(Lev. 16:12-14; Phil. 3:13, 14; 2 Pet. 1:3-9.)

The ground of Christianity is "Christ, and Him crucified," as Paul puts it, or "the Lamb, as it had been slain," as John writes it; or the incense and the blood, as Moses unfolds it in that great Atonement chapter of the Pentateuch, Lev. 16:If our salvation, from first to last, reposes on that firm and imperishable ground, the precious blood of Christ; if there can be no Christianity without the cross, whose blood was shed ? Who sustained that cross ? Who upheld that mighty work which, for grandeur and moral sublimity towers over all ? It was the glory of the One who died. The person upheld the work on which our souls rest for time and eternity. Oh, blessed foundation ! Oh, rock of everlasting strength !

First, we have the person, then the work. Aaron was to '' take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil." The incense sets forth the merits of Christ,- the moral beauties and excellencies of His person. Now, from Exod. 3:34-36 we learn that the "sweet incense" was composed of four precious ingredients, of like weight and beaten small. Surely the Christ of the four Gospels-crushed, bruised, and suffering-is here foreshadowed. But you cannot separate Christ from His work; hence the High Priest was directed to take a censer, or pan, of burning coals from off the altar and take it within the veil. He also filled his hands with the fragrant incense; and thus, in Jehovah's presence, we have in type the person, incense, and the work, the blood. Then the, to us, blessed and inseparable connection between the two is further shown. The incense put on the fire rose up in a delightful cloud and covered the mercy-seat. The memorials of Calvary are in the presence of God. The victor and victory are in. the Divine presence. The moral beauties and glories of the One who died have been expressed in and by the work of the cross as nowhere else. It was a golden censer (Heb. 9:4) which was used on these never-to-be-forgotten occasions – the annual day of atonement for Israel. Divine righteousness in exercise, could alone meet the requirements of the divine nature. Then the blood of the appointed sacrificial victim was sprinkled once on the mercy-seat and seven times before it. The mercy-seat was made of pure gold; and on either end of it a cherub was fashioned out of the same piece of gold of which the mercy-seat, or cover, of the ark was made. The ark contained the tables of the law,- the measure of what a fallen creature ought to be for God. The golden cherubim were the moral supports of Jehovah's throne in the midst of a sinful and guilty people. On what ground could a defiled people holily appear before a holy God ? Is it possible for a guilty one to stand before a righteous God ? It is. Death had taken place. The brazen altar had told its tale of judgment; and now the witness of death, blood, is taken into the presence of God and sprinkled on the throne. The cherubim are satisfied. Blood-the blood of God's appointed victim-has been shed at the altar, and sprinkled on the throne. It is enough. God is infinitely glorified. But then the blood was sprinkled seven times before the throne. Be it remembered that the sand of the desert constituted the floor of the tabernacle. Thus our standing before the throne is the Lamb, and that alone. You cannot add to its value; you have it in all its priceless worth, in its infinite value to God as ground of our standing in the divine presence; and here we know it and rejoice in it, as we tread the desert which His feet trod. Whose feet ? The feet of the One who shed His blood.

Thus we have the ground-alone and magnificent -of Christianity. If the person and work of Christ glorifies the throne, supports the sinners before it, there is no other – can be no other – basis of the whole system of Christianity, as God's only given system for men on earth. Christianity is worthless – yea, it is positively immoral – if you rob it of its distinguishing glory – the cross of Christ. Its moral power is gone if there be no Christ. Christianity without Christ would be like the heavens without the sun. Christ it is which gives motive and power. Without Him all – all – would be a huge, moral waste.

The definiteness of Christianity consists in its intense presentation of Christ. Several objects before the heart are distracting. The Christian has but one. The duties and responsibilities of life are many, but amidst them all the believer has to pursue but one object. The great, all-absorbing business of life, is to please Christ; to walk and live and serve Him wholly and only. Thousands of God's dear people live aimless, objectless lives. The lack of purpose, of point, of definiteness, is simply owing to the soul not grasping God's end in conversion – exclusive devotion to Christ. What a rare opportunity for all, but especially for Christian young men and women to shine for Christ. Organizations, societies, and the like, cripple individual energy. We want our young people to be fired with a holy enthusiasm,- a burning, passionate desire to be all for Christ in life and work; and while willing to be counseled by age and experience, yet indifferent to the frown or smile of others. Every true work of God has been wrought by individual effort.

The moral power of Christianity does not consist in strong assertion, nor is it doctrine and dogma authoritatively revealed. Christianity is a living power. It enters into all the relationships of life. It transforms a thief into a generous man (Eph. 4:28). It is an active force in this world. Christianity is not mere sentiment. It is an active, living, practical power, dealing with the needs, miseries, and woes of men. Its representatives are saved men and women,- persons morally brave. We have known many, in course of a lengthened ministry, naturally timid, and even weak in character, grow strong under the moral influence of Christianity. Christ produces splendid characters,- firm, yet gracious; strong, yet gentle.

The character described in 2 Pet. 1:, is not one a saved person all at once jumps into. It is a gradual addition and strengthening of Christian character. It is a process of development. The study of Scripture, the knowledge of God and of Christ, and the earnest pressing on in a path of godliness are essential to the cultivation of such a character as Peter here describes. W. S. (Scotland.)