their earthly possessions, and to take a low place in society. Let not such murmur at God's appointments, but look forward for " an inheritance that fadeth not away." We may also learn that God hates oppression and monopoly, that while he allows various gradations in society, sanctions the possession of property, and can sanctify riches as well as poverty, he loves not to see "house added to house and field to field." This law was an express provision, intended to counteract the tendencies of human nature, which are for the few to absorb the land and wealth of a nation, and to bring the many into a state of abject poverty and dependance. Thus God encourages the poor and instructs the rich; cheers the one in his poverty, and cautions the other in his prosperity; and though the letter of this institution is of course not binding upon us, yet we should cultivate its spirit, which can but be well pleasing to God. As one has beautifully said, "Till the eternal Jubilee comes, let each wipe away his brother's tear and bear his brother's burden.” Israel's neglect of the Sabbatical and Jubilean institutions provoked the anger of God, and was one of the causes assigned for their captivity in Babylon. (See Jer. xxxiv. 8-17.) And this fact appeals very solemnly to those who, by unbelief, reject the glad tidings of the Gospel; and to those who give way to worldliness and selfishness, and neglect to practise its loving and self-denying precepts. The sinner with his vain excuses and the professor without the spirit of Christ will be alike ashamed when the last trump shall usher in the eternal Jubilee. Once more: the great lesson God intended to teach by the Jubilee was dependance on Himself. He told the Israelites, "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." (Lev. xxv. 23.) God would show them whence their blessings came, and on whom they were dependant; and thus furnish them with motives for obeying him and loving each other. The believer will only act his part aright as he constantly realizes that he is a sojourner with God, and a steward for God. The first will keep him from taking root in the earth, and the second will stir him up to lay out on others rather than lay up for himself. Considering the temptations and hindrances of the present age, those who lay claim to the spiritual Israel would do well frequently to study the benevolent character of this institution, and that in the light of such passages as Deut. xv. 7-15; Isaiah lviii. 5-14,

We may next inquire, whether this institution may be

considered as typical of the Gospel, and of Gospel times. We do not think that this is its main intention, although the glorious nature and beneficial effects of the Gospel may be set forth by it. The trumpet of the Jubilee was "a joyful sound; " it announced many blessings, removed much sorrow and created much happiness, and may thus be considered a type of the Gospel. But still it may be more proper to consider the Gospel itself as a herald of the glorious Jubilee. It is "the glad tidings of the kingdom," announcing the certainty of its coming, begetting a lively hope of an incorruptible inheritance in the sinner's heart, and endowing him with an earnest of "the glorious liberty of the children of God." On these accounts the Gospel may be called our spiritual Jubilee. It was predicted by the prophets, (Rom. i. 2,) proclaimed by angels, (Luke ii. 14,) preached by Christ the great herald of heaven's gladdest tidings, (Luke iv. 21,) and is perpetuated by the Church, whose high office it is in Christ's stead to beseech men to be reconciled to God, (2 Cor. v. 20,) and thus bring them from the slavery of Satan into the adoption of sons, into "the liberty which we have in Christ Jesus." Thus, without claiming this to be the great and final thing typified, we consider ourselves warranted in coming to this conclusion:-that a preached Gospel in the hands of the Holy Spirit brings about the same effects spiritually that the Jubilee trumpet did literally. Let it be observed that what gave such efficacy to the Jubilee trumpet was the authority of God. He appointed it to a certain end, and then it had in it all the authority of law, as well as all the kindness of love. Thus it is with the Gospel; it is "the perfect law of liberty;" it is most gracious in its nature, divinely adapted to bring about the most blessed results; by it the Holy Spirit works, and thus it becomes "the power of God unto salvation."

The trumpet of the Jubilee was sounded on the great day of atonement to teach Israel that all their national blessings came to them from mercy flowing through a sacrifice, and to teach us that the glad tidings of salvation would never have reached our world had not Jesus" offered himself without spot to God," and "put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." The blessings proclaimed in the Gospel, and the happy state produced by it, are worthy of the sacrifice through which they flow. We can only enumerate some of them, and shall mention only those which the type before us suggests. Here is liberty. Liberty from sin, its crushing burden and

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defiling power; liberty to holiness, to happiness, and God; liberty to "enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," and to have access into the grace wherein we stand." This liberty is by the truth, and those are free indeed whom it liberates; freed by the Son and made joint-heirs with him, to abide in the Father's house for ever.

