grave charge, you will do all you can to oppose the veiling of the "brightness of the Father's glory, and the express Image of His person."

Now we have in the BIBLE a truthful reflection, as on a sea of glass, of "THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ;" indeed, the BIBLE is as a mirror, in which the Holy Ghost shows Jesus unto us, taking of that which gleams in His light, and is reflected from His brightness. There it is we find, in perfect portraiture, the GODMAN-the mysterious Ever-existing-the great I AMthe Alpha and Omega-the King of kings-the Lord of lords-the God over all-the Maker of the worldsthe Prince of Peace-the blessed and only Potentate -the wonderful Jehovah-the Omnipresent-the Omnipotent-the Omniscient-yet, the son of David -the second Adam-the woman's seed-still God, but God manifest in the flesh!! There it is we find the gracious reason why this co-eternal and co-equal son of the Father, stooped thus low, in taking npon Him the form of a servant. Hear it, O earth! "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord :" God the Father so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life; and God the Son so compassionated the fallen that, "in the volume of the book it is written of me," said Jesus, "I delight to do Thy will, O my God."

Yes, it was for MAN that the Immortal put on mortality; that the Richest became the poorest; the Son of the Highest the son of the lowliest; the Happiest, He whose image was marred more than any man, and His face more than the sons of men, and who, prophetically, so touchingly exclaimed, “Look, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow;" the ever-existing I AM became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. 0 yes, it was for man, for rebel man; it was for man, because he had sinned; it was for man, because he was perishing; it was for man, because he was bankrupt; it was for man, because he was lost. And as there was no created being either in heaven or in earth that dare ask pardon for the rebel-NONE that could blot out his transgression, NONE that could support the perishing-NONE rich enough to cancel the debts of bankrupt man-NONE that could SAVE THE LOST. Therefore, said JESUS, "LO, I COME."

O, THOU GLORIOUS SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, who for our sakes, and out of pure compassion and love, didst thine own Self eclipse that glory which Thou hadst with Thy Father before the worlds were; and veiled Thyself in human form that our weak and sinful sight, which could not have beheld Thee in Thy heavenly brightness, might rest with delight upon Thee, our Emanuel; God with us, upon Thee, our

Jesus, who had come to save us from our sins; upon Thee, who made Thyself our Brother and Friend, that Thou mightest rescue us: for we were perishing, and Thou fed us with the finest of the wheat-even heavenly manna; we were fainting, and Thou gavest us to drink of the water of life; we were naked, and Thou broughtest thine own best robe-the robe of righteousness to cover us therewith; we were poor, but Thou hast loaded us with riches; we were sick, but Thou gavest us healing medicine-the precious balm of Gilead; we were in misery, but Thou broughtest us peace. O, thou gracious Prince of Peace; we were nigh unto despair, but Thou camest with purchased hope; we were wounded by our enemies, and our wounds were unanointed, bleeding and loathsome, and Thou pouredst in the oil and the wine, and tenderly bound them up; we were enemies to thine Almighty Father, but Thou camest with the offer of reconciliation; we were condemned to eternal punishment, but Thou broughtest a sealed pardon; we were heirs of wrath, but Thou hast made us heirs of glory; we were dead, but thou didst breathe into our souls the breath of an undying life. What return can we make unto Thee, O Lord, for all these inestimable benefits? Dost Thou not tell us that to benefit ourselves is the best way of pleasing Thee; even by coming to, and rejoicing in Thy light, by basking our

selves in the sunshine of Thy grace and glory; by taking the cup of salvation; and by calling upon the name of the Lord?

But the Bible not only represents Jesus as the ALL-SUFFICIENT and the ONLY SAVIOUR, but as the RESTORER of man to the high position he had lost. Christ came not only to procure pardon for the condemned, but to make man, who by the fall had become averse to all that was good and prone to all that was evil, capable and desirous of enjoying the pleasures at God's right hand, and fitted by perfect holiness to be guest of Him in whose sight the heavens are unclean, and who chargeth His angels with folly.

It was for this reason Christ became HIMSELF Our WISDOM. Unto us, who by "the wisdom of this world" could never know God; unto us, "which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ" became "the power of God and the WISDOM of God." It was for this reason He became HIMSELF Our RIGHTEOUSNESS; was made "sin for us, who knew no sin, that we," whose righteousnesses are as filthy rags," "might be made the righteousness of God in Him." He is emphatically the "LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." It was for this reason He became HIMSELF our JUSTIFICATION; for by Him, all that believe are justified from all things from which we "could not be justified by the law of Moses," for "by the deeds of the law shall

B

no flesh be justified in his sight."

"How should man

be justified before God? If he will contend with Him, he cannot answer one of a thousand." "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall NO MAN LIVING BE JUSTIFIED.". It was for this reason He became HIMSELF our SANCTIFICATION, for, "for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth," said the merciful Saviour. This was the SANCTIFICATION that Job felt his need of, who, in bitter complaint exclaimed"If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me." It was for this reason He became HIMSELF Our REDEMPTION; "for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written, cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," consequently, "Christ hath REDEEMED us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." And not "by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal REDEMPTION for us." "And for this cause He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they