of the eagle, for that is "a path that no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath never seen." It is said of the eagle that she can look at the full blaze of the sun; so can the Christian, when the Sun has looked upon him; he can see him that is invisible, and find his sight strengthened instead of weakened; it affords pleasure instead of pain; "A pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the

We were informed that the holy oil is put into the golden eagle, and poured out of its beak into the golden spoon, with which the kings of Great Britain are anointed; this put me in mind of the golden pipes, which empty the golden oil out of themselves, Zech. iv. 12. The candlestick represents the church; the bowl upon the top of it the gospel of Christ preached; the seven lamps the eyes of the Lord upon it, and his precious salvation in it; the seven pipes represent tried, purified, and faithful ministers, who are ministers of the spirit; who being anointed with the oil of joy themselves, anoint others with the same oil in the name of the Lord, James v. 14; and all this comes from Him who is said to bear Jacob as on eagles' wings, who was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, that he might give us "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness," Isaiah Ixi. 3. This anointing makes us kings and priests unto God. This oil makes the countenance of a saint to shine; it keeps the lamp of his salvation burn

ing with love, light, and zeal, so that it goeth not out by night, nor even at midnight; the light of the righteous rejoiceth, when the lamp of the wicked is put out, Prov. xiii. 9. "There is a treasure to be desired," saith the wise man," and [it is] oil in the dwelling of the wise;" which will certainly be fulfilled when the foolish virgins will say to the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. This oil is no less than the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of all grace. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost. The soul that has got this blessing shall find all things work for his good; "Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil." Job was no stranger to this when he made this doleful and lamentable complaint: "Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; when his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; as I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; when I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil."

The golden spoon may serve to caution us against remissness in duty, coldness, slothfulness, and negligence in the ways of God, which make Christians weak, sickly, and childish in spiritual things. Spoons are table furniture, generally used to feed children; we are commanded to grow in

grace and knowledge; to be men in understanding. A stunted, weak, rickety child is always in the cradle, the chair, the arms, the swing, the back-string, or the go-cart; they are always in danger; never out of harm's way. Paul speaks of the Hebrews, who for the time they had made a profession ought to have been teachers, who needed teaching again, being children; needing milk instead of meat; he that useth milk, says the apostle, is unskilful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. It is to our own advantage that we grow in knowledge and experience; we are then able to give a reason of our hope, defend our own testimony, stop the mouth of a gainsayer, and discover the emptiness of a fawning hypocrite. It is by trials, by watchfulness, by diligence, by meditation, by reading, by spiritual conversation, and by prayer, that Christians grow as the vine, revive as the corn, and flourish as the palm tree. Such souls are capable of discerning, receiving, and digesting strong and wholesome doctrines, which the apostle calls meat. "I have fed you," saith he, "with milk, not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern between good and evil.” If my friend can bear such food as this, there is another curiosity that may be considered, and that is

The golden saltcellar of state, made like the

square white tower, which is used at the king's table on the day of coronation. This golden saltcellar may prefigure a believing heart blessed with the grace of God, which will preserve us to God's everlasting kingdom: "Have salt in yourselves," says the Saviour, "and have peace one with another." Every spiritual sacrifice stands in need of this savoury article. The sacrifices of a broken heart, of prayer, of praise, of almsgiving, of thanksgiving, yea, and even the body which is to be presented as a living sacrifice, stands in need of salt: "Every oblation of thy meat-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering; with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt." Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." The apostles and Jewish disciples were the salt of the land of Canaan; "Ye are the salt of the earth," and so the Jews found it at the destruction of Jerusalem. When the Christians fled to Pella in Celosyria, the Jews had lost all their seasoning, and their savour, and they became a stink in the nostrils of God, and he numbered them to the sword, till they stank upon the earth.

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Salt is a preservative, and of a communicative nature; so divine grace saves a man, and serves to season others; without this a man is nothing; without this he can be of no spiritual use or advantage to others: "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." It is this

savoury article that makes the difference between a real Christian and a hypocrite; the latter may learn the language of a Christian, his outward deportment, and the form of religion, and talk about a good and bad spirit, as some do who know of no other spirit than that of spirituous liquors; but these hypocrites cannot counterfeit nor describe this salt; this seasoning lies too deep for them, it can only be known by experience, and described by the experienced. He that was instrumental in making known the savour of Christ's name in every place, and was a sweet savour unto God in them that are saved and in them that perish, could say, "It is meet for me to think this of you all; that ye are all partakers of my grace," Phil. i. 7. A wolf in sheep's clothing may preach, converse, or write, but he cannot season; hypocrites may be pleased and charmed with words, for they do not know but what the kingdom of God is in word; we know that salt is good, but with them it hath lost its savour; they have no relish for it, therefore how shall they be seasoned with it? Luke xiv. 34. The true Christian looks more after the power than the sound; he is more for savoury meat than music: "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt," says Job, "or is there any taste in the white of an egg?" "How forcible are right words, but what doth your arguing reprove?"

The golden bracelets brought to my mind the spiritual ornaments of the Jewish church in her prosperity; I decked thee also with ornaments,