essence, but they are intended to teach us the relations God-the incomprehensible God of love-has been pleased to assume towards us. When I read of the Father, that is God for me; when I read of the Son, that is God with me; when I read of the Spirit, that is God in me. Again, when I read of the Father, that is God my portion; when I read of the Son, that is God my title; when I read of the Holy Ghost, that is God my power. I want a power to enable me to enjoy the portion, as well as a title to the portion. And God, the God of love, gives me all.

Observe, then, friends, we have revelation of the Trinity in the passage I have read to you-in connection with worship: the whole Trinity is engaged in our worship. "Through Him (i.e., Christ) we both have access by one Spirit (ie., the Holy Ghost) to the Father." And there is no worship acceptable to God but this; there is no order of worship God acknowledges but this; there is no form God acknowledges but this form; there is no uniformity of worship God acknowledges but this. There may be uniformity, people may bend to the same bonds, may utter the same sounds; but this is not God's order of worship. "Through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." This is the order He accepts, and I suppose we all admit God is the best authority on the subject. And not only in worship, but in all God's descendings to us, and our ascendings to God, this is the order. He never comes down to us but through the Son by the Spirit; and we never ascend to the Father but through the Son by the Spirit. This is God's order.

Now it strikes me if we were only to consider the ex

pressions we have in the Word of God, describing the worship of the people of God, we should understand it better. There is something unutterably grand about the very expressions. Now, take one or two of them. “He that cometh to God." (Heb. xi. 6.) Try and grasp that idea, coming unto God-not coming to the ark,-that was a great privilege, in the estimation of Israel of old— but oh! it is coming unto God. That is something more than the ark, friends. It is not, Come to the glorious cloud. It was a great privilege when Israel had the Shekinah in the midst of them, and when God, from the midst of that cloud, spoke to them; but the Church of God, through Christ, come unto God. It is not as in olden times coming to sacrifices, but it is coming to God, coming to Himself, every barrier removed, every veil rent to fragments, and every separating medium put away as far as the east is from the west; heaven opened, the blood sprinkled, and we coming to GOD. What a wondrous and stupendous thought, if one just takes it this way again-" drawing nigh unto God." (Heb. vii. 19.) Oh, friends, what is it to draw nigh unto God? What language can define how nigh? I cannot tell how nigh? There is nothing on earth to illustrate to us how nigh. The husband and wife are nigh, but not so nigh as this; the head and members are nigh, but not so nigh as this. As I said before, Christ could get no illustration suiting it, but this:-The union between the Father and the Son. The Lord illustrates thus how nigh we are made by the blood of Christ.

And, again, we have worship described in our text as access to the throne of grace, access to God the Father

And how

Prayer is

upon the throne of grace. And you know that word access" is a wondrous word. It is manuduction; the Lord Jesus Christ taking one by the hand as it were, and bringing one up through the ranks of angelsto what? Bringing us to the very presence of God, to His very bosom-yes, to the very heart of God. We have access by the Spirit unto the Father, and for two objects to get what we want, that is one thing: and to bring Him praise and glory, honour, thanksgiving, and homage, for what He is, and for what He has done, is the other thing. Oh! prayer, prayer, friends, is one business we have when we draw nigh to God. little we realise at any time what prayer is. seed sown in the ear and heart of God. Seed sown by the husbandman in the earth may often, for a long time, not appear, or, it may be, never; but the seed sown in the ear and heart of God, no mistake about that seed; it will appear. There is not a request we present Him by Jesus which God does not lay by Him; He may answer it when His wisdom dictates and when His love suggests that His child needs it; "My times are in Thy hands." Ah! how little we realise what prayer is--the Holy Ghost returning by the very way by which He descended, even through the rent veil by the crucified body of Jesus, with the story of my burdens, my conflicts; my anxieties, my fears-my distresses, my emptiness, and my wants—that all may be supplied out of the fulness at God's right hand. That is prayer. "Through Him we have access." But we go up with something, as well as for something—with praise, with honour, with thanksgiving. And we are not alone when we go up with prayer and thanksgivings unto our God. The

angels that excel in strength, they praise Him; the hierarchies of heaven, they praise Him; creation praises Him; sun and moon, and snow, and vapour, storm and wind, fulfilling His word; but the sweetest song, the highest note, that which thrills most in the heart of the Father, is the praise of His children.

"Through Him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father." "We." Who are we? What are we? The description is given in the context, "strangers," aliens "afar off," but now made nigh by the blood of the Lamb. No more "strangers," no strangers to-day, no strangers to-morrow; and when earth and all things in it that are contrary to God are about to be burnt up no strangers then, but fellow-citizens with the saints. Fellow-citizens of the city of which it is written, "It needs no sun, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Rev. xxi. 23.) Fellowcitizens where the pure river of the water of life, proceeding from the throne, makes glad the city of our God -citizens of the city where Jesus is the King, where Jehovah is all and in all, partakers of its privileges, entitled to its immunities, defended by its laws, sheltered by its Sovereign. Fellow-citizens with the saints-saints that have gone before, and saints that are now in the body, all washed in the same blood, and quickened by the same Spirit, all children of the same Father. Fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God. Oh! if we are of the household of God we are well off. The household of God is well provided for-well watched over. We, fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, who were so far off-we know

not how far off-but are now more nigh than we were ever far off.

Now look at the next words, "Through Him." Precious words! Our privilege to worship God is altogether bound up in Christ. It is only as we have an entrance through Him, His glorious Person; it is only as we are identified with His work, that we have any title to worship God; any title to come nigh, or take His blessed name on our lips. There is no prayer, no worship, but by those who are in Him, and those who live in Him. This privilege is given unto us, and it cost Him His blood.

You remember in the 27th chapter of Matthew, we have a miracle, connected with the cross of Christ, illustrating its benefits. We read at the 50th verse, that when Jesus "had cried again with a loud voice, He yielded up the ghost. And behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom." There was access where hitherto there had been no access to the most holy place. Look at Heb. ix. 6, "When these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle . . . but into the second went the high priest alone once every year. The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest." It was but an image, a figure. No priest had been able hitherto to bring a man into the holiest, no sacrifice had ever been offered that could have introduced a man into the holiest ; no incense had ever burnt that could cover a man as he entered the holiest.

Now look at the other passage, and see the contrast (Heb. x. 19), "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to

H