Genesis to Deuteronomy, record the Creation and Fall, the promise of a Saviour, the choice of one nation to whom that promise should especially come, at first but one of slaves to a foreign power, but, on the death of their great historian, on the eve of entering the promised land, in great wealth and might, and possessing a Divine constitution. Following these are the Books chronicling the nation's history from their entrance into Canaan to the captivity on the fall of the Jewish power by the Babylonian conquest. Then commences what may be termed the Prophetic Dispensation, when the law had clearly failed to accomplish its purpose,not from any fault in itself, but the utter inability of human nature to fulfil any righteousness,—and was in a manner superseded by the teachings— usually ignored-of those inspired men whom at a certain period of the nation's history it was never left without.

First we read of the promise of a Saviour, which later is followed by the establishment of a religious system typifying His office and work; this in turn is superseded by a series of prophecies relating with a certain distinctness and fulness to His appearing, and His kingdom and reign.

This was

First, the promise of a Redeemer. given immediately on the Fall: man once fallen could never raise himself by his own efforts to his first estate. His sin and its consequences were irrevocable, not for himself alone, but also for every

descendant of his who should be born into that world henceforth cursed for his sake, till He came who, being Divine as well as human, was able to raise humanity even higher than its original state, even into the highest heavens, to His Father's throne. "Thorns and thistles" should the ground bring forth till He bear away the curse, when, in token of so doing, He "came forth wearing the crown of thorns," being led out to suffer for the sins of the world.

Nothing is revealed of the nature of the coming Redeemer, however, as yet, save that He was "the seed of the woman who should overcome Satan's power. Woman was first in the transgression; through her would come deliverance.

Farther on we find the promise to Abraham that through his descendants that seed was coming in whom (the curse by Him removed) all families of the earth are blessed. In his grandson Jacob's dying prophecy it is declared that "Shiloh," or "the Prince" unto whom the people would gather, was to spring from the tribe of Judah; and Moses just before his death foretold a Prophet like himself, as Lawgiver and Interpreter of God's commands, whom the Lord should raise up, to be heard and obeyed in all things. Thus the promises made to the fathers of the Jewish Church clearly referred to One, man, yet more than man, whose office was to mediate between offender and offended, and in virtue of whose mediatorial work human nature was

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to be raised to a higher and better state than its original.

Let us turn to the New Testament, and see if we there find anything which corresponds with these promises and prophecies.

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." He was pre-eminently "the seed of the woman," not "born of the will of man." Both St. Matthew and St. Luke give the lineage of Christ through Joseph, which may at first appear contradictory of the above-mentioned fact, but, like other apparent discrepancies of Holy Writ, this contradiction is explained when we remember the Jewish laws and customs. "It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah," which was Joseph's tribe, while Mary was of Levi, being a cousin of Elizabeth, who was "of the daughters of Aaron." The Jewish law was that on a woman marrying out of her own tribe, she was henceforth no more to belong to it, but was legally a member of that of her husband. Mary "was espoused to Joseph," therefore was one of the tribe of Judah.

He was the Leader and Lawgiver of His people, declaring the righteousness of God, and giving one new commandment," which comprehended in its length and breadth all the aspects and phases of the complicated Mosaic law, and extended to all people who are His disciples, whereas the law was

binding on those alone who were comprised in the twelve tribes and dwelt in the narrow limits of Canaan. The spirit of it was new, the letter was from the beginning. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another." "I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye had from the beginning." "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."

The religious system of Judaism typified Christ as the Redeemer. The Feast of the Passover, the first ordinance given the Jews on the very night of the exodus from the land of bondage, commemorated, in the slaying and eating the Paschal lamb retrospectively, that mighty deliverance, and prospectively the yet greater redemption hereafter to be wrought by the Lamb of God, who on the celebration of this festival was offered for the deliverance of the whole world from the slavery of Satan and sin. At that Passover it was the custom for the master of the house, or whoever presided at the table, on giving each his portion, to repeat the words, "This is the Passover lamb; eat ye all of it." It was not the actual lamb that on the night of the flight from Egypt had been slain, and whose blood was their salvation from the angel of death; yet received in faith with thanksgiving for that redeeming love which preserved them, they could feed on that salvation with a saving faith. "The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was

betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He brake it and said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you. This do in remem

brance of me."

It was also customary for a cup of wine and water to be passed three times round the table, each taking a sip; on the third round, the supper was ended. “Likewise after supper He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me.”

The Tabernacle and Temple sacrifices had each its particular meaning in reference to some one aspect of their great Antitype. We can notice but a few. The daily sacrifice of the burnt-offering, which morning and evening was offered in the Temple court, typified the sacrifice of Him who "suffered without the gate." The time of morning sacrifice was the sixth hour, that of the evening the ninth. "And it was the sixth hour, and they crucified Him." "And there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened, and the veil of the Temple was rent in the midst; and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; and having said thus, He gave up the ghost."

The ordinance of the scapegoat was another aspect of Christ, as bearing away the sins of His