THE CITIES OF REFUGE. [Illustration: The Man-Slayer] THE CITIES OF REFUGE: OR, The Name of Jesus. A SUNDAY BOOK FOR THE YOUNG. BY REV. JOHN R. MACDUFF, D. D. , AUTHOR OF "MORNING AND NIGHT WATCHES, " "MEMORIES OFBETHANY, " "MIND AND WORDS OF JESUS, " ETC. , ETC. "How sweet the NAME of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear. " NEW YORK:ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, No. 530 BROADWAY. 1865. MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS, This little book contains, with a few additions, the substance of whatwas spoken one Sabbath to a number of hearers of your own age. It mayserve to recall to those that listened to it, and to unfold to those whodid not, some simple and well-known, but precious gospel truths. May He whose NAME it is designed to exalt, bless you in reading it, andenable you from the heart to repeat as your own happy experience, thewell-known verse of the beautiful hymn I have put on the title-page. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you. "--NUM. Xxxv. 9-11. I. When travelling lately through the Simplon--one of the great Alpinepasses leading from Switzerland into Italy--I observed, close by theroadside, at regular distances, a number of plain, square buildings. Onthese (sometimes over the doorway, sometimes on the side) were inscribedthe words--"REFUGE No. 1, " "REFUGE No. 2, " "REFUGE No. 3, " &c. I thinkthere were twenty altogether. I was told, on inquiry, they were intendedas shelters for any hapless travellers who might be overtaken by thesudden storms which so often sweep down from the snow-white mountainsbounding the prospect. These "_Refuges_, " at the time I saw them, wereempty, for it was in the beginning of summer, when everything, even inthat elevated region, was looking bright and green. The Alpinerhododendron was flushing, with its pink blossom, the mountain sides; orgrowing up, along with the lovely blue gentian, close by stray patchesof winter's snow which were still filling the ridges and hollows in thehigher parts of the pass. Seldom at this season are travellers exposedto any peril from an Alpine storm. It is different, however, in winteror spring, when the avalanches come tumbling from the heights, or thesnow is drifting in huge masses over that wonderful Road. Manyshivering wayfarers have fled with thankful hearts into these shelters. Some have been carried thither, in a state of insensibility, by unknownbenefactors, and on gradually awaking to consciousness, have blessed thekind hearts and hands which have saved them from certain death, and arenow ministering to their necessities. By others, alas! they have beenreached too late. Rescued from the snows of the mountain, they have beenconveyed to them only to die. As I passed those Alpine "Retreats, " I could not help being reminded ofthe wonderful _Cities of Refuge_ which God graciously provided of old inPalestine for the unfortunate manslayer. It sometimes happened, in the land of Canaan, as in our own country, that a Hebrew, without any evil purpose, would cause the death of abrother Hebrew. He did not intend to inflict any injury; it was theresult only of unhappy accident. But, nevertheless, to show God'sdetestation of the shedding of blood, he was liable, by the Leviticallaw, to be killed by the Avenger, or "Goel, "--the person nearest relatedto the murdered man. If he wished to escape with his life, his onlychance of safety was to flee to one of these Refuge-cities. It matterednot what his age, or name, or station in life was. He might be young orold, prince or noble, priest or prophet, he was exposed every moment todeath, unless he availed himself of the offered shelter. There was notime for delay, he must betake himself to instant flight. To lingermight be to perish. Do you not think with pity of the unhappy fugitive, obliged thussuddenly to leave his home and all he most loved on earth? If at thetime he caused the death, he was working in his vineyard, thepruning-hook must be left to rust on the branch. If he was ploughingwith his yoke of oxen, they must be left lowing in the furrow. If he wasbusied in his harvest-field, the sheaves must be left unbound, and thereapers receive their wages from another's hands. If he was returninghome fatigued at evening after the toils of the day, and longing forgrateful repose, he dare give no "sleep to his eyes, nor slumber to hiseye-lids. " His child may be lying pining in sickness at his cottage, butit may endanger him