The real nature of REDEMPTION may now again be clearly understood, and it may be thoroughly seen why Jehovah alone could be our Redeemer. No power but that of the Omnipotent could subdue the banded hosts of the evil in the world of mind, set free the myriad souls which superstition had bound as blind followers of the blind, and pour new beams of light and love into the world. The Lord as a man of war, as Jehovah mighty in battle, is the Divine David.

Very numerous indeed are the declarations of the prophets which speak of the Lord the Redeemer waging a tremendous warfare. Thus the prophet Isaiah, in the words which immediately precede the announcement of the Lord's coming, in the well-known declaration, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given," foretells the struggle that would take place in the following terms: "For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood: BUT THIS SHALL BE WITH BURNING AND FUEL OF FIRE (Isa. ix. 5). No such awful combat took place in the outer world: it must therefore have had its fulfilment in the inner world, the world of spirits.

Again we read, "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered ? But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. . . . And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isa. xlix. 24-26). Here it is evident that multitudes are represented in such bondage, that their freedom could not be won for them by any one but the Eternal Himself.

Similar passages are so numerous, that we must leave many unmentioned; but two more will give us very marked testimony on the important subject of the Great Redeemer and His work. "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation; and His righteousness, it sustained Him" (Isa. lix. 16). Again, "I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come" (Isa. lxiii. 3, 4).

That the Lord Jesus accomplished the clearance of the

world of spirits, by the warfare and judgment so strikingly foretold, is certainly taught in the Gospels. "He that cometh after me," declared John the Baptist, "is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize with the Holy Spirit, and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matt. iii. 11, 12). Again, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke x. 18, 19). Again, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John xii. 31). All these intimations show most convincingly, that while the Lord's life before men was quiet as a gentle, peaceful teacher, a loving friend, a patient sufferer, in the world of spirits He was overthrowing myriads of evil ones; and when He finished the work of redemption by His cross, "having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them" (Col. ii. 15). "By death He destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil" (Heb. ii. 14).

His

Redemption, then, was the overthrow of the powers of darkness in the spirit-world, and the deliverance of good spirits and men from their infernal bondage; and David was the type of the Redeemer when engaged in this spiritual warfare. carrying out this great work to its full accomplishment— enduring every temptation, and overcoming all foes-was represented by David's reigning forty years. His deliverance and preservation of all who were in goodness was represented by the reigning in Hebron seven years; and His delivering such from error, and giving them abundance of Divine Truths, is meant by His taking Jerusalem and reigning there thirty and three years. David's dying and being succeeded by Solomon was a type of the Lord's suffering humanity, when His redeeming work was completed, being succeeded by His Glorified Humanity, the Divine Solomon.

David being old, and getting no heat from being covered with clothes, represents the Lord rising in the mind and in the Church; His warrior character dying away, and His Glorified Humanity becoming the object of adoration. Clothes represent doctrines, and these without love impart no heat. The remarkable circumstance of Abishag the Shunammite,

a fair young virgin, being brought to keep warmth in the king, represents the interesting law of Divine Mercy, which provides that, before a new order of things is established, an intermediate between the old and the new is permitted for a time. After the redemption of mankind was completed, and before the Christian Church was established, with the glorified Saviour as the Divine Solomon, the Prince of Peace reigning over it, there was an intermediate band consisting of the pious and pure-minded amongst the Jews, who kept up the warmth of the Lord, that is, kept the sense of the Divine Love alive in the earth. The remnant of the truly pious in one Church is the nucleus of another. They are not properly the Lord's bride, and never will be. They are not the Lamb's wife, but they serve until the Lamb's wife has grown and is ready.

They are beautiful in character and affection, they cherish and minister to the king; but in a short time their office is over, and the true Church appears. The Christian Jews were good and pious, but their mission was soon completed. They gave place to more perfect Christians, and passed away. We have taken thus a view of the passage as it represents the Lord, His victorious redemption of mankind, and the finishing of His conquests and character as the Redeemer, the warlike King. Let us resume the consideration of the subject as it applies to the work of regeneration in us. The Lord must be a David in us, and do the work of David, before He can become a Solomon.

