I love the love of righteousness, Which brings me to the throne; But life and peace, and joy and heaven. But who now can think of the engraving without calling to mind The Engraver? The tables of the law were His work; as with the moon and the stars, they were the performance of His own hand. (Exodus xxxii. 16.) Moreover, by His direction the names of the twelve sons of Jacob were engraven, as with the engraving of a signet, on the jewels which adorned the garments Aaron wore. It was He too who in His tenderness (when the walls of Zion had fallen to decay) said, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Oh, touching the connection! Zion on His hands. The one and the other inseparable; so that our God can never look at His hands without seeing His people. None could destroy the one without the other. And how interesting to think that this divine art will have place in the eternal state, where there will be not only a public owning of His own, a confession of them before His Father and His holy angels, but a private owning in the "hidden manna," that the Lord will give, and the white stone, with a new name written on it, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. This will be given to those who in their pilgrim days had maintained their communion, had overcome in their conflict with all that would mar that communion or dishonour Him, whose redeemed ones they were. Blessed Lord! we speak of the engraving on Thee; why art Thou not more engraven on us? We know how the image of the creature can be enshrined within our hearts. Luther said of his departed child, "On my very soul are engraven the looks, the words, the gestures, during her life and in her death, of my obedient, loving child; so loving in her character, so full of tenderness." Oh, what we want is to have Christ engraven on us, every trait of His blessed life so imparted to us that we may bear His image; yea, be changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of God. It is in our hearts we want to know this. Christ dwelling there, and reigning there. It is concerning this Cowper so forcibly affirms "Thy saints proclaim Thee King, and in their hearts Thy title is engraven with a pen Dipped in the fountain of eternal love." But now added to the foregoing symbol is first a direction and next a promise, “Behold the stone that I have laid before Foshua." The prophet was to behold it, to look upon it. And it was laid before Joshua, put down before him for special consideration; reminding us of John-"We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth;" and Romans v.: "God commendeth His love toward us" (puts it before us), "in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." But besides the direction is the promise-"I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." But what is this "one day"? First, the eternal day of the divine purpose before all worlds. He, Christ, is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. It was He who said, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." Second, the day when Christ died. In that day of His death, laden with our sins, bearing our iniquities, He put them away by the sacrifice of Himself. Then, third, the day of Israel's confession-they will look on Him whom they pierced, and will mourn. It is then that Isaiah liii. will have its place. They will say, "We hid as it were our faces from smitten of God, and afflicted." Jehovah hath delighted to bruise made Him an offering for sin. He will see His seed; their iniquities will He bear."* They will say, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He Him. . . . He was * YOUNG'S translation. H |