of God. Balaam sees them from above; seeing the vision of the Almighty, he sees the people according to the thoughts of the Spirit of God, as seen in the mind of God from above. The eyes of the prophet are open. Therefore, observe that it is neither the anticipation of Canaan, nor Israel in their permanent habitations, Balaam turns his face towards the wilderness, and sees Israel abiding in their tents. There, the Spirit sees them, and declares the beauty and the order of the people in the eyes of God. The water of the refreshing of God was also always there with them; God had planted the trees, therefore will they be great amongst the nations, a source of power and joy. God had brought them out of Egypt, they were the work of God, and the power of God was to go with them against their enemies. We get here thirdly, beauty-a freshness, the sources of which do not dry up, and power (what the Spirit does for the Church). Then in the fourth place, the coming of Christ, the Star of Jacob, who crowns the glory of the people. Only, as it comes in the midst of Israel, it is in judgment. With regard to us, it will be to take us hence, in order to make us participate in the joy of His presence,-to the marriage of the Lamb.

In a word, we see the separation of the people from the world, their justification, their order, their beauty, as planted by God near the everlasting sources of the river of God, and then the coming of Christ. The prophecy is perfectly beautiful.

It is very important for us to see sometimes the Church from above, in the wilderness; but, in the beauty of the thoughts of God, a pearl without price. In the midst of the camp below, in the desert, what murmurings, complainings, how much indifference, what carnal motives would have been witnessed and heard? From above, for him who has the vision of God, who has his eyes open, every thing is beautiful. "I stand in doubt of you," says the Apostle; and, immediately after, "I have confidence in you, through the Lord." We must get up to Him, and we shall have His thoughts of grace, who sees the beauty of His people, of His Church, through everything else, for she is beautiful; but for

moves these two thoughts at once.

this, one would be, either entirely discouraged, or one would be satisfied with evil. This vision of God reWe see the final judgment of the ships of Chittim, that is, of the West, north of the Mediterranean, and that of their chief, after he has afflicted Asshur and Eber also. It will be the terrible judgment of God at the end of this age.

A few words more on the position of Balaam.

At the end of a dispensation based on any knowledge whatever of God, when faith is lost and profession retained, this last obtains a renown of which men glory, as now, of the name of Christianity: Satan uses it. Power is sought from him; they go to meet enchantments, because, whilst glorying in the revealed name of God, they seek to satisfy their own lusts, and the importance of the name of God is tacked on to the work of the devil. However, God is acknowledged, up to a certain point. They fear Him, and He may interfere; but the system is diabolical; under the name of the Lord, with a partial fear of the Lord, and a dread which recognises Him as an object of fear. The people of God are preserved; but it is a very solemn thought, and it is truly the history of the Christian system.

At last, the unhappy Balaam, whose heart was in the bonds of iniquity, seeing that he cannot curse by the power of Satan, seeks to frustrate the blessing of God, by leading the people into sin and idolatry. As regards the people, he is but too successful. God sends a chastening, and, the people humbling themselves, the enormity of the evil excites the indignation of Phinehas, who, acting with an energy suitable to the circumstances, stops the plague and acquires a perpetual priesthood in his family.

The journey being now ended, God numbers afresh His people and counts them by name, as heirs ready to take possession of the inheritance. He has kept them through everything and brought them as far as Canaan; their raiment even did not wax old. He settles the details of the inheritance, and appoints a leader in the room of Moses, to introduce them into the land of promise. Chap. xxvi. presents us with the numbering.

In the beginning of chap. xxvii. are details upon the order according to which they were to inherit. Moses is favoured with a view of the land, and the people are placed under the conduct of Joshua to enter therein. Moses and Aaron had led them through the wilderness; but here it is a new scene, and Joshua (as to the Church, Christ in the power of His Spirit) is appointed to conquer the land. But he is dependent on the priesthood in his progress onward, as effectively the presence and the operations of the Holy Spirit are dependent on the presence of Christ in the holy place.

