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What does it mean, Mamma, by his seeing his seed?

Why, my child, the Holy Spirit is his seed. As it was the pleasure of the Lord thus to suffer to satisfy his justice, he would see his seed conquer Satan according to the promise, and thus prolong the days of the redeemed to eternity. Therefore the prophet exultingly concludes:

"He shall see of the travail of his soul,

And shall be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities."

So you see, my love, by the righteousness of the Son of God we are justified: therefere, if we have faith to call upon Him to bear our sins, he will bear them for our justification.

"He poured out his soul unto death.

And he was numbered with the transgressors :
And he bore the sins of many,

And made intercession for the transgressors." Thus, my love, he is our ransom, typified in the ceremonial law, and he is now our intercessor. To him we apply for, and through none else can we obtain forgiveness, and an inheritance of eternal life. So God bless thee, my child: mayest thou be one of the sheep of this gentle Shepherd; may thy dear soul be among the ransomed. Come, my child, to family prayers. It's getting late, Papa, and the

servants, I perceive, are going; but do, my dear Mamma, as we go, sing me that pretty hymn about Emmanuel.

"My song shall bless the Lord of all,
My praise shall climb to his abode.
Thee, Saviour, by that name I call,
The great Supreme, the mighty God.
Without beginning or decline,
Object of faith, and not of sense,
Eternal ages saw him shine,
He shines eternal ages hence.
As much when in the manger laid,
Almighty ruler of the sky,

As when the six days world he made,
Fill'd all the morning stars with joy.
Of all the crowns Jehovah bears,
Salvation is his dearest claim;

That gracious sound well pleased he hears,
And owns Emmanuel for his name.

A cheerful confidence I feel,

My well-placed hopes with joy I see;
My bosom glows with heavenly zeal,
To worship him, who died for me.
As man he pities my complaint,
His power and truth are all divine;
He will not fail, he cannot faint,
Salvation's sure, and must be mine."

Mamma, you must teach me that hymn.

and

I will, my darling, and many more. But come, the next time I will commence with the history of Emmanuel.

S

HISTORY OF EMMANUEL,

OR

JESUS OF NAZARETH.

THERE was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia; and his wife was the daughter of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth: they were both righteous before God.

But, Mamma, you said there was none righteous before God.

I remember, my child; and that I also said, there was none saved by works, but by faith. The righteousness of Zacharias and Elizabeth was the righteousness of God; that is, they had partaken of the Holy Spirit, and it was that which wrought righteousness in them: such are not our works, but the works of the Holy Spirit, by which we are saved. If, therefore, we have the Holy Spirit, we receive faith, which faith worketh in us a love of God, and a ha◄ tred of sin so that what we hate we do not; but that we love we do. The heart of man is the earth,

but faith is the seed, which grows, and bears fruit. Without the seed there will be no fruit; but where there is fruit, it is an evidence to us that we have the seed. Not by our earthly hearts do we bear fruit, but by our spiritualized souls ; for the seed is the Spirit.

I am sorry I interrupted you, Mamma.

I am pleased with you, my love, for such interruptions; for you will not learn unless you enquire into those things which are not immediately clear to you; and by your question, which I have just answered, you will the better comprehend the lives I am now relating. Elizabeth and Zacharias were, therefore, both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless; and they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren; they were likewise well stricken in years. It came to pass, however, that while he executed the priest's office before God, in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

What was that, Mamma?

It was a part of the ceremonial law, my love. You may remember that Aaron was directed to burn sweet incense before the Lord on the altar, night and morning; when he dressed the lamps, he was

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