Take Thou our hearts, and let them be For ever closed to all but Thee; Thy willing servants, let us wear The seal of love for ever there. How blest are they who still abide Close shelter'd by Thy watchful side; Who life and strength from Thee receive, And with Thee move, and in Thee live. Ah, Lord! enlarge our scanty thought, To know the wonders Thou hast wrought; Unloose our stammering tongues to tell Thy love, immense, unsearchable. First-born of many brethren, Thou! To whom both heaven and earth must bow; Heirs of Thy shame and of Thy throne; We bear Thy cross, and seek Thy crown. THE REMNANT PAST AND PRESENT It is at once interesting, instructive and encouraging to trace through Scripture the history of what is called "The Remnant." We may remark at the outset that the fact of there being a remnant proves the failure of the ostensible witness or professing body, whether Jewish or Christian. If all were faithful there would, of course, be no moral ground for a remnant, nothing to distinguish a few from the general body of professors. The remnant, at any time, will be found to consist of those who feel and own the common failure and ruin, and count on God, and cleave to His Word. These are the great characteristic marks of the remnant in every age. We have failed, but God is faithful, and His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. Now in tracing the history of the remnant in Old Testament times we find that the lower down we go in the nation's history, the richer the display of divine grace; and, further, the deeper the moral gloom, the brighter the flashes of individual faith. This is fraught with the most blessed encouragement for every true-hearted child of God and servant of Christ who feels and owns the ruin of the whole professing Church. It is cheering beyond expression for every faithful soul to be assured that, however the Church has failed, it is the privilege of the individual believer to enjoy as full and precious fellowship with God, and pursue as true a path of discipleship as ever was known in the brightest days of the Church's history. Let us turn to Scripture for illustration.