The Lord has also given us much teaching in the service of him who gathers up the ashes: "And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel, for a water of separation; it is a purification for sin." It was a clean man that should gather up the ashes of the heifer, and it was in a clean place they were to be kept. All is clean that has its aspect as a type toward Him who suffered for us. When Christ is foreshown to us as coming to suffer, that which is the type of Him is "without blemish and without spot." When Christ is foreshown as judged in our stead, of which the ashes are the type, it is a clean person that must gather them, and it is in a clean place they must be kept. When it was commanded that the ashes should thus be gathered up and should thus be kept, God has shown us in this what an estimate He had of the precious value thus laid up for us through the sufferings of Christ.

We also learn the mind of God about us, as connected with the place where the ashes were kept. On the day of atonement, the blood was brought into the most holy place, but in this other ordinance the ashes were laid up without the camp; for in the one was shown out our perfect cleansing before God in Christ, who has entered into the holiest, having offered one sacrifice for sins; in the other was shown out the provision for our cleansing in the world as often as uncleanness is contracted. It is important that uncleanness, as regards the objects for which this provision is made, should never be forgotten, while the perfection of cleanness itself marks all that is treasured up for us in Christ. In reference to these objects, the Lord further commanded thus: "And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever."

In the grace of God, the stranger is here associated with the children of Israel. The richest of Israel's blessings in redemption were enjoyed by the stranger, in common with them. The stranger might keep the passover to the Lord, if he were circumcised, and be as one born in the land. When an offering was made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord, then the stranger had all liberty in thus approaching the Lord. "If a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord, as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you" (Num. xv. 14—16). God will receive any who come to Him through Christ, but He will receive none in any other way.

"DOST THOU BELIEVE ON THE SON OF GOD?” JOHN ix. 35.

BELIEVER in Christ is a Christian. A Christian is one whose trespasses are all forgiven (Col. ii. 13). If any one, calling himself a Christian, denies this, with false humility thrusts it from him, and refuses to own that his sins are forgiven, he thereby renounces the character of a Christian as it is drawn in the Scriptures of truth. By Christ, all who believe ARE justified (Acts xiii. 38, 39). Christians are exhorted to forgive one another because God for Christ's sake hath forgiven them (Eph. iv. 32). They are bidden not to grieve the Holy Spirit, not, however, for

THE KING'S HIGHWAY,
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fear He should forsake them for ever, but because He hath sealed them unto the day of redemption (Eph. iv. 30).

"He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John iii. 18). "He that believeth not God, hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John v. 10-13). It is not presumption, then, for one who knows and feels what sin is, and what it has done for him, and who also believes the record of God, to say that he knows that he has eternal life, for God says so! God's word, and not what we feel, or experience, or do, is the warrant for believing, and, in believing, the truth which we do believe is demonstrated in the conscience to be truth, and we set to, we affix, our seal, that God is true (John iii. 33); and the consequence is, that, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. v. 1). The presumptuous person is he who, when he knows what God has said, does not believe Him!

"Dost thou believe on the Son of God?"

C. P.

JOB, A TYPE OF CHRIST.

HE history of Job is a type of the Saviour, as well in his sufferings as in the glory which followed. What is specially worthy of our attention is the burning desire felt by Satan for the ruin of the "much

June 1, 1862.

persecuted" (the meaning of the name Job), against whom he stirs up enemies from all sides.

If Job's imperfect and needy righteousness was an object of such hatred to Satan, how must he be enraged against Him who is the absolutely righteous One. Immediately after entering on his vocation, the Redeemer was tempted forty days by the devil, and when the devil had ended all his temptations, he departed from Him "for Satan is always in the background of Christ's sufferings. When the time drew nigh that He should be delivered into the hands of sinners, He exclaimed, "The prince of this world cometh." But as Satan was put to shame by the typical Job, so did his attack on the Antitype end in his utter overthrow.-Hengstenberg.

a season.

FAITH AND ASSURANCE.

O speak a little to the point of assurance as attainable by the Christian in this life. We admit that faith may be where assurance is not. If I have really taken God at his word and embraced the mercy proposed to me in his Son, it is thereby mine; and, further, a conviction that I have, so done is necessary to beget in me a comfortable persuasion that it is mine. Such a persuasion there cannot be without a consciousness by the soul, of its own act of believing. Now it must be quite clear that the faith itself by which I am saved, and the perception by my own mind of the existence of that faith, are distinct acts; and to confound the two is highly injurious; for it makes salvation to depend not upon the soul's believing in Christ, but upon believing something about itself, namely, that it does so believe.-Goode on the Better Covenant.;

NOTES IN EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL BY

JOHN.-VII.

BY THE REV. JOHN EDMOND, D.D.

"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him."John ii. 1-11.

HE occurrence narrated in the foregoing paragraph, memorable in itself, is rendered additionally interesting by the fact noted in the eleventh verse, that it was the first of our Lord's miracles. The evangelist calls our attention to this circumstance, not simply, as we judge, for the sake of marking the priority of date. The first wonderful work is, as the first, representative and significant. It speaks for all the rest that are to follow. The beginning of a magnificent series, it reveals at once the character of the whole. In this aspect, it may be instructively compared with the first of those awful wonders. that opened a way for Israel's out-going from Egyptian bondage. Then judgment smote-now mercy speaks.. There water ran blood-here water flows wine. The key-note of the melody of our Lord's beneficent and blessed