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CHAPTER II.

CHRIST IN THE COVENANT.

GOD has put Christ into the covenant, and made him over to his people: "I will give thee for a covenant." Isa. 42:6. He who is promised as the chief matter, the mediator, surety, and scope of the covenant, is called, The Covenant. "I will give thee for a covenant;" that is, I covenant to give thee to the people.

Dost thou say, "Whatever glory and blessedness there is in the fruition of God, woe is me, there is a great gulf fixed between me and it, over which there is no passing; there is a partition-wall raised, over which there is no climbing; there is a handwriting against me, and while that stands, all that is in God is nothing to me. Were this God mine, I had enough. Let me be put to labor or to suffering; let me dig, or beg, or starve and die; whether I be rich or poor, have something or nothing, be a praise or a reproach, it matters not, if God be mine. But O, how may I obtain this? Who shall bring me to God?"

The Lord God hath given thee his Son to undertake for thee, and to be thy way unto the Father. Heb. 10:19, 20. JESUS CHRIST-Who is the Morning-star, the Sun of righteousness, the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom are all

things, who is before all things, the head of the body the church; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, in whom dwells all fulness, even the fulness of the godhead bodily; who has made peace by the blood of his cross, Colossians, chs. 1, 2; whose name is, "Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace,” Isa. 9 : 6—this Jesus is granted thee in the covenant, to bring thee to God. To which blessed and glorious purpose he is exhibited as the Light of life; as the Lord our righteousness; as our Lord and King; and as our Head and Husband.

I. As the LIght of life. "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Luke 2:32. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." John 1:4. "He that followeth me shall have the light of life." John 8: 12. There is a light that serves to kill and destroy, to bring death and condemnation to light: the light of the law, that killing letter concerning which the apostle says, "When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died; the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Rom. 7:9, 10. But Christ brings life and immortality to light. Heaven, glory, the invisible God, which are lost out of reach and out of ken, are all discovered in the face of Jesus Christ: "To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 46. He is the image of the invisible God, the brightness of his Father's glory, the glass in which by reflection we see the sun. "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

Why, says he, hast thou known me, Philip, and yet sayest thou, Show us the Father? "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father;" and this is the light of life. John 14: 8, 9. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John 17:3.

This is his

II. AS THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. name: "He shall be called, The Lord our righteousness." Jer. 23: 6. To this end he is given to us,

1. As our propitiatory sacrifice: "The propitiation for our sins." 1 John, 2:2. "Christ our passover." 1 Cor. 5:7. "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13: 8. Our price, our ransom, to satisfy justice, pacify wrath, discharge from the curse; to blot out the handwriting, break down the wall of partition; to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and so to bring us to God. Whatever difficulties appear in thy way, whatever doubts arise in thy heart, from thy sins, from thy guilt, from thy poverty, from thy impotence-whatever objections thy fears may hence put in, the blood of the Lamb will answer all. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.

2. As a merciful and faithful High-priest, Heb. 2:17, who has made an atonement for us in the earth, and appears for us in heaven; who has made reconciliation for us, and makes intercession for us, "to appear in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. We read, Exodus 28:12, 29, that Aaron, as the type of Christ, was to bear the names of the

children of Israel engraven in stones upon his shoulders and upon his breastplate, when he went into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. Our Lord is entered into the heavens, to appear in the presence of God with our names upon his shoulders and upon his heart, for a memorial before the Lord: the least of saints has his name there engraven.

"Here is my ransom, Lord," saith Christ, "and behold my ransomed ones. Here is my price and my purchase, my redemption and my redeemed. Whatever accusers there be, whatever charge be laid against them, whatever guilt lies upon them, here are the shoulders that have borne all that was their due, and paid all that they owe; and upon these shoulders and in this heart thou mayest read all their names; and when thou readest, remember what I have done for them, acquit and absolve them, and let them be accepted before thee for ever. Remember the tears of these eyes, the stripes on this back, the shame of this face, the groans of this body, the anguish of this soul, the blood of this heart; and when thou rememberest,` whatever name thou findest engraven upon this heart and upon these shoulders, they are the persons whose all these are; and whatever these are, whatever acceptance they have found with thee, whatever satisfaction thou hast found in them, put it upon their account; never let me be accounted thine Accepted, if they be rejected; never let me be accounted righteous, if they lie under the imputation of wicked. If they be not righteous in my righteousness, I must be

guilty under their guilt. Whatever I am, whatever my satisfaction is, all is theirs; for them I plead, for them I pray; my tears, stripes, wounds, groans, anguish, soul, blood, all cry and say, Father, forgive them; Father, accept them."

Of all cries there are no such strong cries as the cry of blood, and that whether it be against or for the guilty; its voice shall be heard on high. "Thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Gen. 4. And what followed? Woe to those persons against whom blood crieth. But where blood, such blood cries for them, for pardon, for mercy, blessed are those souls.

Christian, this blood is for thee: it "speaketh better things than that of Abel." Heb. 12:24. It pleads, sues, presses for thy discharge from all that is upon thee. Thou hast many cries against thee: Satan cries, thy sins cry, thine own heart and conscience cry against thee, and thou art amazed at the dreadful noise they make; but behold, the blood of the Lamb, who is God, cries for thee. Thou hast an accuser, but thou hast an Acquitter; thou hast adversaries, but thou hast an Advocate: "An Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins." 1 John, 2: 1, 2. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Rom. 8: 33, 34.

Nay, further, thou hast not only a righteous, but

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