Restoration also to forfeited blessings and broken connexions. Remission of all debts, so great in amount that the debtor could not even count them, much less pay them. Then comes Rest, ceasing from legal toil, with holy leisure to praise God, while the soul keeps its Sabbath by abiding in Christ. Then abundance of all good is enjoyed, for saints in Christ are "blessed with all spiritual blessings in him;" the land which they inhabit brings forth richly. This blessed state of things is accompanied with great rejoicing. Those restored and renovated ones rejoice in the Lord (Phil. iii. 1), rejoice while they work (Psalm cxxxviii. 5), rejoice amidst trials (Rom. v. 4), rejoice in hope (Rom. xii. 12); yea, rejoice in death itself (Psalm xxiii. 4). Their joy is holy joy, it strengthens them for all sorrow and service, and thus are they educated and trained up for the regions of perfect bliss. God declared to the Jews, "Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, it shall be holy unto you," (x. 12,) thereby teaching them that he had a moral end in view in this political Institution. The nation was commanded to set some periods apart from all other time, that they might be set apart from all other people; and this is God's great end as regards the Gospel. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works." May we not, then, conclude with the Psalmist, "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound?" They are blessed; they shall be blessed; they should be holy, happy, and hopeful. To walk in the light of God's countenance, to rejoice all the day in his name, is their high privilege; and "to wait for the hope of the righteousness of faith" is their high calling. While thus acting, they prove that they are "the true circumcision who rejoice in Christ Jesus," and thus "they come to the general assembly and Church of the firstborn, and to the innumerable com

pany of angels" (Heb. xii. 22, 23); and, while on earth, have communion with those who perpetually keep Jubilee in

heaven.

What a glorious contrast must Israel have presented to other nations of the earth when they kept their Jubilee according to God's appointment! Peace, plenty, and prosperity reigned throughout their borders; every man sat under his vine and fig-tree, and songs of rejoicing were heard throughout the land. There was nothing like it in any other nation, nor is there anything like it in any nation now, for God is not yet the acknowledged and universal King of all the earth. But there is another world, where a constant Jubilee is kept; and if the Jewish tabernacle was typical of "things in the heavens" (Heb. ix. 23), and the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles of the gathering together of the great congregation (Rev. vii. 9—17), it may not be wrong to infer, that their days of happiness and years of rejoicing were typical of the better world; and that a year of Jubilee properly kept, shadowed forth the order, harmony, liberty, and joy of the upper sanctuary, with all its blessed meetings and greetings. Thither God is constantly gathering the meetened spirits of his redeemed; they enter into rest; "freed from the burden of this sinful flesh, they live with Him in joy and felicity." They have done with slavery and sorrow, they have rejoined the dear ones gone before, "they inherit the promises with them," and look forward, with unclouded hope and exulting anticipation, to the sounding of the last trump, the true Jubilee blast, when their bodies shall be redeemed and their Redeemer be enthroned King of all the earth. Truly, heaven must be a joyous world. No tears can fall, no sighs can be heaved, no regrets can be felt, no want can be realized, in a world which is filled with the glory of Jesus and the smile of God. Oh, it is a refreshing thought, that all God's universe is not like our poor groaning earth; there is a world where his own idea of beauty, order, harmony, and happiness is fully wrought out, where his worthy praise evermore resounds, where no enemy can intrude to mar or endanger the bliss, and where his favourites. need feel no fear. And it is a still more wondrous thought, that soon this world-so long filled with din and discord, so long tyrannized over by devils and defiled by man-shall become like heaven, and shall echo back in right joyous strains the jubilant shouts of that sinless world. Redeeming blood hath been shed upon it, a Redeemer's sympathies twine around it, and these shall uplift it to all that God

wishes and wills it to be. He, our kinsman Redeemer, will "stand at the latter day upon the earth." "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God." (1 Thess. iv. 16.) This will be "the last trump," (1 Cor. xv. 52,) when the dead in Christ shall be raised and the living saints changed; "the seventh trump," when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ (Rev. xi. 15; x. 7); "the great trumpet," when Israel shall be gathered, even the outcasts who were ready to perish (Isa. xxvii. 13); "the trumpet of the Lord God" (Zech. ix. 14), when the enemies of God must lick the dust. Then will be introduced "the times of restitution of all things, the theme of all the prophets" (Acts iii. 21); then the eternal Sabbath begins its majestic round (Heb. iv. 9), with a morning without clouds; then comes the year of the redeemed (Isa. lxiii. 4), over which the Redeemer's loving heart shall rejoice with exceeding joy, he having anticipated it from eternity (Prov. viii. 31), and expected it with strong desire (Heb. x. 13); then will he reveal and praise his Father's name in the great congregation (Ps. xxii. 22-25), and his listening living people shall enter into his joy, and engage with him in the lofty employ of eternal thanksgiving.

There are two facts upon which our thoughts may well dwell with sacred triumph; these are, that after the glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, this earth will become the abode of liberty and joy, and that this glorious state of things will last eternally. Then will be exhibited the complete antitype of the Jubilee.

In contemplating this glorious Jubilee, we should consider the condition of the risen saints, of the Jewish nation; of the family of man, and of the subordinate creation; all will then keep Jubilee, the most ecstatic joy will pervade all, flowing from its glorious fountain, the heart of the Redeemer, to the utmost boundary of creation.

The saints raised from the dead will realize "glorious liberty." (Rom. viii. 21.) The redemption of the body is connected with "the adoption" and joint heirship of Christ. (Rom. viii. 18–24; Rev. xxi. 7.) "Those accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead will be as the angels" (Luke xx. 36); they who have followed Christ will, in the regeneration, sit on thrones of glory. (Matt. xi. 19.) This will be liberty indeed; liberty from all evil and to all good. Next to them will be restored Israel, gathered, folded, protected; God will be their King,