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And thou shalt put it upon the forefront of the mitre. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead,” (to typify when bearing the iniquity of Israel's holy things, the pure and perfect holiness that has atoned for them.) (Exod. xxviii. 36— 38.) And upon this mitre it hath been furthermore directed to place a holy crown. (xxix. 6.) "Whosoever offereth a sacrifice unto the Lord, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein." (Levit. xxii. 21.) Thou shalt ask counsel of the Lord, after the judgment of Urim;" thou shalt ask counsel of the Lord through the intercession of him, who is both light and perfection. (Numb. xxvii. 21.) Blessed and exalted be the Rock of our salvation, who thus expostulates: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me: the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;

cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross; thy wine mixed with water; thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: and I will turn mine hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will restrain thy judges, as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness"-(that is, the righteousness of the Redeemer-on compliance with the tender terms proposed in the just inserted statement. (Isa. i. 11-27.) "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, (that is, the right-hand olive-branch

conjoined to, and branching forth from out the parent source of good,) and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel; and they shall be called holy.” (iv. 2, 3.) "With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. And his rest shall be glorious. (xi. 4, 5. 10.) "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." (xvi. 5.) "He shall be for a glorious throne to his Father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's house." (xxii. 23, 24.) "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet. This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." (xxviii. 16, 17. 29.) "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of it quietness and assurance for ever." (xxxii. 1. 16, 17.) "I the Lord have called thee inrighteousness: the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake;" (that is, with his perfect righteousness ;) for He has perfectly fulfilled the following prediction; namely, "that God would magnify his law, and make it honourable."

(xlii. 6. 21.) Though wearied with the iniquities of his people, he, even he, is he that for his own sake blotteth out their transgressions, and will not remember their sins. (xliii. 24, 25.) "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together that thou mayest be justified. Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches." (xliii. 26-28.) "Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, for thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; lam the First, and I am the Last; and beside me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: thou shalt not be forgotten. For I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.” (xliv. 1—3. 6. 8. 21-23.)

And the glorious means by which this glorious purpose was gloriously achieved is very clearly explained by the glorious Redeemer's parting supplication: "Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee." And although the Son of God was glorified through sufferings, yet widely does the exhortation deduced from the accom

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plishment of these predicted sufferings by an inspired writer differ from those too oft deduced by gloomy and mistaken men, who therefrom have often denied themselves, and prescribed to others the reasonable participation of God's bounty, in the erroneous and deplorable supposition, that such self-inflicted deprivations could be acceptable unto the Father of all mercies. How opposite and triumphant is the ecstasy which animated the prophetic teacher; and which, though so recently inserted, cannot sink too deep into superstitious minds. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it shout, ye lower parts of the earth : break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel." And how has this been done? Why, by the demonstration of that perfection which man could not elicit which stood the test of sustaining every trial to which probationary states could possibly be liable. Herein He suffered the just for the unjust, and thereby made our peace with God. We might have been doomed to endure, each, for himself, far more arduous trials than those for us ordained. But Christ has paid our ransom -He has suffered for us.

Nought on our part remains but to bear with Christian patience the chastisements with which the blessed Trinity sees fit to exercise us-to acquaint ourselves with the real nature of God, and be at peace; going on our way rejoicing. For though He hath himself created evil, (for reasons already examined in the foregoing pages ;

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