names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the LORD and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually" (Exod. xxviii. 15-30).

:

The arrangement of the stones with the names of the children of Israel was in the following order :

This was the order of the tribes as they were arranged in camp, and also when marching.

Aaron was to bear the names of the children of Israel upon his heart whenever he appeared before the Lord. The heart in Scripture is viewed as the centre of life, not merely of the willing, desiring, thinking life, but of the emotional life, as the seat of the feelings and affections. Hence, to bear upon the heart does not merely mean to bear in mind, but denotes that personal intertwining life with the life of another by which the high priest stood in deepest sympathy and closest union with those for whom he interceded.

The typical meaning of the Breastplate is very manifest. It teaches that Jesus and His people are very closely united. Their names are not only on His shoulders of might, setting forth His strength, and that He is strong enough to do what good requires to be done by Him as His people's substitute, and strong enough to do all that may be required to be done by His people. Their names are on His heart, or more correctly, They are in His heart.

There is something remarkable in the frequency with which the Lord's people are compared to jewels or precious stones. In Malachi iii. 19, "They that feared the Lord" are called "His jewels;" in Zechariah ix. 16, "the remnant of His people" are compared to "the stones of a crown on His head; and the same idea seems alluded to in 1 Thessalonians ii. 19, and

Philippians iv. 1, where the apostle calls his converts his "crown of rejoicing," his "joy and crown."

May the language of our hearts ever be, "Bind me yet closer to Thyself, blessed Jesus, for Thou art all things to me.”

What is it, Christian reader, that gives us comfort in the midst of trouble? Is it not the well grounded assurance that our names are on the heart of Jesus? Yea, more, that our "life is hid with Christ in God." Let our souls grasp the precious truth that we are the jewels which Jesus owns, and that we are as dear to Him as the apple of the eye, and we shall be able to "glory in tribulation also."

THE EMBROIDERED COAT.

"And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen" (Exod. xxviii. 39).

"And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons" (Exod. xxxix. 27).

THE EMBROIDERED COAT OR TUNIC was the innermost garment worn by the high priest, and was the first which he put on after washing himself with water. Fine linen was 66 spotless white." It was made of thread twisted very tight and hard, which caused it to give a peculiar shining gloss to the cloth.

The shining whiteness brings to our mind the shining raiment in which the Lord Jesus appeared on the mount when He was transfigured. we are informed, "exceeding white as

It was,

snow

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(Mark ix. 2). And again, the dazzling whiteness which encircled His head when He appeared to the apostle John in Patmos (Rev. i. 14). "His head and His hairs were as white as wool, as white as snow," etc.

THE GIRDLE. From what has been said respecting the curious girdle of the ephod, it will be understood that that was not a girdle in the ordinary sense of the word. The true girdle is referred to in the following

The object of the girdle appears to have been for the purpose of strengthening the loins of the high priest for service; and just as the high priest beneath his outward garments of majesty, glory, brilliancy, and power, preserved his place as the girded righteous servant of the Lord; so the Lord Jesus, as has been well observed, although upon the throne of glory having all power in heaven and in earth, and with a name above every name, yet delights to maintain His place

as God's servant, fulfilling the Father's counsels, and accomplishing His will in the salvation of those that are His. See this fully brought out in John xiii.

May the contents of this chapter lead all who carefully and prayerfully read it, and pursue the course of study indicated, to see more of the fulness, richness, and preciousness, which there is in the work and person of Jesus.