grave while it was yet dark? Surely this was foresignified when Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gates of the city and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron' (Jud. xvi. 3). He was compassed by his enemies, and effected a victory in right royal strength. Even so Messiah, whom David represented in one Psalm suffering as if forsaken of God, is presently seen demanding admission within the gates of hell that He may enter as a conqueror and set His people free. (Ps. xxii.-xxiv.)

How lately has Jesus been seen entering Jerusalem in the sacred pageant of the march from Bethany. Thus He showed Himself as King, if men had eyes to see. As the king of Judah He rode upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass,' for so had Zechariah prophesied. In coming to claim His kingdom He was careful to use the outward signs which the prophets of Judah had given. He came as king, yet was it not the earthly Israel which should accept His sovereignty. He would speak peace to the heathen' (Zech. ix. 10), and He would show mercy upon the forefathers of the ancient covenant, delivering them from the pit wherein is no water' (Zech. ix. 11). The heathen, the dead, would rejoice at Him. The earthly Israel would repudiate His visitation. He Himself must descend into the pit ere He could rise thence.

6

Yet was His resurrection sure. The disciples had sought for their Master in the empty grave. They must not wonder that He was gone. Reuben had looked into the empty pit and found not the body of Joseph. Joseph was sold into Egypt. Reigning

there he saved his brethren. Even so we are safe under the sovereignty of the Crucified. The disciples going to Emmaus had no cause for sorrow nor for fear. He whom they sought was risen, as the angels said unto the women. He was risen to be a deliverer, reigning upon the throne of God.

He was risen that He might enter into His glory. Messiah has been cut off, but not for Himself. Alas for them that rebelled! The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary' (Dan. ix. 26). But the God of Heaven has 'set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: it shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever' (Dan. ii. 44).

O Jesu, let me suffer with Thee now! O Jesu, let me be Thine in the day when Thou makest up Thy jewels. O Jesu, remember me when Thou comest.

NOTE to p. 178.

The words came forth' or rather goes forth' do not apply to the three former. They are objects stationary and permanent. These words apply to the evil taskmasters who came forth from God for temporary anger, but shall not continue. Messiah is from Him, but is evermore abiding in Him, one with Him. From Him is the Cornerstone : from Him the Nail: from Him the Battlebow: from Him at the same time every taskmaster makes his exodus.' Israel came forth out of Egypt from his taskmasters. Every oppressor that rises up in Israel shall go away and come to nought. The kingdom of Messiah remaineth.

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MEDITATION XVIII.

The Great High Priest.

Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. St. Luke, xxiv.-xxvii.

1. HIS DIVINE CHARACTER.

THE Divine primogeniture which is Messiah's title to be king is no less His title to be priest. The slave abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever.' The creature has no original right to address God as Father, nor is any entitled to claim the covenanted relationship of priesthood who cannot use that title. Man is called to the priesthood of creation because he is created in the image of God, so as to live by the inbreathed Spirit of God. The Son of man is the true Priest because He is the Son of God.

The priesthood exercised by man was only imperfect in its character at the beginning, for the Divine sonship, even of Adam, was only imperfect. His descendants cannot any longer claim even that imperfect relationship of filial life which did belong to Adam before the fall.

No outward anointing could convey true priesthood. No outward designation, even by God Himself,

could convey more than the bare privilege of outwardly addressing God. There might be various degrees of authority belonging to such approach, but the approach never could be real for it never could be vital. The created life must always be immeasurably distant from the life of the Creator. There could be

no real communion between the two.

The destiny of mankind therefore waited for its full development until the Son of man should come, who should be a true Priest, being Himself the very Son of God.

The priesthood of the intervening ages was a symbol of that which He at length should exercise.

Melchisedec was a type of Him in Whom the righteousness of the Eternal King should shine out in solitary dignity to glorify a world renewed in the joyousness of heavenly peace, the Sun of Righteousness who should at length arise with healing on his wings.

He blessed Abram, and that blessing was of itself an assurance of the Divine life marking out the Seed of Abram for a priesthood greater than his own. If the Seed of Abram was to bless all the nations of the world He must be a priest, and without such Divine life there could be no Divine priesthood, no world-wide blessing.

In Abram therefore we see the humanity of the future Conqueror exhibited, and in Melchisedec we see the type and the assurance of the priesthood with which that humanity is to be glorified, the Divine nature which is to consecrate the Seed of Abram as a royal priest. In whatever sense Melchisedec was

greater than Abram so as to be able to claim from him the tithes of all, the blessing which he uttered would have stopped short of Divine reality if it were not to expand into the fulness of Divine life. A blessing which did not guarantee the communication of the Divine nature could be only transitory at the best. A blessing which conveyed so great an assurance could have but one impersonation. In the Seed of Abram should the world be blessed, because He should not only reign over men with a Divine authority, but act on man's behalf towards God as the High Priest of the race by reason of the fellowship of the Eternal Spirit, as the Son of God with power.

Henceforth kings and priests would be types of Messiah, each in his own order, but the priesthood and the kingdom would not be joined in one. one should be the complete type of Messiah in His twofold character.

No

So it came to pass at the Exodus; God led the people forth by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses forfeited the priestly half of the redemptive character by his acknowledgment of his own incompetency. The law was weak through the flesh.' Moses then represents the Divine sovereignty: Aaron is spoken of as his mouth, exercising the priesthood. Aaron did indeed receive his investiture at the hands of Moses, but Moses could not perform the acts of Aaron.

So would the royalty of the Divine primogeniture constitute essentially the foundation of Messiah's claim to approach God in reality and truth on behalf of the people over whom He reigned.