bear their iniquities." Isa. liii. II. God's righteous Servant has borne our iniquities, and in that death upon the cross has made His obedience, His righteousness manifest to the full. He now therefore justifies us by His blood. He has washed us from our sins in His own blood. This justification becomes ours in the way of faith, "by his knowledge," that is, "by the knowledge of him" through faith.

Because He justifies us by having borne our iniquities, He is our advocate with the Father. One who completely identifies Himself with us and maintains our cause, notwithstanding our sin and failure Jesus Christ the righteous, personally spotless in righteousness and holiness; and at the same time, the propitiation for our sins. A representative who can appear for us before God, on the ground of His own perfect obedience and purity; and who can present for us the "precious blood which cleanseth us from all sin," the efficiency of which is daily and hourly perpetuated, preserving us in perfect cleanness in the presence of the Father, as His children, kings, and priests.

How the blessed Lord was vindicated as the righteous man at the very moment of His condemnation. Judas was obliged to confess to the chief priests and elders, that he had sinned and betrayed innocent blood. The pieces of silver which he returned were silent witnesses to this truth. Matt. xxvii. 4.

Pilate thrice repeated the words, "I find no fault in Him," and declared that He was a righteous person. John xviii. 38. xix. 4, 6. Matt. xxvii. 24.

The wife of Pilate sent to beg he would have nothing to do with that righteous man. Matt. xxvii. 19.

Herod also could discover no evil in the ways of Jesus. Luke xxiii. 15.

On the cross, a malefactor condemned himself whilst he vindicated Christ, "this man hath done nothing amiss." Luke xxiii. 41.

And the Gentile Centurion was the first after the

Lord had given up the Ghost, to glorify God, by proclaiming the truth, "certainly this was a righteous man." Luke xxiii. 47.

Three times in the Acts is the Lord called the Righteous One. Peter in preaching to the Jews, says: "Ye denied the holy one, and the Just," (or righteous one,) iii. 14.

Stephen, in his last address, tells them "that their fathers had slain them who shewed before of the coming of the Just One." vii. 52.

And Paul in relating the facts connected with his conversion, repeats the words of Ananias to him. "The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth." xxii. 14. God has vindicated His Son by raising Him to His own right hand of power and glory; and the Holy Ghost come down from heaven is witness of the exaltation of Jesus, and of the guilt of the world in putting Him to death.

The world is condemned under a threefold sentence; and the Holy Spirit is by His presence here, an evidence of its solemn judgment.

In John xvi. 7—11, the Lord Jesus promises to His disciples, after His departure, to send the Comforter: "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." That is, the presence of the Comforter here, abiding with God's people, would of itself be the sentence of conviction of the world. Not that he would convict the souls of all men in the world, of sin. The Lord was not speaking of this action of the Holy Spirit upon the heart and conscience of the sinner; but of the solemn fact, that the personal presence of the Comforter with the children of God, would be the condemnation of the world as in God's sight. First, on the ground of sin, "because they believe not on me." The fact of Christ's absence, and the result of that absence, the presence of the Holy Spirit here, proves that the world was guilty of the deepest sin, viz. unbelief of Him.

This is the crowning sin of all others. If the world had believed, had known and owned Him, its princes would not have slain Him. But they manifested their complete ignorance and unbelief by killing the Lord of glory; and under the guilt of this sin the world lies. The Spirit of God having come, sent by the crucified and risen Christ, is the conviction of the world upon this ground.

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Secondly, "of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.' God and the world are fearfully at issue upon the question of righteousness. And the question has been brought to a definite point by the death of Christ. The world has slain Him as a malefactor, hanged Him upon a tree with thieves : preferred an abominable criminal, guilty of robbery, sedition, and murder, to the Son of God. But God has raised the same rejected and despised Christ to the throne of His glory, and counted Him worthy of sitting at the right hand of His Majesty in the heavens.

What a solemn difference thus exists upon the question of righteousness, between the world and God. Why is Jesus gone to the Father? Why do His people see Him no more? Why has the Holy Spirit come? Because He has been murdered and slain; rejected and disowned; scourged, spit upon, stripped naked, and crucified. He has been dealt with thus, as an unrighteous one by the world. God has received Him as the righteous one to glory. And the people of God have the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, because of Christ's rejection, and His exaltation to the highest heavens.

Lastly, "of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

Three times in the Gospel of John is the title "prince of this world" given to Satan by the Lord Jesus.

"Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out." xii. 31.

This the Lord spoke in contemplation of His Cross. His being lifted up upon the tree, was at the same time

the judgment of the world, the dethronement of its Prince as to the final result, and offered a new source of attraction, powerful enough to draw unto Himself away from the allurements of the world, and the seductions. of Satan.

"Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me." xiv. 30. The Lord's converse with His disciples was about to cease, for He was to meet and resist unto blood the closing fierce attacks of the adversary. But that prince would find nothing in Christ of which he could obtain one moment's possession. No shaft of the tempter could lodge in that bosom of purity. No temptation would have any response from that Righteous One. The prince of this world had no possession of any kind in Christ. For the first and last time he found a Man, proof against every inlet to sin, every suggestion of evil. One of whom it could be said, "Jehovah is well pleased for His righteousness' sake." And though the serpent was permitted to bruise the heel of the woman's seed, in that very act he hurled down destruction upon himself. The cross of Christ, and its inseparable result, resurrection, was the judgment of the prince of this world.

The coming of the Holy Spirit from the throne of glory, to which God had exalted His Son, is the evidence that this is a judged world, because Satan its prince has been vanquished, made nought of, and judged. Thus we live in a place already sentenced. The blood of the Lamb has redeemed us out of it to God: and we must look away to another region, to another country for righteousness and holiness. "Delivered out of the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son," our life, our hopes, our affections, and our fellowships are above. Christ is there, God's righteous servant, our Great High Priest, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifica tion, and redemption.'

THE GIRDLE.

"A broidered coat, a mitre,

and a girdle.

"And thou shalt make the girdle of needlework."-Exod. xxviii. 4, 39.

"And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet needlework,"-Ex. xxxix. 29.

IT has been before observed, that "the curious girdle of the ephod" was not a girdle in the ordinary sense of the word, (see page 200.) The true girdle, (avneht,) is here described. The Hebrew word is exclusively used for this inner girdle, and that of the high priest on the day of atonement, and for the girdles of the priests; except in one other instance, Isa. xxii. 21, where Eliakim is to be clothed with Shebna's robe, (coat,) and strengthened with his girdle.

The use in this passage of the two parts of the priestly dress, coat, and girdle, may intimate, that the treasurer and ruler of David's house stood in a kind of priestly capacity: and may afford another instance of the frequent incidental allusions in Scripture to the future glory of the Lord Jesus; who will combine with His office of Priest, that of King, Lord, Treasurer, Governor, and Ruler.

This girdle was made of the same materials as those of the vail; but the order of their arrangement was that of the innermost curtains of the tabernacle, viz. "fine linen, blue, purple, scarlet."

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The fine linen, type of righteousness comes first, answering to that beautiful passage in Isaiah xi. 5. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness, the girdle of his reins." Righteousness and faithfulness which the Lord Jesus has made perfectly manifest, and proved to the utmost in His death upon the cross. Faithfulness is the same word as truth.

The object of the girdle was to strengthen the loins for service. And the high priest, beneath his outward

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