and upon all the families of the earth, who were to be blessed in him, we could not know, but by subsequent revelations which God has made by his prophets, especially by the hand of Jesus Christ and his apostles; and so when Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God as contained in these promises, he said to his apostles, It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to them (that are without), it is not given (Matt. 13:11). And Paul says to the Ephesians (3:3-8), "By revelation he made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel; whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ: and to make all men see, what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things. by Jesus Christ."

These testimonies by Jesus Christ and Paul, his faithful minister to the Gentiles, show how the truth was hid in these promises made to Abraham, and not made known to the sons of men till the covenant was brought into force by the death of Christ, the testator. These blessings were first made known to the Jews by Christ and the twelve apostles; afterwards they were made known to all rations for the obedience of faith. For after Christ was raised from the dead, and before he ascended into heaven to sit down on the right hand of God, he commanded the twelve, saying, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16: 15-16). Afterwards Paul was turned and sent to build again the things which he destroyed, and was made Christ's principal minister to the Gentiles.

Now the meaning of the blessing contained in the promise to Abraham was specifically shown to the Jews by Peter, when he said to them in Solomon's porch in the temple, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." This oracle of the covenant Peter interprets as follows, "Unto you first, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts 3: 25-26). The blessing of Abraham, therefore, is the remission of sins, and Paul says (Rom. 6: 22-23), "Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Therefore the gift of God, eternal life, is one of the great blessings promised in the covenant which was made and confirmed by the oath of God, and brought into force by the death of Christ.

Again, Paul says to the Galatians (3:8), "The Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel

unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed "; and he adds (verses 13-14), "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." The promise of the Spirit referred to here by Paul is the promise of eternal life contained in the covenant, for the words in the promise are the Spirit's words, and called the promise of the Spirit. Thus the blessings set forth in the gospel that Christ and his apostles preached, and the blessings that the faithful and beloved Paul published to every creature under heaven, whereof he was made a minister, are the blessings contained in the gospel which the Lord himself preached to Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed." This important truth Paul sets forth with great force and clearness in his letter to the Hebrews, where he exhorts them " to be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises," of which he then proceeds to give them a notable example, saying (6:13), "When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely, blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."

Now the force of this statement in presenting this example before the household of faith, called Hebrews, appears when we understand what we have already shown, that after the Lord had made his covenant with Abraham, he had to walk before God with patience and hope for about thirty-five years before he was subjected to the last trial of his faith, which was when God required him to offer up his son Isaac upon one of the mountains that he would tell him of, which proved to be Mount Moriah, the mountain on which God's holy temple was afterwards built. Abraham faltered not, but stretched forth his hand to slay his son, "accounting (as Paul says elsewhere) that God was able to raise him up from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure." But the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven the second time, and said, "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thee." And Paul adds, "And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."

Therefore it follows that the Lord required a long period of time to fully test the strength of Abraham's faith before he would confirm his covenant with him so that no man could disannul or add thereto. Here God has furnished us with one of the most brilliant examples of what a man must be to be worthy to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God, that was manifested in the early ages of mankind. Paul comments upon this great event to the Hebrews as follows: "For men verily swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us."

Fourth, the Hope Set Before Us, as Taught by Symbols Under First

Covenant

Now here Paul lays before the heirs of promise a most important fact, namely, that the hope set before us, the only hope (for he elsewhere tells us that there is but one), the hope which is evolved out of the covenant made with Abraham, is secured to all the heirs of promise by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, and we may inquire, What are these two immutable things? We answer: first, the promise of God, for God cannot belie his promise; and second, the oath of God, for God cannot belie and perjure himself. Now this precious hope so guaranteed, says Paul, "we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb. 6: 1920). Now the hope that we have, says Paul writing to his fellow Christians, which is supported by two immutable things, "enters as an anchor within the veil, where Christ the forerunner is for us entered." But what is the meaning of these words? For if Christ is gone within the veil as a forerunner, that plainly indicates that all the heirs of promise referred to above, are at some future time to run within the veil also, where the forerunner has gone.

