CHAPTER XXVII.

THE PERFECTION OF THE GOSPEL, AND THE RENDING OF THE VAIL.

THE triumph of Christ on the cross as God-man over sin and the sinner, is gloriously exhibited in the rending of the vail of the temple from the top to the bottom-" And behold the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom." It began at the top, which was out of the reach of man. It was to teach us that salvation of sinners by Christ was by Him alone; the creature had no hand in it. He alone trod the winepress, and his own arm brought salvation. He, and He only, is the Saviour of sinners -"Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved." Salvation is the gift of God; it cannot be merited by our works. This salvation is brought to a soul when dead in trespasses and in sin; and a sinner dead in sin cannot quicken himself, that is, he cannot impart spiritual life in his own soul. Repentance and briny tears are not available before God, except they flow from a spiritual life; and this is the gift of God-" And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." And this is an act of the mercy and love of God; and it doth not depend upon the freewill of man, that "God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved. For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Salvation is a covenant blessing, freely given unto us. The covenant itself is a gift -"I will give thee my covenant." Christ is a gift-“ Behold I have given Him for a witness to the people ;" and all the blessings stored up in Him are a gift. What a mercy it is that they are all freely given unto us; fallen creatures could merit none all is given. The Father gave himself, and He gave Christ" For God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son." Christ gave himself" Who loved me, and gave himself for me." Love, peace, eternal life, the Spirit of God, a new heart, faith, and repentance, and all things beside are freely given. Isa. xlii. 6; lv. 4; John iii. 16; Gal. ii. 20; Cant. vii. 12; John xiv. 27; x. 28;

Luke xi. 13; Ezek. xxxvi. 26; Phil. i. 29; Acts xi. 18; 2 Tim. i. 16; Rom. viii. 32; Psa. lxxxiv. 11; 2 Pet. i. 4.

There are two reasons why these inestimable blessings are freely given to us:

1st. The fall has stripped us of all good. Through it we became poor, blind, naked, wretched, and miserable; not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves. "What hast thou that thou hast not received?" In our first creation God made us beautiful vessels, pure and clean, capable of containing all good, knowledge, holiness, and righteousness; in these things consist the divine image of God. But these vessels were made of brittlely stuff, liable to crack; that is, mutable. A creature cannot be immutable -God alone is immutable. God had bestowed to man largely and bountifully, as it becometh the giver. The giver was the great God, and He gave a large stock to Adam, to help himself. He deprived him of nothing except one tree, which was the tree of knowledge; and the reason this tree was prohibited, was to teach him obedience to his Creator. But Satan, through his infernal suggestion, cracked this beautiful vessel, and so all its contents ran out, and left him empty. Thus man became poor and miserable; besides this, he incurred the wrath of God, and became a great debtor to Him. I mean, a debtor of obedience to the holy law of God, and if the debt is not paid, he must suffer the penalty which the Lawgiver denounced against disobedience" For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." This debt must be paid to the utmost farthing-" Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." This is the reason that God was pleased to give us all things freely. We, like the prodigal, have spent all, and our heavenly Father gives all.

2nd. That God might be glorified in all his gifts, and that the receiver should proclaim his glory. Here are blessed encouragements for poor sinners to go to Him. No room for despair, but a good foundation for hope. When we survey our hearts and conditions, we find a world of wants; but when we survey the grace of God in giving all things freely, we find a heaven of supplies. I know there are many gracious souls that are full of fears, disputing every step they take, and reasoning with themselves how they can obtain these blessings. We have nothing, and can bring nothing; the well is deep, and we have nothing to draw with. It is true, poor sinner, but remember God has promised to give all thingsask, and it shall be given. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him

ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." Let us be content to be receivers. There are four things which will qualify us to be receivers. 1st. Poverty of spirit. The poor man useth entreaties—a poor man is a suppliant. It was poor Lazarus who laid at the rich man's door. Except we are made truly sensible of our spiritual wants and miseries, stripped of our righteousness, forced from all our refuges, hunted from all shelters; exposed to the wrath of God, to the curses of a fiery law, feeling our own frailty, the shortness of life, and a solemn eternity before us-not till then will we go to knock at mercy's door, crying, O Lord, be merciful to me a sinner; pardon my sins, for they are great. Give me thy dear and only-begotten Son, who is the altogether lovely, and precious to my soul.

