five were fastened together in the same way, and laid over the forepart of the tabernacle. From the dimensions given, this part would just reach to the door end, but not fall over the end. The second covering was of goat material, whether skin or hair does not appear, as "hair" is not in the original. It was probably goat's hair woven into a kind of thin matting. It was formed in the same way as the first covering of separate curtains: tacked together, but the curtains were eleven in number, instead of ten, and the hooks were brass instead of gold. They were tacked together in two unequal sections, of five curtains and six ; also, in length they exceeded the curtains of the first covering by three feet. They were laid across the tabernacle over the first covering in the same way as the first covering, from side to side; but being longer, they overlapped the first covering on each side by one cubit, or 18 inches; also being broader, through the front section having six instead of five curtains, it overlapped the first covering on the west end, and also fell a little way over the door front, forming a sort of head or frieze to the entrance 2 cubits, or 3 feet deep. The third covering was of rams' skins dyed red, and the fourth of badger skin, or seal skin. These coverings do not appear to have been divided into curtains, but were probably stitched together in one piece, according to the shape of the skins used. They would be drawn over the goat's hair curtains, and form the outer roofing or protection for the whole.

The literal purpose served by these coverings is obvious. Resting on the sloping cords all round the tabernacle, they would not only afford protection to the holy interior with its vessels, whether from the sand of the desert, or the ravage of rain-storms, but they would impart to the whole structure a certain air of graceful neglige and majesty, which was becoming the habitation of the Holy Presence in Israel's midst. But where shall we look for the spiritual significances? Some of them we have found already. The first covering, formed of the same material as the Christ-veil and the Christ-door, doubtless brings Christ to view; but in what relation? If the boards of the tabernacle represent the prophets, we have Christ thus surrounding, enclosing, and overtopping them all, as the one investing name of protection and grace the name above every name yet connected with and embracing all other subordinate names in the word and house of God. But why in ten parts? There is no clue unless it is supplied by the use of "ten times as the finishing degree of anything-Daniel and his companions "ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers" (Dan. i. 20); Changed my wages ten times (Gen. xxxi. 7); God doubled Pharaoh's vision to express certitude (Gen. xli. 32). Christ tenfold would be an intenserate of the same rule. It may also be that His word has ten

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historic phases which he will be able to disentangle for us from the chaotic story of things. Why the golden hooks and loops of blue? Is it that each part of the true work of Christ on the earth is held together by the golden hooks of faith in his people holding on to the healing blue loops of kindness and truth both in God and in all the saints? Perhaps. Why two sections of five curtains each? Here we are at a loss unless there is a reference to the two-fold composition of the body of Christ, as consisting of Jew and Gentile, or to the division in the body of Christ, foreshown in the parable of the ten virgins, of whom "five were wise and five were foolish."

The second covering introduces the subject of the goats. They are related to the sheep in a certain way. They herd with them and browse with them in the agricultural customs of the East; and in the spiritual bearings of things, they form an element in the constitution of the house of Christ, in its ecclesiastical development in the earth. The history of the Christ name has been a history of the true and the false all the time: the spiritual and the carnal men who in the humility of children are subject to the law of Christ in all things, and men who are only partially subject, and who push with the horn and fight where the lambs submit or flee. The history of Europe shows us this history in its fulness: "fighting bishops" and "Christian politicians." They have answered a purpose in the development of things: they are a covering to the work of God, as against barbarians and Mahommedans they have supplied a system for the transmission of the Bible, &c. But they are no part of the blue and purple and scarlet and finetwined linen. They are a fabric of goat's hair. They are ecclesiastically organised, and therefore the goat's hair is divided like the first covering into separate curtains. But the connecting hooks are hooks of brass-not the golden hooks of faith, but a mere unreasoning assent to tradition. The loops were not loops of healing blue, but of the common hemp of sociality, which has no healing in it in the final issue of things. Their ten curtains would tell us may be of the ten horns that make war with the Lamb; and the eleventh curtain, of the eleventh or Papal horn that came up after the ten on the head of Daniel's fourth beast. This eleventh curtain fell over the east end of the tabernacle, just far enough to show over the door, but forming no part of the door. The Papal Church has been to the front all the while, as the pretended way of entrance, but those entering the sanctuary pass under the Romish mat of goat's hair suspended in front. They do not touch or pass through it; they touch the Christ-hangings of blue and purple, scarlet and linen, and pass through the apostolic pillars of gold. The covering of goat's hair was longer and wider than the linen

covering of blue and purple, so that when it was spread over the latter it concealed it from sight. The goat institution has always been the largest and most consequential in the world's affairs. The true Christwork cannot be seen for it. When men ask for the Christian Church, it is Rome or Canterbury that comes into view. The seed of the exiled woman, "who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," are not visible on the face of public life.