What is the veil through which they are to run? We reply again, the veil which divided the holy from the most holy place in the tabernacle of witness represents the dividing line between mortality and immortality; that is, when men are instructed in the hope set before us, and cherish and manifest the faith of Abraham,- in short, believe the things of the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, and therefore are baptized into Christ, they have then in a spiritual sense passed through the first veil of the tabernacle into the holy place; and in this first apartment of the tabernacle in the wilderness there was the lamp of God, which represents the light of the truth as it is in Christ, also the table and the showbread, which indicates the bread of life; and as none but the duly qualified priests were allowed to eat the holy bread, so none but those who have believed and obeyed the truth, and so clothed themselves with the garments of righteousness, will be allowed to eat of the bread of life which that holy bread represents.

But Christ has passed through that which the second veil represented which divided between the holy and the most holy place. Now when men are baptized into Christ, they are said to put off the body of the sins of the flesh, but when they pass through that which the second veil represented, they put off the mortal body, and put on the immortal body; that is, they put off, as Paul says to the Corinthians, this earthly house," and are clothed upon with their house from heaven, and when so clothed they will be where Christ is now, that is, they will then have passed within the veil whither Christ, the forerunner, hath for us entered.

When Christ died, the veil of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom, and Paul says again (Heb. 10: 19-20), "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his

unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nation (verses 13-14), "Christ hath redeemed us fro that the blessing of Abraham might come up Christ: that we might receive the promise of promise of the Spirit referred to here by P: contained in the covenant, for the words words, and called the promise of the Spi in the gospel that Christ and his apostles i faithful and beloved Paul published to ev he was made a minister, are the blessin Lord himself preached to Abraham, blessed." This important truth Paul ness in his letter to the Hebrews, wh but followers of them who through of which he then proceeds to give "When God made promise to Abr he sware by himself, saying, Surel I will multiply thee. And so, the promise."

Now the force of this sta household of faith, called H have already shown, that afte he had to walk before God before he was subjected to th quired him to offer up his s tell him of, which proved God's holy temple was aft forth his hand to slay his was able to raise him up a figure." But the an time, and said, "By hast done this thing blessing I will ble Paul adds ise."

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ns of knowing what the righteous will be tet him learn the meaning of the patterns ctment of the tabernacle, enumerated by Paul Iter the second veil, the tabernacle which is ad the golden censer, and the ark of the covepure gold, wherein was the golden pot that at budded, and the tables of the covenant; and shadowing the mercyseat: of which (says Paul) arly."

..now speak particularly" of the meaning of these

ly that they illustrate what obtains with Christ surrection, the reason doubtless why he here did ...eaning of these symbols in this place, was the in another place to the people to whom this letter n for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have . again which be the first principles of the oracles such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat" he said he had many things to say of Melchisedec, , seeing they were dull of hearing, for he continues. eat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those have their senses exercised to discern good and evil." i need of milk, and not of strong meat. Milk refers of the doctrine of Christ, to knowledge which obtains. but strong meat refers to the knowledge of God of things

mortal state; and as Melchisedec was an immortal man, d things that stood connected with him, was to speak of ly manifested after the resurrection.

such things as these requires the exercise of the senses, be able to discern between good and evil, and this marks the een the true religion of God and the spurious imitations of

where the free and easy systems of religion are moulded catch the multitudes, and are disseminated with great ease hat are known as great revivals of religion; and the great is begotten of these exertions is spoken of as a high state of and that is all it is, a high state of religious feeling; but zed by a very low state of true religious and Scripture intelliry often the more religious fervor and enthusiasm, the less Scrip

h reference to the meaning of the holy furniture, and things conthe second Tabernacle, as Paul styles it, we intend to speak more. arly in another place, but will proceed to trace another feature of the tance as contained in the covenant, which is found in the seventeenth ter of the book of Genesis.