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RIGHTEOUSNESS AND STRENGTH.

of the profane, but conscious that he possesses righteousness and strength-that he is under the covering of blood, he smiles at the sting of death, and defies its venom. He avows humbly and confidently what are his possessions and his hopes; he avows it because Christ requires it, and his cause needs it; he avows it when souls may be benefited; and he avows it when the enemies of religion require to be opposed and silenced.

JANUARY 12.

Precious Blood.

"The precious blood of Christ."-1 Peter, i. 19.

THE blood of Christ was precious, inasmuch as it was prefigured for ages. Abel, the first martyr, looked through the blood of the firstling of his flock to this precious blood, and was accepted of God. The blood of the paschal lamb, sprinkled on the lintels and doorposts of the Israelites in Egypt, pointed to the same object, and was a covering of safety amid danger and death. And the numerous sacrifices offered on Jewish altars for thousands of years were meaningless and worthless, except in so far as they typified this precious blood, and shadowed what was to come. the shadow was so costly, what must be the worth of the substance! If the sacrifices under the law could not make the comers thereunto perfect, surely there can be no deficiency now!

If

It was precious because of the Person who shed it. The Saviour shed his blood as man, but his Divinity was united to his humanity, so that it may well be called the blood of God. The man, God's fellow, was smitten. The Lord of glory was crucified. Hence, in its rarity and

intrinsic worth, this blood could not be estimated by an archangel; and not till the finite can comprehend the infinite shall we be able to solve the problem of its worth. "Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."

It is precious because it is a propitiation for sin. The soul is more valuable than the sun or the world, yet this blood procured its redemption. It gave complete satisfaction to the justice of God for our sins. It filled the fountain of life, and that fountain is not only open to the perishing, but flowing freely, while its virtue is as great at this moment as when Jesus died. Neither ages nor numbers can exhaust it. O my soul! wash away thy plaguespots of sin in this precious blood, and make it thy covering in the day of wrath!

It is precious because it is the price of saving blessings. Free pardon, abundant peace, blessed hope, and eternal life flow from this exhaustless fountain, and, like refreshing streams, purify and revive the souls of men. All our spiritual blessings were bought by blood, and, once bought, they are offered freely to all, and secured to every believer. What tears of repentance, rivers of oil, the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the gold of Ophir could not do, this blood hath done!

It is precious because it has the greatest prominence in the praises of heaven. The overwhelming multitude there, while they were on earth, washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and now they sing the new song, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."

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BELIEVERS JUSTIFIED.

JANUARY 13.

Beliebers Justified.

"In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” -Isa. xlv. 25.

HERE we have justification-its nature, its source, its subjects, and its effects.

Justification-its nature.-Justification is strictly opposed to condemnation, and while it does not make righteous, it accounts the believer righteous before God. The justified man is pardoned. All his sins past, present, and future are so pardoned that he cannot be condemned, pardoned freely and irrevocably. "Even as David also described the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." The justified man is accepted with God. He is not only pardoned, but restored to the honour and privilege of citizenship. He is accepted as righteous for Christ's sake. O my soul! thus pardoned and accepted, thou mayest exult in the prospect of heaven's joys, and with rapturous delight contemplate the place where Jesus reigns.

Justification-its source.-"In the Lord." It is only through Jehovah Jesus we can be justified. He devised the plan. He revealed it. He wrought out the righteousness that effects it. God justifies only for Christ's sake. We cannot experience its blessedness unless we are united to him. Happy we cannot be, until we are united to his person-interested in his work-and sharers of his bless

ings.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." We must be in him, as Noah was in the ark, as the branch is in the tree, and as the stone is in the building.

Justification-its subjects.-"All the seed of Israel." This phrase is to be taken, not literally, but spiritually,

BELIEVERS JUSTIFIED.

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"the

inasmuch as it refers to spiritual blessings only. All those, and those only, who have like faith with Israel, are seed of Israel." He was strong in faith, and glorified God; so must we, if we would be his seed. He was a man of prayer, and wrestled and prevailed; so must we, if we would be like him. Every believer shall thus certainly be justified, accepted, and saved. It is not possible for him to perish, as it is not possible for Christ to lie. O my soul! art thou justified by faith, and by faith only, and that faith firmly fixed on the blood-bought righteousness of Jesus Christ? What a sure foundation! What a river-flowing peace! What a bright and blessed hope!

Justification-its effects." And shall glory." Justification is no sooner experienced than the believer praises God for it, and rejoices only in the Lord. Believers do not glory in themselves, or because they are better than others; but they glory only in the Lord, and because God has made them what they are. The rich man may glory in his wealth, the strong man may glory in his might, the wise man may glory in his wisdom, but the Christian glories only in Christ. His beauty, like the light of the moon, is borrowed, and reflects nothing more than the light of the Sun of Righteousness, who has arisen with healing under his wings.

JANUARY 14.

The Throne of Grace.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."-Heb. iv. 16.

HERE we have a throne of grace erected-our duty to come to it and the reasons why we should come.

The throne of grace erected.-Jehovah has three thrones

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THE THRONE OF GRACE.

a throne of grace, a throne of judgment, and a throne of glory. If, my soul, thou art neglecting to come to a throne of grace, how canst thou stand before a throne of judgment, and how far must thou be for ever from a throne of glory! The Lord Jesus hath made "reconciliation for the sins of the people;" hence, God has erected a throne of grace. The thrones of earthly potentates are accessible only to a favoured few; but from this throne no one is excluded, unless he exclude himself. All may come, and ought to come without hesitation and without delay, and shall not I?

Our duty to come to it.- -"Let us come boldly." How shall I come? I shall come by faith, for Jehovah is able and willing to help me. Shall I credit the word of man,

and shall I not credit God's word? Shall I believe the witness of men, and shall I not believe the witness of God

which is greater than men? I shall come by prayer. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Thus importunate Jacob camee-thus wicked Manasseh came—thus the penitent publican came-thus the dying thief came-and thus all may come who are tempest-tossed on the sea of life. Surely this throne shall be my refuge and my hope. I shall come boldly. Father is the hearer of prayer, and is give good gifts to them that ask him. freedom, and earnest confidence, let my breathings ascend to heaven; then dewdrops of grace will fall upon me, and the bright radiance of heaven will illumine my soul.

My

ready to hear, and With humility and

Why should I come ?-"That I may obtain mercy." Surely, this is what I greatly need, and shall I not earnestly desire it? Saul the persecutor obtained it, and why may not I? O God, be merciful to me. Give me mercy or I die. "And find grace to help." God giveth grace to the humble-grace to strengthen me in weakness -grace to cheer me in sorrow-grace to help me in