God for His elect or chosen people whom he foreknew and "did predestinate" to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Rom. viii. 29.

Our Lord, addressing His Father, says, "Thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me;" and the next verse says, "Thou lovest me be­fore the foundation of the world." Here we have the comforting truth recorded, that our God loved His chosen people before their crea­tion, even before the foundation of the world, as He loved His Son. John xvii. 23-24.

What boundless knowledge and wonderful love! God thus foreknew and loved his elect people, before the foundation of the world. Be­fore their creation or existence, God purposed that they should exist and be saved. So God's purpose is one thing, and the accomplishment of that purpose is another thing. Thus, dear breth­ren, God gave, or treasured up, grace in Christ for us "before the world began." Yes, our Lord God foreknew, chose and predestinated His en­tire bride unto salvation, or purposed before the, world began to save them, "When as yet there was none of them." Psalms cxxxix. 16.

After the creation or foundation of the world, and in fulfillment of his "eternal purpose," plan or Covenant, God created his chosen ones in common with all mankind, "in the image of God" "very good." He suffered them to fall, to cor­rupt their nature, and become children of wrath even as others. Thus man by his own disobedience made himself a sinner, and justly deserved punishment.

Now in the midst of this deserved wrath, even when dead in sins, God still loves these, chosen predestinated ones, and saves them from the dominion of sin, and from endless future punishment. This salvation God accomplishes through the atonement of Christ and "by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Titus iii. 5.

Thus cleansed by the blood of Jesus and by the renewing work of the Spirit, believers are no longer slaves of satan, but are adopted by Jesus Christ into the heavenly family, and have be, come servants of God. Eph. i. 5. The spirit of God working in the renewed soul "to will and to do" enables it to now war against the fleshly lusts, or remaining carnal dispositions called the flesh or old man, and to keep under the body and bring it in subjection. I Peter ii. 11.

To our souls thus renewed, born again, or adopted, God gives the spirit of adoption, sheds abroad or gives us love and gratitude to Him, for cleansing us from sin and covering us with the imputed righteousness of Christ. So my dear brother or sister, our soul loveth God and doth magnify the Lord. Hence the soul is al­ready changed, born again, adopted. I Jno. iv. 5. "But we yet groan within ourselves" (wretched because of sin remaining in the carnal or unrenewed part) each awaiting the adoption, change or resurrection of our vile body. Phil. iii. 21.

Oh wonderful love of God! We were poor, vastly in debt and polluted by the filth of sin. But Jesus paid our debts, and the Holy Ghost has made our hearts pure. Thus we become united to Christ, are sanctified or set apart, from the service of satan, to the service of God. Be­loved brethren, let us ever adore and praise the Lord, that our glorious union with Christ thus begun in regeneration, shall never be broken; but we shall remain joint heirs with Christ here and hereafter, even forever. What wondrous love is this, O my soul ! "My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

Then O beloved, in view of this wonderful love of God, let us crucify the flesh with the af­fections and lusts. Let us walk worthy of  the vocation wherewith we "are called with all lowli­ness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." "Let brotherly love continue."

Your unworthy brother in love. Winsboro, Tex.,  M.D. DENMAN.