to return to clasp that and his other little ones inhis embrace, and bid them a fond farewell. He may have no time to alterhis raiment or take even his scrip or pilgrim-staff. The Avenger ofblood may be in the adjoining street, or in the dwelling hard by. Another hour may be fatal;--"Skin for skin, all that a man hath will hegive for his life. "[1] Off he speeds in breathless haste--now along thelevel road--now up the steep ascent--with his breast heaving, and dropsof perspiration standing on his brow. Friends may meet him, but with awave of the hand, and shouting "Goel! Goel!" he rushes on with fleetfootstep. Parched with thirst in the hot noonday, he turns a longing eyeon the ripe grapes that are hanging in purple clusters on the wayside, or on the water trickling down the narrow ravine. But he dare not pause. Knowing full well that the Avenger is in close pursuit, he hurries onwith unabated ardor. Happy sight, when he sees at last, on some mountainslope, the longed-for shelter! Happy, when, weary and footsore, coveredwith dust, the portals of the city close him in. A few moments before, had he been overtaken on the mountain-top by his pursuer, he might havebeen heard to cry out, in the bitterness of despair, "Hast thou foundme, O mine enemy?" Now, safe within the secure shelter, he canrejoicingly exclaim, even with the Avenger standing close by, "O thouenemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end. "[2] These _Cities of Refuge_ form one of the Old Testament PICTURES of thesinner, and of the coming gospel salvation. This was the way God took toteach the Jewish people great gospel truths. Just as we know thatyouthful readers like a story-book all the better when it has gotpictures in it; so God taught the early church, when it was in a stateof "_childhood_, " by means of similar _pictures_ or _types_; and thepresent was one of them. It represented, and still represents, thesinner who has broken the Divine law as pursued by an avenger: JUSTICEfollowing with drawn sword, exclaiming, "_The soul that sinneth it mustdie. _"[3] "_Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not escapeunpunished. _"[4] This is a picture, too, which applies to every one without exception, rich and poor, parent and child, master and servant; "for all havesinned, and come short of the glory of God. "[5] But a glorious CITY, "_salvation_ its walls and bulwarks, " opens its gates. The sinner isexhorted to "escape thither;" to "linger not in all the plain;" to"flee for his life, lest he be consumed. "[6] That city is _Jesus_, thesinner's Refuge and the sinner's Friend. Once within its walls, no enemycan touch him, --no sword can terrify him. He can triumphantly exclaim, "Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?"[7] Dear young friends, it is because I know this City of Refuge is open forthe youngest of _you_, that I now write these pages. I love to readabout a group of little ones who, eighteen hundred years ago, weregathered round its gates, asking admission; and when others, with unkindwords, were sending them away, He who held the gates in His hand, "_whoopeneth and no man shutteth_, "[8] said, "_Suffer the little children tocome unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom ofheaven. _"[9] It is because I believe and know that many as young as_you_ have obeyed the Saviour's invitation, and have already enteredthis happy City, that I ask you to come and hear while I speak to youabout it. I believe and know that many such have learned to feel thatthey are sinners, and that they need a Saviour. They have been taught byGod's own Word and Spirit that they have broken His holy law, and havethereby exposed themselves to eternal death. But they are now safewithin the Gospel Shelter. The "enemy" is "stilled. " The "avenger" hassheathed his sword. I think I can hear their youthful voices, as theymarch through the streets of the City, singing, "_Out of the mouth ofbabes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thineenemies, that thou mightest_ STILL _the enemy and the_ AVENGER. "[10]"_Blessed be the Lord; for He hath showed me His marvellous kindness in_A STRONG CITY. "[11] II. THE SIX CITIES. "And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. And on the other side Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the Tribe of Manasseh. These were the cities appointed for all the Children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever Killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the