But a girdle is also of use for ornament —
[And to this our text has especial respect. The girdle of the high-priest was, as it is repeatedly called, "a curious girdle," given him "for glory and for beauty V and our great High- Priest desires that we should be to him what that curious girdle was to Aaron. Vile and worthless as we are in ourselves, he would form and fashion us anew, interweaving in our nature all the graces of his Spirit, and transforming us into the very image of our God in righteousness and true holiness. Surrounded by us, he would esteem himself more richly adorned than with the brightest jewels1, and more enriched than with all the treasures of the universe k. It appears almost im- pious to say, that such ornaments would be a glory to our God and Saviour ; yet we will venture to affirm that they would be regarded so by our Lord himself, who says, " All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them1." What a royal diadem is to an earthly monarch, that are we designed to be to the King of kings and Lord of lords m. As Christ was " the image of the invisible God," because God who is invisible in his own nature was visible in him11, so are we according to the measure of grace given unto us: we are to
d Isai. lxiv. 7. e Col iii. 4. f 1 Cor. vi. 1 7-
e Acts xi. 23. h Exod. xxviii. 4, 8, 40.
1 Mai. iii. 17. k Exod. xix. 5, 6. with 1 Pet. ii. 9.
1 John xvii. 10. See also John xv. 8. and Isai. lxi. 3. m Isai. Ixii. 3. n Col. i. 15.