SYMBOLIC TEACHING.

66

"I feel so engrossed by the world and its many cares, that the things of God seem almost dead and buried under the evils of my heart.' The answer made was, "What a mercy, then, that salvation is all in Christ--not in you." True," was the reply, "but I want the link between." How much is meant in these few words. To know the value of that link, and to desire it, prove there is life. To feel by Divine teaching that we are linked is peace. A link unites two parts, and this thought may explain the position of the laver of brass, Ex. xxx. 18. "Thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar;" and this signified union between Christ and the church. There was no approach to the altar but through the laver "When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation they shall wash with water, that they die not; so they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not," ver. 20. This was the ceremonial ordinance that typed out in symbol the gospel truths that our Lord opened up to the Jewish rabbi-"Except a man be born of water and or even the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God"Christ thus explaining the figure of the laver, and marking out its gospel signification. This is the link between heaven and earthGod and the soul-time and eternity-the renewed sinner and the church of God. When our Lord was about to enter upon His sacrificial work as High Priest over the house of God, He washed the disciples feet, which He explained in this wise-"He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and when Peter made objection to this, as a degrading act to the Lord, He said, "If I wash thee not thou hast no part with Me." Here we have "the link between"-the link that unites the soul with all that was planned in eternity before the world was, and the eternity of bliss that shall endure “when the world also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up." The apostle tells Titus, that "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration," Titus iii. 5; and the same apostle tells the Ephesians, v. 26, that "Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." The prophet Zechariah uttered the same truth when he said, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness," chap. xiii. 1; and the apostle to the Corinthian church declares the cleansing power of this fountain-" and such were some of you, ye are washed," 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. The type was very stringent upon the symbol of washing-"If he wash not, he shall bear his iniquity," Lev. xvii. 16; "They shall wash with water, that they die not" "When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near nnto the altar, they washed;" "Thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle, and wash them with water." All this represented in type spiritual cleansing, effected by the Holy Ghost on the sinner's soul. The ancient promise to Israel was, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean,"

but

Ex. xxxvi. 25; and the apostle, in Heb. x. 22, alludes to this"Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience;" and thus literal things in the Jewish dispensation, set forth spiritual things under the gospel. When the Levites were consecrated for the Lord's service, the command was, "Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them; and thus shalt thou do unto them to cleanse them; sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean." Priests, Levites, and congregation were alike ceremonially unclean, were alike ceremonially to wash, which set forth in type the depraved and filthy nature of God's church, as fallen in Adam, and the necessity of a change similar to that produced by washing-a change wrought in regeneration—and not that only, but the daily washing in the fountain "opened for sin and uncleanness"-the washing through the word, which speaks the removal of sin and guilt, and the renewings of the Spirit, in testifying to the finished work of Christ, which is compared to the effects of water-cleansing, purifying, and refreshing. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us; for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." This is the true Laver, where the elect of God receive and enjoy the blessings of the gospel; are put into feeling union by regenerated life with God and the living family; and are kept in communion by their daily need of daily washing-fresh sin requiring fresh pardon. Thus the Lord's people are taught in experience the spiritual meaning of the literal command, "So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not." To live in fellowship with God is not, as some imagine, to live without sin, and walk in holy obedience that satisfies the soul; not so-the life of faith is a life in and on Christ; it is union with Him as a partaker of the Divine nature, and one with Him in covenant relationship; it is a life that lives on Him for support as well as existence; it is the life of a beggar, and yet the life of a child. Said the apostle, "The life I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.' This is faith's office, to eye Christ; in fact, to go to market for the poor, hungry, helpless, poverty-stricken soul, and fetch as it were gospel provision without money and without price. Faith travels to and fro between Christ and the sinner, and the Spirit takes of the things of Christ and shows them to faith, and thus faith refreshes, cheers, and enlightens the soul; as said our Lord, "according to your faith so be it unto you;" and this life of communion with God is the laver that unites the sinner and Christ experimentally; that cleanses from the condemnation of sin; purifies from the dominion of sin comparatively in the life and walk of the believer; and refreshes and invigorates the soul to run the race, to fight the good fight of faith, while the voice of the Spirit whispers the encouraging declaration, "Now ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you." This is the holy water, which Popery counterfeits. But the spiritual realities of the gospel are a matter of soul experience to the people of God in every age, and may be briefly summed up thus-they either want or have

them; and those who need them by Divine teaching shall have them. Ah, says the poor soul, that is the point which troubles me-am I under Divine teaching? Were I sure of this, I should feel secure about the end. But God does not mean you to get at peace by reasoninggospel peace is not obtained by way of inference. It travels another road-it comes by revelation. It is a discovery to faith of the work of another done for you. It is the voice of the Spirit, which assures the sinner of the love of the Father, and the exceeding grace of Jesus, and the preciousness of His salvation. Faith sees the work Christ, has done, faith hears the voice of the Spirit, the Father embraces the child, and the sinners's joy is complete. Seeking souls are regenerated, or they would never seek at all; but God's seekers are never satisfied till they find (Luke xv. 4-9). They are in earnest-it is a life or death question with them-and like the troubled king they enquire, "Is there any word from the Lord ?" There may be a lull in the soul, but from time to time the power of the Spirit is realized in the breaking forth of fresh anxiety, prayer, desire, and ardent longings for that voice which says, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole."

"The promise may be long delayed,

But never comes too late."

And so true seekers find, for they shall all be taught of God, and they shall realize throughout their troublous way the fulfilment of the promise given to the church of old, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;" and in yet a little while they shall join the song of the saved above, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

GOD'S TIME.

(Concluded from page 271 of Vol. 7.)