In chaps. xxviii. and xxix. we have the worship of the people, the sacrifices which are the meat of God. We shall dwell a little on these chapters. They are not the ways of God, a gathering together as in chap. xxiii. of Leviticus, but the offerings themselves, and especially those of sweet savour, made by fire', except that which was purely accessory. First there are lambs for the regular service; that is, for that of the morning and evening, and for that of the Sabbath, two lambs. Then, bullocks and goats also for the extraordinary feasts. The lamb has the most simple meaning; it is the constant presentation of the value of Christ and of believers in Him, the true Lamb of God,-the sweet savour of His sacrifice ascending continually, by day and by night; and when the true Sabbath is come, its efficacy will only ascend more abundantly, as a matter of intelligence and application. This can be said as regards God Himself, as to the fruit of the travail of the Saviour's soul. bullocks seem to me to represent rather the energy of the devotedness of persons in their estimate of that sacrifice. It was the largest thing that could be offered: still having regard to the sacrifice of Christ and the price set upon it.

The

The ram was always a victim of consecration, or of amend for some violation of the rights of consecration. As to the number of these two last kinds there were in general two bullocks, a ram and seven lambs. Then, a bullock and a ram the first day of the seventh month, and the decreasing number of the feast of tabernacles. For this kind of sacrifice, see Types of Leviticus.

It appears to me that all this gives the testimony of the worship rendered to God upon the earth. Thus, when this testimony is renewed, when God revives the light which produces it, the first feast noticed here, the answer on the part of man is simple and perfect, the two bullocks (as there were two lambs on the Sabbath day) the full and complete testimony of the devotedness of man, for two gave a valid testimony. The ram of

consecration is the estimate of the sacrifice of Christ fully developed. Man being still down here, and sin not out of question, the goat was added as an offering for sin.

If the worship of the people was in connexion with the resurrection of Christ: it was the same thing, as in the case of the work of the Spirit in gathering together. It was the exercise of power on the part of God which made an opportunity for worship; the answer on the part of the people was the same. Now, the first day of the seventh month had reference to the recall of Israel, which was a speciality and not the general and complete testimony; whilst the resurrection of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit which allowed the gentiles also to come in, and thus extended to the perfect testimony of the relations between God and man, produced an answer from below which fully recognised the good which God had done and the relations established thereupon, in being to Him according to the sweet savour of Christ, either in consecration, or in the intelligent estimate of the offering of Christ.

The unction of the Spirit and joy accompanied it. In this case, then, that is, at the feast of the first day of the seventh month, there was but one bullock. It is evident that the same principle applies to the tenth day of the seventh month. It is the application of the atonement of Christ to Israel on earth. There was but one bullock. The principle of consecration and the intrinsic value of the sacrifice remained the same.

The feast of tabernacles introduced another order of ideas, at least a new development of those ideas-it is the coming dispensation. There is not perfection in that which is offered joyfully of one's own free will to God;

but that is nearly realised,-thirteen bullocks are offered. The millennium will bring upon earth a joy of worship and thanksgiving, which, Satan being bound, and the blessing of the reign of Christ being spread everywhere, will be, externally at least, almost perfect. The two rams manifest the testimony of abundant consecration, and perhaps outwardly the introduction of Jews and Gentiles (not consecrated in one body) but witnesses upon earth in a distinct manner of this consecration to God. Then the testimony of the perfectness of the work of Christ being full, upon earth, either for Israel, or for the blessing of the Gentiles, its complete efficacy was manifested upon earth; and the question here is only about this manifestation upon earth (understood by faith however). There were fourteen lambs.

There is, however, a declining in this devotedness of joy and testimony towards God; it does not cease from being complete, it is true; but its abundance gradually ceases to manifest itself, as it did at the beginning. The thing, as established of God, remains in its perfection. This was found in the seventh day, which completed the part purely earthly.

On the eighth day, we come back to one bullock, one ram and seven lambs. It was the counter-part of the day of atonement: for, if the seventh day designated Israel alone brought back to God, the eighth day, on the other hand, designates that which was outside earthly perfection, and the heavenly people apart. This, it seems to me, is the general idea of what the Spirit of God gives us in this passage.

Chap. xxx. is the case of the vows of women, which has reference also to the fate of Israel, who have indeed taken these vows upon themselves, in the hearing of God who has not disannulled them in His government here below; and Israel have continued responsible to the vow wherewith they have bound themselves, and of which the precious Saviour has been obliged to take the burden upon Himself.

War is found in the wilderness (though it is not characteristic of it), whenever we fall into the snares the enemy there lays for us. There are always conflicts in