(Heb. 10:2.)

With the knowledge of what God is in the majesty of His righteousness, as taught of Him, and yet to have "no more conscience of sins," is a blessing passing wonderful. But, blessed be God, it is mine and yours, my fellow-believer, if we are to accept the testimony of His word.

As we open the book, at the tenth chapter of Hebrews, we are taught that the Jewish sacrifices could not make those who brought them perfect, that is, perfect as to their conscience before God. "For then," it is argued, those sacrifices "would have ceased to be offered," and for this reason, that the worshipers once purged (from an evil conscience toward God) should have had no more conscience of sins. Prom this we infer that sacrifice for sin was instituted by God to meet the need of a guilty conscience, which need could only be fully met in the knowledge that God, against whom we had sinned, had been righteously appeased.

Does not this shed light on why Cain and Abel brought sacrifices to God ? Each had a "conscience of sins." Abel, acting on the testimony which God had given in connection with his father and mother, as to how sin could be met suitably to Him, brought that which spoke of life forfeited under judgment. Cain, though having a "conscience of sins," would meet God on ground other than that of a righteous penalty upon the sin that had given him a guilty conscience. A God who would meet the question of sin on other ground than that of penalty, is but the creature of unholy imaginings.

Again, does not sacrifice, being based on "a conscience of sins," explain the universal acceptance of the doctrine of sacrifice among the heathen? With all their darkness and their ignorance, their conscience is accusing them of sins. And does not this testify against the unholy ignorance prevailing in ritualism, where sacrifices for sins are offered ? For, "the worshipers once purged, have no more conscience of sins."

The sacrifices of the law could not effectuate the pleasure of God, because they could not take away sins. But Christ, laying aside His positional glory, "the form of God," and taking the body prepared for Him in the Virgin's womb, taking thus "the form of a servant," and so giving the glory of His deity to the manhood which He had assumed, and offering Himself in that body as a sacrifice for sin, removes it judicially, not morally, from before the throne of God. "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified "-them that are separated to God "by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ." Perfected forever-standing before the throne of the Majesty on High un-accused of our own conscience! Whereof, of this standing with a perfect conscience before the throne of God, the Holy Spirit bears witness in these words, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin." Our sins are all gone, put away from before God and purged from our conscience.

" What shall we then say to these things ?" "It is God that justifieth." "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? "

"Unto Him that loveth us and hath loosed us from our sins in His own blood " be all the praise! George MacKenzie