amongst his saints, their body being the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in them, is as truly unbelief as it would be to deny that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.

May our gracious Lord grant to his children reverently to acknowledge every gift which he has given, and instead of praying for the Spirit as though they had it not, to thank God for the Spirit, and to seek to remove by God's grace whatever hinders His operations in assembled believers!

IOTA.

THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS CONTRASTED.

THERE is no subject on which greater misapprehension prevails in the minds of Christians than on that of the two dispensations, Jewish and Christian; the analogy which subsists between them on the one hand, and their distinctive characteristics on the other; and yet there is perhaps no other subject which has so important a bearing on the present walk of the children of God: and for this reason, probably, it has ever been Satan's first object to confound the distinction between the two, and thus to make the way plain for leading them back into Jewish principles, both as to doctrine and practice.

That there is an analogy between the two dispensations is quite clear; but it is often represented quite contrary to the order of Scripture. The earthly glory of the Jew in Canaan, in the former dispensation, is taken as the type of the state of the church in this; whereas the church is now in the wilderness, and not arrived at the land of promise. Canaan represents the rest which "remaineth for the people of God"—the rest of heaven (Heb. iv. 9); and to look at it as the type of the church of God now in the wilderness is surely sadly to reverse the order of Scripture. We find indeed a very striking analogy or agreement between many of the directions given to the people of God in the New Testament and those given to the Jews, God's former people under the law. An analogy is generally admitted to exist between Israel and the church; yet even here care must be taken not to stretch it so far as to represent the church in a position in which God has not set it. In some things the type wholly fails. We cannot read the fifth of Matthew and not discover at once a manifest difference between the teaching of Moses and that of Christ; and Christians must ever remember that they belong to Christ's, and not to Moses' house. "Moses was verily faithful in all his house as a servant; but Christ as a Son over his own house, whose house are we” (Heb. iii. 5, 6). Unless we keep this in mind, we shall constantly be in danger of walking more like earthly Jews than like those who are "raised up together with Christ, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. ii. 6). That we may have a clear and intelligent apprehension of these matters as represented in Scripture, it is necessary that we understand,

First, the distinction between the character of the "calling" of a Christian and that of a Jew. To understand the " calling of a Christian, we must see distinctly by whom the calling is given, as well as that to which it is given. Looked at in both these respects, the Christian's calling is "heavenly," and the calling of the Jew was earthly: and they are thus contrasted in the Epistle to the Hebrews:-"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus" (chap. iii. 1). The calling of the Christian is BY Jesus, “the Lord from heaven;" and it is to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Pet. i. 4). The calling of the Jew was BY Moses, a mere man, though a prophet of God, and it was to an earthly inheritance-" the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance" (Num. xxxiv. 2); and Moses describes this goodly inheritance as a land of hills and valleys, that drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for; the eyes of the Lord thy God are continually upon it" (Deut. xi. 11, 12). The Jew was accordingly taught to look upon earthly blessings as a mark of God's favour; and the absence of them as a mark of his curse (see Deut. xxviii. 1-18). But St. Paul commends

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See the contrast drawn on this point in Heb. xii. 25, 26. Under the law, God spake on earth; but now he speaketh from heaven.

the Hebrew Christians for rejoicing in the loss of carthly blessings:-"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. x. 34). If these Christians had not seen their "heavenly calling," they must have looked upon this spoiling of their goods as a curse, instead of a cause of joy. Surely there is a marked contrast between the dispensations on this point.

It is by no means meant to be asserted that there were no spiritual blessings promised to the Jews; and assuredly there were individuals among them, as there were also among the Gentiles, before the coming of Christ, who had a hope in the heavens after death. But as Jews, their hope was an earthly inheritance; and the nation collectively, in which capacity only it could be taken as the type of the church of God now, had nothing but earthly blessings promised as the reward of obedience, whereas the Christian has no such promises made to him; nothing but food and raiment is promised him, and therewith he is to be content (1 Tim. vi. 8). As to the earth, he is called to maintain the character of a stranger and a pilgrim ; but not as to the heavens: for he is "made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places. His hope is indeed beyond and above all things here, being within the veil, where Jesus is: this is the anchor of his soul, sure and steadfast. No hope is held out to the saint on earth since Jesus died. The blessed hope of the Christian being connected with "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus ii. 13), all else to the Christian, as with Paul, should become "dross and dung." While the saint clings to the world, he denies that his hope is in heaven. It is by our conduct, and not merely by our words, that the world is to learn our principles. They can read the one when they cannot the other, and their eye is swift enough to detect the inconsistency. The hope of the spiritual Jew was to enjoy earthly blessings while on the earth; and after death, he had a hope of heavenly inheritance. The saint has now nothing to which to look, either before or after death, but this heavenly inheritance. The head being risen, so are the members and, as Paul argues, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth: for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. iii. 1, 2). Such an exhortation as this, grounded on such a fact, never could be, and never was addressed to a Jew.