Has David done his work in us? Has the power of Divine Truth in us smitten the Philistines? Have we overcome the persuasion, that when we know and believe the true faith it is enough? Do we think, because we are in the Church, as the Philistines were in Canaan, that we have done .all that is needful, though we are bitter and quarrelsome as the Philistines were?

as true.

We must destroy this destructive error, as David slew Goliath. We must become loving and good, gentle as well We must overcome envy and pride, ostentation and vanity, be pure in word, and just in deed. The only way to heaven is to become heavenly. The Lord forgives every soul which comes in sincerity to Him. But if the penitent do not proceed to root out resolutely the evil within, "the last state of that man will be worse than the first."

It is dishonour to our Lord, to think He cannot overcome

in us our evil principles and evil tempers. But the way He overcomes, is by giving us power to overcome. We must have faith in Him. Our Goliath is strong, so long as we fear and are unbelieving. When we are faithful and firm, our foe falls. To him that overcometh, the Lord gives light, love, and peace in ever-increasing fulness.

We should be encouraged by the thought that our conflict with sin is the one grand struggle in which we are certain to conquer, if we are faithful; we cannot fail if we are true. The first thing, the indispensable thing, is, that we enter into a spirit of charity, of good-will to all. Love is life. We must pray, and press, and importune the Lord, until we receive from Him the life of heavenly love, and make it our own,—dwell in it, reign in it, until it becomes our abiding nature, our new heart. This is to reign in Hebron seven years. Divine Truth will then open to us the perception that our intellectual part is not yet in thorough harmony with heaven. We imagine that in many things we must think as the world thinks, and carry out the world's maxims. And many a blind fancy, and many a lame proceeding, are tolerated in our Jebus; for these we can conquer if we try. Our thoughts are views of all the relations of life: the whole man ought to belong to the Lord Jesus, and to carry out His laws. "The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever." When we set ourselves to achieve this victory, we shall be successful. Jebus will be turned into Jerusalem. The hollow maxims of worldliness, blind and lame as they are in a thousand ways, will be exchanged for the principles of true religion and of solid peace. The mind as well as the heart will fully accord with the Divine Wisdom.

Then Solomon will begin to sit on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom will be established greatly. In other words, the rule of the Lord Jesus will not now be the struggle against opposing evils and errors, but the development and establishment of goodness and truth. The new heart will abound in heavenly feelings, states, and impulses. We shall often glow with desires to do something more for the Lord, something better. We shall find grand openings of heavenly wisdom expanding themselves before us. "Our righteousness will become like a river, and our peace like the waves of the sea." The Prince of Peace will rule over us; and of His government and peace there shall be no end.

SERMON XXVIII.

SOLOMON'S PRAYER.

"And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or to come in.

"And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

'Give, therefore, thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"— 1 KINGS iii. 7-9.

HUMILITY is the true basis of every blessing. We are as nothing before the grandeur and perfection of the Lord, and ought ever to feel as expressed by Solomon, that we are but as little children, and of ourselves know neither how to go out nor to come in. Hence the importance of praying to the Lord to give us His wisdom to guide us, that we may be able to discern between good and evil. Who of himself can judge wisely in all the devious ways of practical and intellectual life? Yet it is of the utmost importance that we exercise judgment. Liberty and rationality are the truly human attributes which distinguish men from inferior beings, and form the image of God in us. By exercising these wisely, we become truly human. By exercising these wisely, we perform faithfully the part assigned to us in the household of our Heavenly Father; and our part, however small, if done well, will affect the whole for good. Considerations like these opened themselves manifestly to the mind of Solomon, when he succeeded to the kingdom of Israel and the throne of his father. He felt his important position in the midst of a people formed into a nation, with interests varied, complicated, and numerous; weighty for good if rightly directed, powerful for mischief if deficient in true wisdom. He prayed, therefore, for this all-important guidance. "Give, therefore, Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad." We are not all placed by Divine Providence in positions so illustrious as that of Solomon, but the essential relations of life are nearly