forms of disgrace and filthiness, or of beauty and glory, into which the inner man of the soul may be fashioned-wearing Heaven's livery, or that of sin. Ae character is the roul's dress, and dress analogical to character, whatever has power to produce a. character when received, is represented as a dress to be put on." In the references of this psalm to the white clo'thing of the priests, that clothing is said to represent both "righteousness" and "salvation." It may very well be that these a.re only two terms to represent the same thing, but, at least, they are the same thing seen from different points of view; and we may be right in seeing distinct but related things. I. THE HOLY CLOTHING OF THE PRIESTS SYMBOLIZES SALVATION. The white garments on the cleansed body were associated with the great sacrificial acts, which bore the closest relation to the recovery, restoration, ceremonial redemption, of the people. At the great Day of Atonement, the symbol of all the Divine salvations, the high priest was required to "put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon bis' flesh, and shall be girded with a. linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on" (Lev. xvi. 4). II. THE HOLY CLOTHING OF THE PRIESTS SYMBOLIZES RIGHTEOUSNESS. Which is the basis, ground, and condition of salvation on man's side. A man who seeks salvation must want to be what is 1iepresented by the priests' white garments. A man who seeks Christ's salvation can never have it unless he wants to be as pure, as righteous, as Christ. The priest can atone for nobody and nothing unless he is, repre- sentatively at least, righteous. And nobody can be atoned for unless he is representa- tively-and in resolute will and purpose-righteous, Man's righteousness is no ground of acceptance with God, but man's wish to be righteous ia the condition on which alone a sacrifice can be ma.de for hiru. So when the restored exiles longed and prayed for the renewal of the glories of David's time, they wanted their priests who represent them clothed with salvation and clothed with righteousness; clothed with righteousness because clothed with salvation, or in order to effect salvation. It will easily be seen how the formal teaching of the "holy clothing" found its spiritual realization in our great High Priest, who, in his righteousness, represents what we would be to the eternal Father, and gains the power and right, through his obedience, sacrifice, and exaltation, to come into our spheres of character, and make us what we would be, and what be is.-R. T.
Ver. 12.-Conditional promises. "If thy children will keep my covenant." Is an unconditional promise, either human or Divine, conceivable? And if conceivable, ie it reasonable, and could it ever be wise? Jt certainly could never be, as the promise of a. man who could never see all round a thing and all through it, and so never have a. suffi~ient basis on which to make the promise. And we cannot think of an uncon- ditional promise ae ever befitting for God to make, because he must make it to moral beings, whose continuance in the same mood can never be guaranteed. The folly, and possible mischief of all unconditioned promises is indicated in the promise of excited and half-drunken Herod to the dancing-girl Salome, which tricked him into takiug the life of Christ's forerunner. It may seem as if, by removing the unconditional element from God's promises, we removed our confidence, and brought in the possibility of his breaking his word. But hie doing the very best for ue is more irupor.tant ~han his keeping any particular promise; and doing his best may mean not keepmg his word; only we must clearly see that the ground of his change is change in us-is our failing to meet his appointed conditions. '!'hat conditions, affixed to promises, a.re a. blessing to us may be readily shown. I. CoNDITIONB TEST OBEDIENCE. While we are here on earth we never transcend the dependent chil<l-epheree. We ~re unde_r _what is repr?sente~, by family ;u_le; and that always tests obedience by puttrng conditions to promises. Ifye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." II. CoNDITIONt! CULTURE TIIUBT. Because they keep up relations with the promise. maker, and preserve our s1:nse of dependence on his g?od will. If II promise w_ere absolute, it would tend to separate us from the prom1sor. It would be something distinct from biru. And it would be fatal to our trust in God if we could rely upon his word as distinct from himself. We must trust the" Faithful Promiser." PS, CXXXII. 1-18.] TllE BOOK OF PSALMS. 269
lll. CONDITIONS A0T AS WARNINGS, Illustrate from the constancy with which the nation Isrnel was warned of the covenant-conditions of its promises. The Divine" if" stands ever before us. We lose all claim on the promises if we fail to meet the conditions; and the loss is our own.-R. T.