The office of the Holy Ghost is to take of the things of Jesus, and to shew them to the church (John xvi. 14). The work of the spies was to tell the children of Israel about the land. It was a land, they said, "flowing with milk and honey." They produced the grapes as an earnest, saying, "This is the fruit of it" (Num. xiii. 27). Such an earnest would not satisfy a saint now. To him is given, after he believes, the Holy Ghost, as an earnest: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. i. 13). A spiritual inheritance must have a spiritual earnest, and no less an earnest than the Holy Ghost must be given to those who can claim joint-heirship with Christ (Rom. viii. 17); an earnest indeed worthy of the superior standing and inheritance of the Christian; though now not known by the world, and not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world, though in the world (John xvii. 14). The command to the church is plain and simple, though a most responsible truth: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John ii. 15). The Jews might have minded earthly things, and should have done so, because they were what God promised and gave them; but now those who mind earthly things are classed with "the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction (Phil. iii. 18); because they are not what God gives to fill the hearts of his people. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out; and having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. vi. 7, 8). The next distinction that we will notice is,

Secondly, the mode of obtaining the inheritance.

The inheritance of the Jew being earthly, and the enemies they had to oppose being those of flesh and blood, they were commanded to use the sword to overcome them; and whether in the wilderness or in the land, the weapons of their warfare

were carnal ones. But to the Christian it is said, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Cor. x. 4). "For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" [or with wicked spirits in heavenly places; see margin] (Eph. vi. 12). The sword which the Christian has to use, is "the sword of the Spirit;" his helmet, “the helmet of salvation;” his shield, “the shield of faith." Jesus said, "They that take the sword shall perish by the sword" (Matt. xxvi, 52). "If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence" (John xviii. 36); and, on another occasion, "Love your enemies." "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you' (Matt. v. 44). This treatment of certain of their enemies was taught to the Jews in Deut. xxiii. 3-6: "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.... Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever." But the Lord informs his disciples that their conduct must be the very opposite. Again, he told them, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." The directions given to the Jews when injury was done them, were, " Eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Lev. xxiv. 20; Deut. xix. 18), before the judges. But the Lord told his disciples that such conduct did not become children of God, who had the heavenly inheritance before them: "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and whosoever will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also" (Matt. v. 38).

In short the whole spirit of the gospel is as completely opposed to anything like war and violence as light is opposed to darkness. What was the conduct of the Saviour? Was it not patient and uncomplaining submission to evil in every form in which it could be brought against him? "When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously;" in this, "leaving us an example that we should follow his steps" (1 Pet. ii. 21-23). How then can those who profess to be followers of him use the sword, and kill their enemies, when they are exhorted to love them? A strange way of shewing love is that! O, my fellow-Christians, think of the example of Jesus, before you practise or advocate such conduct! Perhaps you seek to excuse yourselves from what was said by Jesus in the last discourse with his disciples: "But now he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (Luke xxii. 36). But if you look a little further on you will find that Peter having understood this literally, and having used his sword to smite off the ear of one of those that came to take Jesus, he said, "Put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matt. xxvii. 52). This plainly shews that whatever the meaning of Jesus might be when he said, "He that hath no sword let him sell his garment and buy one," he could not mean that his disciples were to seek to establish his kingdom by the sword; and their subsequent conduct shews that they once for all abandoned every such idea. The principle of unlimited forgiveness was inculcated over and over again, both by Christ during his life on earth, and by his apostles afterwards; "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. vi. 15). Again, they were told as to the extent of forgiveness; it was to be "until seventy times seven (Matt. xviii. 32); and so the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians: "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." How sad it is that Christians fight one with another, and go to law one with another, just as though Jesus had never taught them otherwise, either by precept or example;- and thus practically before the world deny him by whose name they are called.

Thirdly. Let us notice the different lights in which the "flesh," or "natural man" -that is, the unrenewed nature, is viewed in the two dispensations. Unless the distinction which exists here be seen by the Christian, he will be in constant perplexity, as to what course to pursue, if "led of the Spirit"-for he will almost daily find himself led by that Spirit in a direction contrary to that which he sees approved of for the Old Testament saints, and hence the conflict and perplexity.

Now the old covenant was a trial of the flesh. The law proposed long life on earth (Ex. xx. 12), the absence of disease (Deut. vii. 15), earthly greatness (Deut. xxviii. 13), and everything that the flesh can admire and appreciate as the reward of obedience, but without giving the POWER to obey. The principle of the dispensation was, Obey and live-whereas the principle of the Gospel is just the opposite -being Live and obey. The power of life being first given by the "quickening Spirit," and then obedience expected after the power is given. It is not intended to be said that the Spirit was never given as the power of life to the Jew, for assuredly it was; but it was not given in the same way that it was after the resurrection, as we learn from John vii. 39, "For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. It was not that abiding, indwelling power, which it was to be under the new covenant, and is now (John xiv. 16), but rather an influence; not a part of the covenant of works at all. While the flesh was under trial, as it was under the old covenant, it was not treated as utterly corrupt; and it was accordingly not until the present dispensation, not until the flesh had been fully proved to be altogether worthless, by rejecting and crucifying the Lord of life, that it was declared, "they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. viii. 8). Since the death of Jesus, the flesh is a condemned thing-it is the "old man which, in Rom. vi. 6, is said to be crucified with Christ-and the believer, in respect of the old man, is said to be "dead with Christ" (verse 8), as Paul says in Gal. ii. 20, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me." The believer is judicially dead in Christ as his representative, and any life that he has, in which he can bring forth fruit unto God, and do Him service, is by the Spirit of Christ in him. As Paul says in Rom. viii. 9, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” The flesh therefore having been on its trial in the former dispensation, and now having been proved worthless and condemned-it is plain that those things which could gratify and bring glory to the flesh might be lawful and proper for a Jew, and yet may not be such as a Christian ought to delight or glory in.

