tinuance of the ambassadors of Christ shows
that God is waiting to be gracious. They who despise their messages
declare themselves his enemies. Like the recal of an envoy, which
betokens approaching hostilities, the removal of the servants of Christ
from among a people, declares that the Lord is about to deal with them
as his foes. When Churches become corrupt, this is the case. When the
righteous are removed from among them, and the ecclesiastical
constitution is in opposition to his will, the whole body is out of
Covenant, and what was the temple of God becomes the receptacle of
idols. When the Lord was angry with his professed people, he suffered a
lying spirit to enter the mouth of their prophets. And to the people as
a whole, in token of their rejection, he said, "Thou shalt be no priest
to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget
thy children."[713] But notwithstanding the defections of many such, the
Lord will raise him up a faithful priesthood. It is expressed in the
anticipation, "The children of thy servants shall continue, and their
seed shall be established before thee;"[714] and pledged in the promise,
"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Hence the
encouragement, "I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which
shall feed you with knowledge and understanding;"[715] and the duties
defined, "The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek
the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of
hosts."[716]

Those faithful to the covenant of the priesthood are approved, while
the desecrators thereof are fearfully condemned. How encouraging the
approbation, "Ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you,
that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My
covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the
fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of
truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he
walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from
iniquity!" And how cheering the promise, in its ultimate spiritual
reference not less applicable to the whole spiritual priesthood than it
was primarily to the sons of Aaron!--"But the priests the Levites, the
sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of
Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto
me."[717] But denounced are the others t