THE NEW COVENANT.

BEHOLD, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah : not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. xxxi. 27, 28, 31-34.)

"I LOOKED," said John, "and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,

Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone." (Rev. iv. 1—3.)

That glorious "One," who sitteth upon the throne, is the "Lord God Almighty which was, and is, and is to come." His likeness unto a jasper and a sardine stone may intimate his oneness with that "living stone," that is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem. For the light of this holy city is like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (See Rev. xxi. 11—23.)

Like unto jasper, and in the midst of cherubic forms, the "Shepherd of Israel" shines forth, in answer to the prayer: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

"Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." (Ps. lxxx. 1-3, 17-19.)

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"And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald." (Rev. iv. 3.) Set in the cloud, the bow is a token that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth; but placed round about the throne, it may symbolize that new covenant which the Lord has promised to make with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; and the fertile radiance of the emerald bow-the living green that distinguishes the peaceful sign-may symbolize the planting that will prepare Israel's land for the reception of its covenanted heirs. The rainbow round about the throne may therefore invite the attention of those, to whom the Lord saith:-"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

66 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isa. liv. 7-10.)

"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats and upon the seats four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne

proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within." (Rev. iv. 4-8.)

By their "

new song" it is shown that the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts, represent the redeemed of the Lord out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; that they are made by the Lamb kings and priests unto God, and that they will reign on the earth. (See Rev. v. 9.) By their name, the "elders " are associated with that innumerable company who "died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly : wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:

for he hath prepared for them a city." (See Heb. xi. ; John xiv. 1-3: and Rev. xxi.)

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The seven lamps burning before the throne, agree with "the seven eyes of the Lamb" that are "sent forth into all the earth;" for the latter, as well as the former, are the seven Spirits of God." (See Rev. v. 6.) Therefore the burning lamps before the throne, and the symbolical eyes sent forth into all the earth show, that the vision of which they form a part, harmonizes with the glorious ministration of the Holy Spirit. "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

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Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: but their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of