If we see this clearly, as Scripture sets it forth, we may understand how

Fourthly, Greatness in the earth was promised to the Jew as a reward of obedience and a mark of God's favour, while the church is warned of the danger of seeking anything of the kind. We read in Deut. xxviii. 1, “And it shall come to pass, if thou wilt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God shall set thee on high above all nations of the earth." There is no such prospect as this held out in the New Testament; on the contrary, the Christian is ever warned against imitating the conduct of those who seek such things, as we see from the following passages; "And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger-and he that is chief as he that doth serve" (Luke xxii. 24). "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? and Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. xviii. 1). Jesus, after he had acted the part of the servant, in washing his disciples' feet, said, “I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him" (John xiii. 15). We see then that the servant and the child are signs to Christians, held up to them for examples, and descriptive of what ought to be their character. But some one may say, this is only as to the conduct of individual Christians—and does not speak of the church in her collective capacity. But how can a body of men when brought together have a different character from each individual of the body? Would any number of timid sheep, gathered together from the mountains, act like a troop of savage wolves? or could a nation of Christians, if such a thing were to be, act other than each individual Christian should act?—that is, as a servant or child-willing to suffer the loss of all things-willing to be accounted "the filth of the earth, and the offscouring of

all things:"-but how opposite is this from what the Jew was to glory in-even to be set on high above all nations of the earth!" "In the world ye shall have tribulation" this was all the Saviour gave his disciples to expect, and Paul declared that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Christ was among his disciples as one that doth serve; he was no citizen of this world. The manger opened and the cross closed his life here-the wilderness was his dreary path between-God was his rod and staff, the only one he had, while passing through a world that hated both him and his Father, and he has left us an example that we should follow his steps." In all this, the church has wholly failed --she has refused to take the place of a servant; instead of relying on God, she has relied on the power of the world for her support, and has sought glory from the world, forgetful of the truth which she ought especially to have kept in mind," he that exalteth himself shall be abased." Christians count it a reproach and shame to be at a distance from men's esteem, to have their name cast out as evil, or to associate with those of their brethren who are less in money, education, or fleshly grade than themselves. Are they not then partial? If James were to visit the churches now, he would find the gold ring having the best place, and being the most esteemed. The world's principles have found their way into the very sanctuary of God. How many in these days think they cannot get on without money and patronage! But if Christians, let them consider-Had Christ any? or had his apostles any? The answer is easily given-none. But they had the power of God. This was the strength wherein they trusted-this was the armour wherewith they were girded for the battle. And is the Lord's arm shortened now, that Christians should seek any other strength or armour? Surely not. Let them then be willing to act in accordance with the character of the dispensation in which they live, and not like those who were of Moses' household. What a difference there was between Solomon, God's most favoured one among Israel in his day, whom we find in the highest place and Paul, who, although he was not a whit behind the chiefest of the apostles, was, as to his standing on the earth, "the offscouring of all things" (1 Cor. iv. 13). These two cases exhibit palpably the difference God has made in this respect between the saint in the former, and in the present dispensation. But which of the two is the most sought after?

We may notice—

The

Fifthly. A very striking distinction between the place and manner of worship. The Jewish dispensation was connected with the earth and the carnal senses. sanctuary must partake of the same character. "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary." Accordingly, David advises his son Solomon on this point (1 Chron. xxii. 5), "And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical of fame and of glory throughout all countries." This was the Lord's house on earth, and it was the only place where acceptable worship could be performed. The sacrifices had all to be offered there, and, when in the land of their captivity, prayer was to be made towards that house (see 2 Chron. vi. 38). Jesus intimated the change which was soon to take place to the woman of Samaria at the well, in reply to her inquiry as to the proper place for worship. He said, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John iv. 21). There is accordingly now no one place or building more than another where God is to be worshipped-for we have Jesus' own words, " Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. xviii. 20). It matters not where they may be, in a garret or in a palace, there being now no place on earth answering to the Jewish temple or tabernacle. That which answers to it is "the heavens," of which it was the pattern or figure, as we learn from Heb. ix. 24, "For Christ is not entered into the Holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." And it is there that true worship is to be offered, in spirit, according to the apostles' exhortation in the next chapter (ver. 19), "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us,