Avenger of Blood, until he stood before the Congregation. "-JOSH. Xx. 7-9. II. It is of these _six cities_ here mentioned, I am now going to speak. Thename of each of the six has something significantly to tell about THENAME OF JESUS. They are six pictures of the Saviour, hung up in the OldTestament picture-gallery. I am going to ask you to take a journey withme to these towns of old Palestine. Before we enter their gates, Ishould like again to repeat the verse of the precious hymn placed atthe beginning of this book:-- "How sweet the NAME of _Jesus_ sounds In a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear. " [Illustration: Kedesh] First City--Kedesh. If you look far north in the map of Palestine above the lake of Merom, near the snowy peaks of mount Hermon and Lebanon, you will see wherethis Refuge-city lies. Recent travellers describe its ruins as stillstanding on a rocky ridge in the midst of green hills, surrounded withthe remains of forts and castles built by the Crusaders in the middleages. It was situated within the tribe of Naphtali, and must have beenit great town at the time when the old warrior Barak, who was bornwithin its walls, marched from its gates to meet Sisera in the plainbelow with his nine hundred chariots of iron. What does its name tell of Christ? The Hebrew word KEDESH signifies "_Holy_. " Jesus was "_The Holy One_. "Not one stain of sin polluted His holy human nature. Angels in heaven, as they cast their crowns at His feet, cry, "_Holy! holy! holy_!"[12]Devils on earth were compelled to exclaim, "_We know thee who thou art, the_ HOLY ONE _of God_. "[13] Jewish priests, as they spake of Him of oldby types, took "_a lamb without blemish_. "[14] Jewish prophets, as theyspake of Him in their predictions, called Him "_The Righteous_ (_or_HOLY) _Branch_. "[15] Apostles, as they wrote about Him, said "_He was_HOLY, _harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners_. "[16] When He wasHimself on earth, He could challenge His bitterest foes, "_Which of youconvinceth me of sin?_"[17] And when He came down, soon after Hisascension, from His throne in the skies, we find Him proclaiming as Hisname, "_He that is_ HOLY, _He that is True_!"[18] Reader, remember this. Jesus never could have saved you unless He hadbeen "glorious in holiness. " If He had had one sin in Him, you and Imust have been lost for ever. Just as one leak in Noah's ark of oldwould have sunk it, so one leak of sin in Jesus, the true Ark, wouldhave plunged us all in the depths of eternal despair. Let us, then, loveoften to walk round the walls of KEDESH, and think of _our_ "City ofRefuge" as "_The_ HOLY _Child Jesus_. "[19] And when you ponder _His_ holiness, seek to be holy, as _He_ was. How Hehated sin! How He loved to do His heavenly Father's will! How gentle, and good, and kind He was to all! He never was angry, or passionate, orrevengeful. When a youth, at His early home in Nazareth, "He increasedin favour with God and man. "[20] Be _like_ Jesus in His _holiness_! Let_KEDESH_ be a word written on your young hearts! Whenever you are introuble or difficulty, or temptation, always ask, "How would the HOLYJESUS have acted here?" Turn the words of your well-known hymn into aprayer. While you say-- "I love the NAME of Jesus, Immanuel, Christ the Lord; Like fragrance on the breezes, His _name_ abroad is pour'd;"-- seek also to add-- "I long to be _like_ Jesus, Meek, lowly, loving, mild; I long to be _like_ Jesus, The Father's HOLY Child!" [Illustration: Shechem] Second City--Shechem. Shechem was situated at the extremity of a valley among the hills ofEphraim. The famous mountains of Ebal and Gerizim rose on either side, from the slopes of which the blessings and the curses of the law wereproclaimed in the ears of assembled Israel. If Jerusalem was thegreatest and the grandest of the cities of Palestine, Shechem wasperhaps the most beautiful. It is still spoken of by travellers as oneof the loveliest spots in the Holy Land, with its orchards of olive, fig, and pomegranate, and its flocks of singing-birds, which have madethe inhabitants give to the graceful slope on which it looks down, thename of the "Musical Valley. " I don't know if the streets in the oldentime resembled what they are now. The following is the recentdescription of a traveller familiar with them:--"The streets are narrowand vaulted over, and in the winter time it is difficult to pass alongmany of them on account of brooks, which