Over the goat's hair was spread a covering of rams' skins dyed red, and not divided into curtains, and without specified measurements. This would tell us of something outside the ecclesiastical arrangement. The material and the colour both speak of brute force. The rams were aggressive animals, and the significance of redness may be taken. as supplied in the answer to the question in Isaiah lxiii., “Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel?" "Blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment

I will tread down

the people in mine anger." Blood-shedding aggressive power would be the import of rams' skins dyed red. Where shall we look for this? "The powers that be" undoubtedly, which, as Paul says, "bear not the sword in vain ". -a sword ready to be unsheathed and bathed in blood at any time either in the enforcement of justice or the repulsion. of aggression. The redness being added to the skin by dye, would show that the function represented by the redness was not necessarily inherent in the thing represented by the skin. It would mean power to kill without obligation to kill. The skin government would possess the judicial and military powers at discretion, as in the permitted government of man.

But how could such an element have place in a divine arrangement of things? The objection implied in this question might hold good in reference to the perfect state of things contemplated in the promises of God concerning the earth; it has no force as against the temporary and imperfect institutions represented by the tabernacle. "The powers that be are ordained of God" for the time being, as not only Paul declares, but as Daniel informed Nebuchadnezzar: "God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will” (Dan. v. 21). Outside the false church is the State upholding the church, preserving the situation till it has answered its purpose: over the goat's hair is the covering of rams' skins dyed red.

Over the covering of rams' skins dyed red was the covering of badger skins or sealskin, that translators are not agreed which it matters not badger skin and sealskin are equally skin in a state of nature. Here is a covering outside of all coverings-one that bears the brunt of the weather, one that looks towards the sky, having had

no artificial treatment, no dyeing, no cutting up into curtains, no hooks, no loops evidently representing something that is the ultimate protection of men having divine relations. What can this be? What else can it be than nature-the goodness of God in nature? "His tender mercy is over all His works." "He sendeth His rain on the just and the unjust.' Even the natural sympathy of man with man, outside all artificial arrangements, is often a natural protection when all others have failed. "The earth helps the woman.' It cannot positively be said that this is the significance of the outmost covering of the tabernacle; but the trend of graduated significances from the holiest outwards would strongly point to such a conclusion. The tabernacle, with all its details, would then stand before us a complete parable of the way. of God with man during the world's troubled progress from darkness to light.

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CHAPTER XVI.-THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE.

HE Tabernacle did not stand nakedly in the midst of the people. It was fenced off from familiar contact by a wall from seven to eight feet high which stood all round it at a considerable distance from the tabernacle itself, enclosing an area of 11,250 square feet, forming a court about 150 feet long and 75 feet across with the tabernacle in the centre. The wall was not a brick wall or a stone wall, but a curtain wall of linen suspended on wooden pillars-the pillars standing in brass sockets let into the ground; each pillar ornamented with a silver capital, and a fillet of silver with a hook inserted, to receive the suspending rings of the curtain.

The material of the curtains is the first thing that challenges discernment as regards spiritual significance. Fine linen is invariably employed to typify righteousness (Rev. xix. 8; Psa. xlv. 14; Matt. xxii. 11-12). The whole economy of the Divine work upon earth of which the tabernacle was a veiled prophecy as well as a germinal commencement, is walled off by righteousness. The unrighteous world has nothing to do with it. "The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. ix. 6). "There shall not enter therein anything that defileth or that worketh abomination or loveth or maketh a lie (Rev. xxi. 27). The world in general lieth in wickedness: that which is prevalent in it is not of the Father" (1 Jno. ii. 16).

This linen-walled enclosure of the tabernacle tells us that the world is outside the purpose of God concerning everlasting things, or as Paul literally expresses it, "has no hope and is without God in the world" (Eph. ii. 12). It is a speaking testimony on this first and most unpopular of all first principles of the truth. People in our day are slow to recognise this simple lesson. They will listen to the doctrine of God's existence and admire the beauty of His commandments, and even applaud the gospel of the kingdom and life eternal. But when you tell them of an outer wall of righteousness which separates them as mere children of nature from the household of God and the future glory connected with it, they are incredulous, and worse -rebellious. They have been taught they have a right to the goodness of the world to come, "if there is one "—which is their doubtful way of expressing themselves. They have not realised that as sinners, they have no rights whatever except the right to occupy a grave, and