The Lord's death is presented to us in this passage: as accomplished by Himself, that He might thereby sanctify and cleanse the Church. The cleansing power of the blood being applied by the word of God."

The Lord Jesus is also called the Sanctifier, "both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one-for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. ii. II. And the means whereby Heaccomplishes this is His own precious blood-" Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate." Heb. xiii. 12.

And believers are of God, "in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." A very blessed passagetracing our new creation up to God, in union with Christ,. and telling us that Christ is made to us the full and blessed treasury of all wisdom, righteousness, holiness,. and redemption. If we lack wisdom, God has given us. all wisdom in Jesus. If we are conscious of unrighteousness, Christ is our righteousness. If we are conscious of our unholiness, He is our sanctification. If we look. around us upon the world and find ourselves differing but little from the unredeemed, He is our redemption. We are in God's sight severed as far from this world,. and as distinct from it, as the Lord Jesus Himself is at the right hand of God.

The Lord Jesus Himself was separated off as God's elect and sent into the world-that holy one, the Son: of God. John x. 26. And He sanctified Himself for our sakes-separating Himself unto God through the death of the cross, that we might be sanctified through the truth. His prayer to the Father was, "sanctify them. through thy truth, thy word is truth." John xvii. 17.

The Holy Spirit uses the word of God, first to communicate life in separation to God; and next, to cleanse us practically from the defilements and uncleannesses constantly attaching to us through the flesh, and1 the world. Practical holiness in our walk and conver

sation is only to be obtained through the word of God under the power of the Spirit of God. We are saints, we are holy, we are washed, we are sanctified, we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. We have to be practically clean, and practically holy-and that through the same power and means by which we have been already saved. The word of God, testifying to the precious blood of Christ, applied by the Spirit of God. Thus the oil and the blood are inseparable. The Holy Ghost testifies to Jesus and His Cross.

We should aim to be what we really are. Our struggles, our conflicts should result from the fact that we are children of God, that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, that we are alive in the Spirit, that we are God's holy ones. If we turn the eye within, we have no power; we shall only discover unworthiness, weakness, and sin; and this will give us no strength for conflict. We must keep our eye fixed on Jesus. Looking away from all other objects unto Him, the Author and Finisher of faith. And as we contemplate Him, we gain strength, we become practically more holy; we are changed into His likeness, we grow up into Him.

This was the last act of Moses, sprinkling the oil and the blood upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments. They and their garments were sanctified. It is to be observed that Aaron's sons, and his sons' garments are closely linked in this sprinkling with Aaron himself "upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him."-This is four times repeated. Exod. xxix. Lev. viii. 30.

21;

Their persons were first sanctified, then their garments. And thus they stood a hallowed family in connection with Aaron their head.

May we not see in this a little figure of the truths expressed in the epistle to the Hebrews, though at the same time there is a contrast.

Aaron and his garments had to be sanctified. Christ sanctified Himself for our sakes. Aaron's sons derived no sanctification from any act of Aaron. Christ's house derive all their sanctification from Christ their Head, and High Priest.

Thus far there is a contrast-but we read, "he who sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." and, "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." Heb. ii. II; iii. I. Here is the fulfilment of those little words "with him," we are all of one with Him that sanctifieth us. We are partakers of that wondrous calling of which He is the High Priest. We are "holy brethren," and "He is not ashamed to call us brethren"-a priestly family-a spiritual house, builded by God, belonging to the Son of God, over which He is the Head.

Wondrous calling! accomplished by a wondrous God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A family, named of the Father; children and heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: brethren whom Jesus is not ashamed to own as His brethren. An assembly in the midst of which He will sing praise to God-a congregation of priests anointed with the Holy Ghost-an holy priesthood, a royal priesthood, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," and "to shew forth the praises (virtues) of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light." Ist Pet. ii. 5, 9.

THE FOOD OF THE PRIESTS.

HITHERTO Aaron and his sons had been comparatively passive; the only action on their part was the laying their hands upon the head of the various sacrifices. They were now however commanded to eat the flesh of the ram of consecration, (the ram with which their hands had been filled,) and the remainder of the bread of consecrations, (with which also their hands had been filled.) They were to be strengthened for the Lord's

service by feeding on "those things wherewith the atonement was made, to fill their hand, to sanctify them." Exod. xxix. 33. Atonement, consecration, and sanctifiIcation were all included under the one sacrifice of the ram, and the bread which now became their food, or as it were the source of life to them.

So it is also with the believer. He recognizes Christ as having in His death made a full atonement for his sin, and as having thereby consecrated and sanctified him as a king and priest to God; and the very act of thus contemplating Christ by faith, is life, is Christ within him. Paul as Saul of Tarsus had a revelation of Christ from heaven to him, and this was by the operation of God the revelation of Christ in him. Gal. i. 15, 16. If Jesus be the object to which as sinners we turn, then we receive him by faith, and "Christ is in us the hope of glory." Col. i. 27. Faith and life go together. They are synchronous, we cannot place one before or after the other. Christ as our object, becomes Christ in us. And so also as to the nourishment of that life afterwards. We grow, and are strengthened, exactly in the same way in which life was originally communicated to us; that is by contemplating the same object, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Looking at Him as an external object, moulds and fashions us within into His likeness. "We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2nd Cor.

iii. 18. Moses wist not that his face shone, when he came down from the mount. He had been in converse with God, and had unconsciously to himself, caught some of the glory of the Lord upon his countenance. We shall as surely, though perhaps imperceptibly to ourselves, be transformed into the image of Christ if we keep him constantly before us. Looking within ourselves will not advance us in spiritual growth; neither will mental efforts of our own advantage us; looking off ourselves unto Jesus, will have a transforming power.