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covenant of peace. Ezekiel, xxxvii. 26, " Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them, forevermore.

Secondly, The finisher of peace. Colossians, i. 20, "And having made peace by the blood of the cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven."

Thirdly, He is the giver of this peace. John, xiv. 7, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Secondly, This blessing contains peace of conscience. The conscience sitteth in judgment upon the mind taught by the spirit of God, and it is only in this peace given by our God, that we can have a conscience not guilty. Hebrews x. "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sin every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins thou hast had no pleasure. Then, said I, Lo I come, (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above, when he said, sacrifices and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offered by the law; Then, said he, Lo I come, to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Peter in his First Epistle, iii. 21, thus expresses himself, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." "Therefore," says the Apostle Paul, Romans v. 1, "being justified, by faith we have peace with God through

our LORD Jesus Christ." Isaiah assures us, xxvi. 3, "That God will keep them in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on him." And Paul supplicates, Romans xv. 13, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy, and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."

Thirdly, and lastly, This blessing includes peace with each other. Corinthians vii. 15, "God hath called us to peace." In him the brethren dwell together in peace. Isaiah xxvi. 12, "LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us." And lvii. 19, "I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, saith the LORD, and I will heal him." And the LORD saith by the prophet Micah, v. 5, “And this man shall be our peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land." We are told by the prophet Habakkuk, ii. 14, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." "Our God" saith, Isaiah ii. 2, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be axalted above the hills and all nations shall flow unto it." And again, xxv. 6-9, "And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering, cast over all people; and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo this is our God; we have waited for him and he will save us; this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation."

all the earth: for the

Let us, my beloved hearers, hearken unto the LORD our God speaking by the prophet Micah, "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, come and let us go up to the house of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law

shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall set every man under his own vine, and under his own fig tree, and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that is afflicted."

But it is the doings

That this bless

This is indeed wonderful, very wonderful. of our God, and justly marvellous in our eyes. ing includes peace with each other, we produce from the rich treasury of our God; one more proof, 1 Thessalonians v. 9, 10, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our LORD Jesus Christ; Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

Whenever we are thus collected, we shall not only go out no more, but we shall never more be at variance." See that ye fall noi out by the way," said Joseph. Blessed be God, it is only by the way, that we can fall out. As no whisperer, nor any thing that defileth can enter into our Father's house, his family assembled in his presence, will together enjoy uninterrupted peace, worlds without end.

Seventhly, "And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." This is the top stone of the building, the climax of our privileges. This is the name, says the prophet Jeremiah, xxiii. 6, “This is the name whereby he shall be called, the LORD our righteousness." Who shall be called the LORD our righteousness? The Prophet informs us. "Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch; and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice upon the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, the LORD our righteousness." Thus it is he, Jesus, the righteous branch; the king who reigneth and prospereth, and who executeth judgment and justice in the earth, who shall be called the LORD our righteousness. And this same

prophet Jeremiah informs us, xxxiii. 15, 16, "That in those days, and at that time, God will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and that he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, the LORD our righteousness."

Thus did the Almighty, all gracious God, command his ministers to put his name upon the people, and they shall be my people, saith God. The propriety of this name being named upon our nature, is strikingly apparent-" Thy Maker is thy husband,” says the Spirit of truth, "the LORD of the whole earth shall he be called." Why should she not bear the name of her husband? I will give them my own name, saith the LORD.

Blessed, ever blessed God, shall we who by nature and by practice are children of wrath, slaves of sin, and bound by its chains; shall we be made the partners of his throne, adorned with an everlasting crown, and distinguished by his name? Yea, verily; and it is added, I will bless them! Amazing grace, stupendous love! Our name and nature became a curse unto him. His name and nature is a blessing unto us! O, may a spark from the sacred altar of gratitude, enkindle in our bosoms an unextinguishable flame; and may we henceforward studiously adorn our profession. May we live to the honour and glory of that name which is named upon us.

SKETCH XIII.

NUMBERS vi. 27.

"AND they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and

I will bless them."

First, What is the name of the LORD? Exodus iii. 14, 15, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my me

morial unto all generations." Hosea xii. 9, “And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feasts." Revelations i. 4-8, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." Hebrews xiii. 8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and forever." That is, from everlasting to everlasting, the only wise God, the Almighty God, the Redeemer of the world. Exodus vi. 3, " And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them." Isaiah ix. 6, "And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The might God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." Revelations xix. 13, " And his name is called the Word of God." John i. 1, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God."

Secondly, And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel. Jeremiah xxiii. 6, "And this is his name whereby HE shall be called, the LORD our righteousness." Chapter xxxiii. verse 16, "And this is the name wherewith SHE shall be called, the LORD our righteousness." Psalm xcix. 3, "Let them praise thy great and terrible name: for it is holy." Isaiah lxii. 2, “ And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name." Chapter Ixv. verses 15-20, "And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen for the LORD God shall slay thee, and call his servant by another name; that he who blesseth himself in the earth, shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth, shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner, being

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