these, in chaps. ix. and x., we have an account of perfection of the Lamb on the altar. I r Do you ever make "these last days" a subject thought? Why is the Spirit entitled to call the through which we are passing the "last days?" " shall have other days after these. Why, then, des call them the last days? Beautifully so-because s rests in what the Lord Jesus has accomplished, as roughly as He rested, at the close of creation, in perfection of His own work. It is not that, in 2 unfolding of the economy of God, we shall not b other ages; yet, in the face of that, the Spirit does hesitate to call these the "last days." In all the has done he has satisfied God. He perfects every He touches, and makes it eternal, and God does not beyond it. Everything is set aside till Christ is br in-but there is no looking beyond Him." Jesus C the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Now. moment I get God resting in anything, I get t fection; and the moment I get perfection, I am last days. God has reached satisfaction, and so I. Christ may be unfolded in millennial days; b is the very same Christ that we have now. S I get Moses then, or Joshua? They are all (trested : the light of Christ) "beggarly elements." All place, one after another; but Christ being introduces | the thoughts of God, God rests in Him; and when v come to see where you are, you are in God's sect sabbath-and see how one thing exceeds the The rest of the Redeemer is a much more blessed than the rest of the Creator. In Christ In Christ you have perfection-the rest of God-and you are in the "last a Now, when we come to chaps. ix. and x. we see CG. not properly or characteristically in heaven, but on altar. The glories that surround Him now have given to us one after another-the glory of the pos hood-the glory of the Purger of our sins-the destinated Heir of the World to come-the Aposti Salvation-the Dispenser of the Covenant that e gathers age to itself-the Giver of the eternal in ance-these are the glories of "these last days H chap. ix. ver. 10, we see the cross that sustains them all. How blessed it is to track from Matthew to John, a path of moral beauty. Was the Lord Jesus in office here? No; He was here in subjection. When I have looked at Him thus, I am invited to look upwards. Is it One travelling in moral beauty I see there? No; not that specially; but it is One who has been seated at the right hand of the Majesty with an oath, in the very midst of glorious beauties-One whom the satisfied, unrepenting heart of God has seated there. It was the testing purpose of God that seated Adam in Eden. It is the unrepenting heart of God that has seated Christ in heaven. And now we come to read the perfection of His work as Lamb of God-as the grand foundation of all these glories. He would not have perfected His moral glories here if He had not gone on to the cross and died there. He would not have had His official glories in heaven if He had not gone on to the cross and died there. When the Lord Jesus was hanging as the Lamb of God on the accursed tree, and over His bleeding brows was written the inscription in every language, "This is the King of the Jews," they sought to blot it out-but God would not have it blotted out. He would have the whole creation know that the cross was the title to the kingdom. The inscription that Pilate wrote on the cross, and God kept there, is very fine. Supposing the cross sustains the glory, according to the inscription, now tell me what sustains the cross itself. Is the cross without a foundation? The secret comes out in these chapters. As the cross sustains your hopes, it is the person that sustains the cross. His personal glory is the sustainment of the cross. If He was less than God manifest in the flesh, all He did was no more worth than water spilt upon the ground. Of all the mighty mystery of official, millennial, eternal glories, the cross is the support, and the person is the support of the cross. He must sustain His own work, and His work must sustain everything. This is just the argument of these chapters. There was a vail hanging between the place where the priests ministered, and the mystic dwellingplace of God. That vail was the expression, that that age gave a sinner no access to God. Were then Supposing we inspect the Old Tabernacle, and see beggarliness of all its elements-that the blood of .. could not bring you into the presence of God; and the beggarliness of all that, look at the satisfyingnes the blood of Jesus, will you not exclaim, "How more shall it purge our consciences!"? That is the you are to come to the cross-laying doubting questionings aside, and losing yourself in admita The thing the Spirit does is to take you gently by hand, and lead you up to the altar at Calvary, and you who is the victim that is bleeding there. Note one who was personally free, could say, "I come: Thy will." Have you any right to a will? Has G or Michael? To do God's pleasure is their busin but here was One who could offer Himself withou to God. "How much more," then, shall such a s purge our consciences, and introduce us at once : living God? That entitled me to say, that wh look at His glories, His official glories, we see th cross is the sustainment of them all. But if the does not know the personal glory of the Lord, it tively knows nothing. That is the secret you get He, for whom God prepared a body, through the E Spirit, satisfied the altar. Yes, satisfied the brazeni before He went into the holy sanctuary, to do the ness of God's Priest. And atonement flows from faction. If I find out that Christ's sacrifice has ans the cravings of the brazen altar, I see that my re ciliation is sealed and settled for eternity. The to the Ephesians tells you to stand upon this, and t you at the glories of your condition. The e Hebrews shows you the glories of Christ's the compass of about 300 verses. What a nders is opened! You sustained by what He and what He has done sustained by what 19-39.-We are coming now to another rt of the epistle, and, as we hinted, to a new t. We will read from ver. 19 to the close of ou may have observed the general structure es. Take the Ephesians, for instance. In e chapters we get doctrinal truth, and in the moral application of it. So, in Colossians, omans, etc. Now, in Hebrews, it is the e are just entering now on the practical aphat has gone before. full glories of the Lamb adorn the heavenly beautiful hymn of Dr. Watts says. Congh this epistle we have been looking up and But, let me ask, do you see glories anywhere days," that are not attaching to the Lord You will tell me that all glory belongs to rant it; but I tell you you ought to see ing to yourselves. Such is the wondrous od, that He has made the poor sinner a ure. These same last days that have set , in the midst of glories, have set the poor er down here in the midst of glories. I and I be girt up to an apprehension of o not wait for the kingdom to see glories. for you to have a purged conscience? Is be fully entitled to be in the presence of a blush? No glory to call God father? to your forerunner in heavenly places? to holiest without a quiver of conscience? no troduced into the secrets of God? If we r heart and say, "Abba, Father,"-if we heart, and say," Who shall condemn?" or parate us from the love of Christ ?"-if we at we are bone of His bone, and flesh of we are part of Christ's fulness, will any 14 one say there is no glory in all that? So that E epistle introduces us to most precious thoughts. Is me to look up and see Christ adorning the throne, look down and see the poor sinner shining on the stool. The world sees nothing of these glories. We apprehend them in the glass of the Word by faith; b do say boldly, that I do not wait for the kinci= to know what glory is. I look up and see the L in acquired glories. I look down and see the sain a gifted glories. Now the moral application bea "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter inte a holiest by the blood of Jesus." There I look at mye and will any one say there is not glory in such a t dition? That is my title. Now the exhortatiz that you are to enjoy your title. To enjoy is to The first duty you owe to God is to enjoy what He = made you, and what He has given you."Let us near." Use your privilege as we say. It is the first duty of faith, and I am bold to say it is the most ac able duty of faith. How narrow we are to enjor glories. Do you ever look at yourself in the glass Word? We are very much accustomed to look selves in the glass of circumstances-in the glass of tionships. If we say, in the secret of our hearts, exultation of spirit, "I am a child of God;" if with ation of spirit we say, "I am a co-heir with Christ." is the way to begin obedience. Here it is exactly to "Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assura faith." We should look on ourselves as the pries of God. The priests of old were washed whet were put into office. Then every day their feet washed, before they entered the tabernacle to serv Lord. The pavement of God's own presence stained by the foot of the priest. He went in. character worthy of the place. Are you occupy a presence of God all the day long, in the consci. that you are worthy of the place? How will yo presented before Him by-and-bye? Jude tells y Faultless before the presence of His glory with ing joy." You ought to know that you are in presence now, faultless or without spot. We canast |