A second doctrine I gather from the words you will find in Ps. civ. 27, is this, That God's people can have no more than God gives them "That Thou givest them they gather." This is true temporally and spiritually. You who are taught of God know by experience you can only gather what God gives. If you are doubtful about it, you want instruction upon the point. You must be brought to know more of an absent God—a withholding God-and this will teach you heart lessons. Our text is an allusion to the manna God sent the Israelites from heaven. It fell at God's command, and was gathered daily by Israel, and they could only have what God gave. But that manna typified Christ, the food of the church. "That thou givest them they gather." God's people wait as beggars upon a free-grace God for all their supplies. Like blind Bartimeus by the wayside, they are all made to feel their need, and call upon Jesus for what He has to give. "A man can receive nothing except it be given him from above;" and

my text contains the same doctrine-" That Thou givest they gather." Some talk as if they had a store of faith and hope and love and peace in themselve to use when they like. Now God will teach them better when He strips them of it all, and makes them see that they are poor and wretched and blind and naked-strips them of faith and prayer and love and hope, and makes them find out for themselves they have nothing, and there they must stay till God is pleased to work in them, and revive His own graces in them. They cannot gather till He gives. The dead in trespasses and sins must remain thus till God calls themthey cannot quicken themselves-He must reveal Himself to them and in them—it is His work, not man's. Well, say some, if this be so, who then can be saved? Now do not think about others. What have you received for yourself? That is the vital question as far as you are concerned. God will save His church-not a hoof shall be left behind —not a single absentee will there be at the last; so you may leave alone all anxiety about the effect of God's truth as I have now declared it. People lose the profit oftentimes by hearing for others. You have nothing to do with them, hear for yourselves.-you need these truths for yourself. God's people feel that if God does not give, they cannot get; and when He gives there will be a precious gathering. Now do you love these truths YOURSELF ? Do you agree to them? Do you experience them? That is the grand point after all,—not the abuse other people may make of them, but the use they are to you. Some are ready to agree that by nature we have no power or merit, but by grace we have, and thus bring in the merit of works last, instead of first. But by nature or grace we have no merit, no power; hence it must be the church's privilege to come in upon the sovereign works of Christ alone-by the rich, free, sovereign grace of God.

But let us proceed now to another point-When God is pleased to give, who can withhold? "Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good." God has only to open His hand and then His creatures are supplied. "I will work, and who shall let it ?" God has only to open His hand now and our souls would soon be filled; and when He withholds who can work? If God opened His hand soon would plenty reign. But the Lord often suffers things to come to an extremity, that the power of His hand may be felt, and the powerlessness of all creature ability and exertion seen. The Lord says He will "withhold no good from them that walk uprightly." Now man by nature is dead, therefore it is God's work to quicken the soul and set it upright. In our text we have it, "Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good." When the soul is renewed it is made upright; it is set up erect, as it were, heavenward; the goings ordered; walk, life, conversation directed; so that here is manifestly no mistake-"an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men." Are you this epistle? If renewed, He has written His law upon your heart, and you long and desire to be so. Your failures and short-comings bring you down into the dust-break up your self-dependence-show you by the law's requirements that you must give up all hope of life from the flesh, that your only hope is from Christ, the church's Law-fulfiller and Justice-satisfier, according to eternal settlement and covenant decrees.

"No good will He withhold." Every Christ-needing and Spiritseeking soul shall see Jesus. When as a guilty, helpless worm you find you have only blood to depend upon, that you are a transgressor, you have no ability to pay a mite, that you are under the sentence of death, that you can make no amends to God for all you have done and left undone, then you see you must stand in Christ's merit, not your own, for you have none. You cannot stand upon your obedience, for you have none. You cannot repent or believe unless you are given it. You see and feel your devilish nature, and this is the use of the lawto stop the mouth, to humble the sinner, to show up transgression; and thus the ground is prepared for God's seed. The plow of the law turns up the green sward and shows the abominable things hid under.

"Thou openest Thine hand, and they are filled with good." We see here another great truth-When God gives none can withhold. True, the devil did all he could with such of you as have been called by God; but when God's time came he could keep you no longer. Job must be under his sore visitation God's time, but when the appointed hour was come he must be delivered. The saints cannot escape their allotment of trouble. "Ye must drink of My cup, and be baptized with My baptism," said our dear Lord.

He drank it to the

dregs, but they must have a sip of the same; and those do not know much of the comfort of God, who know little of the tormenting power of the devil. "I leave in the midst of thee a poor and afflicted people," and to this people these words speak-" Thou openest Thine hand, and they are filled with good." Now, in a spiritual sense, when God withholds we cannot get. But many who are professors know nothing spiritually of the things whereof I speak. You know nothing of giving or withholding, darkness or light, absence or presence. Nor do you care about it-you are quite satisfied with your ignorance. The two grand causes of sorrow to a child of God-darkness and sense of sin-are no trouble to you. But God's people are not so, hence they long to get out of this howling wilderness of sin, to have done with it all, and so they say, When shall I come and appear before God? When shall these thick clouds, these painful dealings, these inward conflicts all be ended? How is it some of you can live so contentedly here? Oh, say you, we must be patient. I would very gladly witness a little impatience upon this point amongst God's sain ts When the love of God is lively in the soul, longings to be with Him will be lively too. We shall long for His coming. Make haste, my Beloved-come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. This language savours somewhat of a little spiritual impatience, I do think, whatever people may say about patience; but these divine longings come also from the "Lord, who is wonderful in council and excellent in working."

J. A. W.

The best ground untilled, soonest runs into rank weeds; such are God's children, overgrown with security, ere they are aware, unless they be well exercised both with God's plough of affliction, and their own industry in meditation.-Bishop Hall.