the Old Testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. iii. 6-18.)

The sea of glass that is before the throne may represent the ministration of the Spirit by the word : it may harmonize with that precious word of which the inspired Psalmist said :-" For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." (Ps. cxix. 89.)

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Immediately before John saw in vision the outpouring of the seven vials, he saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are they ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.' (See Rev. xv. 1—4.)

The sea of glass mingled with fire, may mark the tribulation and persecution, that ariseth because of the

word; but those victorious harpers who stand upon the mingled sea have been upheld, and they have also overcome, by that word which may be pictured by the glass-like sea. They have gotten the victory over the beast and over his image by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. "Is not my word like a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jer. xxiii. 29.)

By their six wings, and by their adoring anthems, the four beasts harmonize with the "Seraphims" who ministered to the prophet Isaiah; and by their four faces they harmonize with the "Cherubims" who appeared to Ezekiel, first at the river of Chebar, and eventually in Jerusalem, where the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying: "Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the Lord unto us is this land given in possession. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

:

"Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable

things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh : that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things, and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord.

"Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is upon the east side of the city." (Ezek. xi. 15—23.)

This mountain, on which the glory of the Lord stood, is probably the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; the mountain from which the Redeemer "was taken up." And while his disciples looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (See Acts. i. 9-11.)

In the day of the Lord,

“his feet shall stand upon

the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the

east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." (See Zec. xiv.) Anticipating this great event, the four beasts "rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

"And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. iv. 8-11.)

THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT.

"BEHOLD, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted

and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him : for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." (Isaiah lii. 13-15.)

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm

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of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruized for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth