through grace, the pardon of his sins through the atoning blood of Jesus, can worship the Father in spirit and in truth. He knows the proper ground, the proper object, the proper title, the proper capacity of worship. These things can only be known in a divine way. They do not belong to nature or to earth. They are spiritual and heavenly. Very much of that which passes among men for the worship of God is but "strange fire" after all. There is neither the pure fire nor the pure incense, and therefore Heaven accepts it not; and albeit the divine judgment is not seen to fall upon those who present such worship as it fell upon Nadab and Abihu of old, this is only because "God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." It is not because the worship is acceptable to God, but because God is gracious. The time, however, is rapidly approaching when the strange fire will be quenched forever--when the throne of God shall no longer be insulted by clouds of impure incense ascending from unpurged worshipers--when all that is spurious shall be abolished, and the whole universe shall be as one vast and magnificent temple, in which the one true God--Father, Son, and Holy Ghost--shall be worshiped throughout the everlasting ages. "Grateful incense this, ascending Ever to the Father's throne; Every knee to Jesus bending, All the mind in heaven is one. All the Father's counsels claiming Equal honors to the Son, All the Son's effulgence beaming Makes the Father's glory known. By the Spirit all pervading, Hosts unnumbered round the Lamb, Crowned with light and joy unfading, Hail Him as the great 'I AM.'" For this the redeemed are waiting; and, blessed be God, it is but a little while when all their longing desires shall be fully met, and met forever--yea, met after such a fashion as to elicit from each and all the touching confession of Sheba's queen that "the half was not told me." May the Lord hasten the happy time! We must now return to our solemn chapter, and, lingering a little longer over it, endeavor to gather up and bear away with us some of its salutary teaching; for truly salutary it is, in an age like the present, when there is so much "strange fire" abroad.