"that hath breath in heaven and earth were employed to "write within and without, the majefty of thy perfon, the "glories of thy name, the riches of thy grace, the furpaffing "Tweetness of thy prefence, alas! time and eternity would "fail them to tell what thou art in thyfelf, and what thou art ❝ to my foul, as the fum of all my joy, and fountain of felicity.” Second, The Urim and Thummim fignified lights and perfections, which fhould teach us (as they have their accomplishment in CHRIST) where to go for an understanding in the word of God, and for a perfection of juftifying, fanctifying, and glorifying grace. To the natural man the word of GOD appears as a dark faying, a riddle and a parable; and even to the fpiritually enlightened, there are many things hard to be understood; where then fhall we go for understanding, but unto him who is the light of life, Luke xxiv. 45. Then opened be their understanding, that they might understand the feriptures. It is he irradiates our minds in the knowledge of divine and fpiritual things, for he is the light of life, and in his light we fee light, even the light of our confummate juftification by his righteousness, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righ teoufnefs. Likewife in his light we fee the perfections of our fanctification in him: The holiness of his human nature is the fountain of it, his death is the channel of conveyance, and his Spirit it is that applies it; we are thereby changed from glory to glory, by the fpirit of the LORD; for we are holy in his holinefs, as well as righteous in his righteoufnefs before God; his holiness being imparted to us, it is that which adorns and beautifies our fouls to appear before him; it gives us a spiritual meetneefs for heaven and happiness, and makes us all glorious within. So from him we fhall enjoy the perfection of glorifying grace, as he hath laid the foundation of our happiness in his love, opened a way for the communication by his blood, he will take care that the confummation of it be enjoyed from his fulness; it is what he is gone to prepare, and has prayed for the accomplishment of, John xvii. 24. Father, I will, that they alfo whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, to behold my glory. Thus, upon the folid and never-failing foundation of his love, his blood, his preparation, and power, we may, with the greatest certainty, I add, with the greatest joy expect, that when Chrift, who is our life, fhall appear, we shall alfo appear with him in glory, Col. iii. 1, 4. Friendly. Forgive my freedom, I proceed as if I were talking to a brother; what might be the meaning of the bell and the pomegranate upon the hem of the robe, as mentioned in Exod. xxviii. 34, 35. A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it fhall be upon Aaron to minifter; and his found fhall be heard when he geeth into the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that be die not? Truth. I humbly conceive, Friendly, that the robe, the pomegranate and bells, were a lively prefiguration of the riches of grace in CHRIST, as a fhadow of good things to come. Firft, By the robe you are to understand not the Ephod, but a long robe that was worn by the High Prieft under the Ephod; it was a long robe down to the feet, as Jofephus obferves, which was made of blue, as you have in Exod. xxviii. 31, and thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. This robe was typical of our LORD's appearing in his priestly vestments be Q4 In the Hebrew, Megnil; in the Greek, Hupodutes; which signifies an under cloathing. The Jews observe, upon this robe was the ephod and the breastplate, and he girt it with the curious girdle of the ephod, upon the robe under the breast-plate, and therefore it is called the robe of the ephod, because he girt with the ephod. Maimony, chap. x. sect. 3. 1 fore the throne, in which he appeared to John in his vifion in the isle of Patmos, Rev. i. 13. And in the midst of the feven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot. And as the High Prieft under the law always appeared with the facred veftments when he went into the Holy of Holies within the veil, fo notwithstanding CHRIST, as the High-Prieft of our profeffion, hath made a full atonement by his blood, and brought in an everlasting righteoufnefs, yet he will always appear to the faints as a Lamb that had been flain, with his veftments dipt in blood; that the faints may fee with what a precious price they were bought, how they were loved, and what it coft the Son of GOD for their redemption; and this will create a fong for ever new. Second, By the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, we are to understand the fimilitude or likeness of pomegranates: the Greeks tranflate it, as it were pomegranates of the flourishing pomegranate tree. Now pomegranates were a fruit of the land of Canaan, and the juice thereof made a precious wine, in which respect it may be typical of the fruit of everlasting love in the covenant of grace. First, A pomegranate is full of kernels; fo the word of God is full of exceeding great and precious promises; so full that there is not a state that a faint can be in, but what there is a promise suited for that condition; and they are not trifling promises, fuch as men make, from which they often recede, but they are the promises of that GOD who cannot lie. O what a beautiful gradation and advancement are here, of the love of GOD! not only giving us a word of encouragement, but a promife! not only a promife, but a great one! not only a great promife, but an exceeding great one! Then the HOLY GHOST adds the epithet precious! and not a single promise, but promises, 2 Pet. i. 4. whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes. O foul! art thou guilty? here is a promife of pardon from the lips of him that fpake as never man fpake, Ifa. xliii. 25. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for mine own name's fake, and will not remember thy fins. Art thou blind, poor and naked? hear then the words of the faithful witnefs of Heaven, Rev. iii. 18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich; and white raiment that thou mayeft be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee. Art thou the moft unworthy upon the earth, (in thine own eyes) give audience, for JESUS fpeaks to thee, Ifa. Iv. 1, 2, 3. Ho, every one that thirfleth, come ye to the wa ters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Hearken diligently unto me, eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itfelf in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your foul ball live. Art thou in trouble, in the very depths of trouble? Do the waves of forrow break in every moment upon thee? Thy cafe is not alone-God hath not forgotten to be gracious; he hears thy groans, therefore hear thou his endearing voice, Ifa. liv. 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlafting kindness will I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Redeemer, Pfal. 1. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Second, Thefe pomegranates were of purple and scarlet, Exod. xxviii. 36. and the juice that comes from this fruit, when preffed, is obferved to be of a red and fcarlet colour; which makes it a lively adumbration of the blood of the everlasting covenant, which was preffed from the heart of our dear IMMANUEL, when it pleafed the Father to bruise him, and to put him to grief; when he made his foul an offering for fin, John. xix. 34. But one of the foldiers, with a fpear pierced his fide, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And as the juice of the pomegranate made precious wine, Cant. viii. 2. I would cause thee to drink of the spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate; fo the blood of CHRIST is the precious wine of his love, of which the faints drink large draughts of pardon, peace, life and falvation; being encouraged thereunto from his own gracious words, Matt. xxvi. 27. Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Teftament; this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me, for my blood is drink indeed. Third, The fruit of the pomegranate is likewise sweet to the tafte, and may point out thereby, the sweetness of the word of GOD, which the Pfalmift faith, is fweeter than the boney or the honey comb; or the fweet fruit that hangs upon the branches of the tree of life, and which grows in the midst of the Paradife of GoD, and is not only fweet to the tafte, but hath the quality of life in itfelf, and communicateth life to all that feed thereon; infomuch that they who eat thereof fhall live for ever; which made the church fay, Cant. ii. 3. I fat under his fbadow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my tafte. There is more fweetnefs in the enjoyment of the fruit of CHRIST'S incarnation, life, death, refurrection and interceffion, for one moment, than there is in all the delicious entertain ments of the earth for a thousand ages, Fourth, It is obferved that the fruit of the pomegranate tree is not only fweet to the tafte, but is very fragrant and odoriferous to the smell, which typically points forth the fragrancy of CHRIST's death, as it is a fweet smelling favour to God, Eph. v. 2. and spreads sweetness, life and fragrancy in the ministration of the word, and in the adminiftration of his ordinances, which makes the church fay, Cant. i. 3. because of the favour of thy good ointments, thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. CHRIST, by the virtue of his divine nature, fpreads fuch a richness throughout the tranfactions of his love, his life, death and interceffion, that his very garments fmell of myrrh, aloes and caffia. And if here fo fweet, what will the odour and fragrancy of the Rofe of Sharon be, when he shall bloom and bloffom in our minds every moment; when the gales of the HOLY GHOST fhall convey such sweets therefrom, as filleth all Heaven with joy! a tafte of which, in this land of distance from our FATHER's houfe, not only elates the mind, but fills it with a kind of heavenly rapture! it beholds and loves! it loves and adores the Saviour's name, which diffeminates and fpreads fuch life, peace and joy, to the mind, that the believer is ready to fay : Pomegranate fruits, nor choiceft vines, AS JESUS' death, the fruit divine, It fpreads a favour through my foul, It is my life: what fhall I call, |