2nd. Humility of soul. A proud man scorns to beg, and scorns to receive. He will not be beholden to any one. It is the humble man who will acknowledge a gift, who will beg for mercy, and will be glad in receiving. God will not despise the humble. He giveth grace to the lowly, and the humble are thankful to receive grace from God.

3rd. A praying soul is glad to receive the least mercy from God. He feels that he is but dust and ashes, and unworthy of any of God's mercies. God has undertaken to give all things to his people, then He will find all good for us. He himself has found a ransom, provided a sacrifice, and accepted it for us. All the gifts of God are his own. Men oftentimes give that which is not their own; but not so with God. All his gifts are his own; all come from himself. He is an infinite, gracious, and glorious Being. He is all-sufficient; He has heaven and earth in his possession. good is at his disposal. He is infinite in mercy, grace, and glory. These things He only gives to those whom He loves, and to his friends.

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4th. Faith is a receiving grace. Faith beholds such beauty in Christ, that after it hath gazed on Him, it moves towards Him, lays hold of Him, wrestles for a blessing; and when given, it thankfully receives.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

WE will now consider the rending of the vail. 1st. The time when it was rent; and, 2nd. The rending of it.

1st. The time. It was after Christ had accomplished all things; perfected or consummated. "After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished" (John xix. 28). He said, "It is finished (completed, or perfected), and He bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. After this the vail of the temple was rent in twain" (Matt. xxvii. 21). Before the coming of Christ nothing was perfect.

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The shadows and types under the levitical dispensation, could not make perfect the comers. If, therefore, perfection were by the levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God.” But when Christ came He perfected the worship of God in the gospel dispensation. Christ is the sole precursor of this state. He is called the Consummator, the Perfector, the Finisher of our faith, as having brought us into a state of perfection; not perfection in the flesh, but in the worship of God. Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." His sitting down is a full evidence that He has perfected the work, and is resting from it, as his Father did when He finished the work of creation.

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This perfection of the church God designed from the beginning. He entered upon its erection in the first promise, the seed of the woman, which is his incarnation, born of a virgin, it shall bruise thy head. The bruising of the serpent's head denotes the perfection of Christ's work. The church of the Old Testament is said to be weak and imperfect, like that of a child under tutors and governors But is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world" (Gal. iv. 1, 2). Hence also it had a yoke imposed on it, causing fear and bondage —“God having ordained better things for us, (or the church under

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the New Testament) that they without us should not be made perfect." And this state of the church is expressed by this word perfect in other places, as we shall see the foundation was laid in that word of our Saviour's, wherewith He gave up the ghost" It is finished," or completed; viz., all things belonging to that great sacrifice whereby the church was to be perfected: for Christ had respect unto all that the prophets had foretold, and all that He was to do in this world, that is, to consummate the church, when by one offering He for ever perfected them that are sanctified. The saints under the gospel are called perfect, because they are instructed in the mysteries of the gospel" Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect." And they are so called in Heb. v. 14— "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age," or perfect. Also Christ's prayer for it—" I in them, and thou in me, that they should be made perfect in one." So when the word is applied by the Spirit of God to the soul, it brings them to the church "in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

Let us inquire what this perfection is. There are two things1st. Things that appertain to the soul. 2nd. To the worship of God.

1st. The internal things, and they are seven-1st. Righteousness. 2nd. Peace. 3rd. Light or knowledge. 4th. Liberty. 5th. A clear prospect into a future state of blessedness. 6th. Joy. 7th. Confidence.

1st. Righteousness. The cause of all imperfection in the church was sin; this made the law weak-" For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. viii. 3); and sinners to be without strength-" For when we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. v. 6). Therefore the bringing in of perfection must be by righteousness. This was the promise of gospel times, and it was brought in by Christ alone-" Thy people shall be all righteous." "In his days shall the righteous flourish." "Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." And for this reason Christ is called the Lord our Righteousness. A righteousness of our own we had none; wherefore Jehovah became our righteousness, that we might say, in Him have we righteousness and strength, and that in Him all the seed of Israel might be justified and glory

"For by Him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses;" so He is