rush over the pavement withdeafening roar. .. . It has mulberry, orange, pomegranate, and other treesmingled in with the houses, whose odoriferous flowers load the air withdelicious perfume during the months of April and May. "[21] You do notrequire to be told that _Shechem_ is a very ancient city, and that manyinteresting events in sacred story took place in connexion with it. Theearliest mention made of it is when the patriarch Abraham slept underits oaks, (the Terebinths of Moreh, ) when he came to Canaan from distantChaldea, and erected his first altar under their shade;[22] and one ofthe last Bible notices regarding it, is in connexion with the woman ofSamaria, when Jesus sat with her at "the well of Sychar, " and spoke toher of the better fountain, "springing up to everlasting life. "[23] What does the name SHECHEM tell of Christ? It is a word which means "SHOULDER. " Jesus, our Refuge, bore a guilty world upon His shoulder. The ancientshad a fabled Atlas, who was supposed to carry the earth on hisshoulders. Jesus Christ is the true ATLAS. "_Surely He hath borne ourgriefs and carried our sorrows!_"[24] All the sins of all His peopleJesus bore for ever away. Think of that heavy load which bowed Him downto the ground in the garden of Gethsemane, and caused drops of blood tofall from His brow! No other one _but_ Jesus could have carried such anawful load and burden as this. No angel or archangel could have done so. Jesus, being God, was alone "able to save unto the uttermost. "[25] He isthe only "sure foundation" that could sustain all the building. [26]With any other, it would have fallen into a mass of ruins. But I love not only to visit the old city of _Shechem_, and to think ofJesus bearing the guilt of His people on His _shoulders_, but I like tothink of Him as the true SHECHEM _now_. He is our _Shechem_ at God'sright hand. "The government is upon His SHOULDER. "[27] The Church andthe world are upheld by Him. Believers--the poorest, the weakest, thehumblest--are on the _shoulders_ of Jesus. He is bearing the weight ofthem all; loving them all, attending to them all, interceding for themall. All that befalls me, Jesus orders. Food and raiment, health andstrength, friends and home, are gifts from Him. Every tear I shed, Heknows it, He appoints it. If he sends me sorrow and trial, I will go andenter the gates of this city SHECHEM, and remember, "_Jesus_ (Jesus, whodied for me) bears me on his _shoulder_!" Moses speaks of God conducting the children of Israel through thewilderness of old as a kind father carries on his shoulder his weak andweary child. "_Thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as aman doth bear his son. _"[28] And David says in an hour of trouble, "_Iam poor and needy, yet the Lord_ (lit) _carries_ me on his heart. "[29] I like to look at that New Testament picture--Jesus, the good Shepherd, carrying a bleating sheep or lamb back on His shoulder to the fold. Thatpoor wanderer had gone astray on the dark mountains; but the great andgracious Shepherd had gone after it "until He found it; and when He_had_ found it, _He laid it on His SHOULDERS, rejoicing_. "[30] Young reader, what _perfect_ security and safety you have in Jesus, andin His Gospel City! Far, far more so than the manslayer had of old inhis. I daresay, even although he was delivered from the Avenger, theHebrew refugee could not help at times dreading lest the other mightcome upon him secretly. I daresay, at night, on his lonely couch, hewould sometimes dream of the Goel stealing beside his pillow, and hewould start from his unquiet sleep at the scaring vision. Not so in thecase of those who have fled to the "Gospel Refuge. " They can say insweet confidence, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; becausethou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in safety. "[31] He who is their"_Keeper_" says of them, "_They shall never perish; neither shall anypluck them out of my hand. _"[32] [Illustration: Hebron] Third City--Hebron. Hebron is the most ancient of all the cities of Canaan. It was as old, if not older, than Damascus, and was built seven years before Zoar inEgypt. After wandering about from place to place in the land of promise, pitching their tents and altars, it was here the patriarchs had, for thefirst time, a settled home. We need not wonder at their selection of theold Canaanite city, on the peaceful slope of the southern hills, nestling amid olive-groves and terebinths, and looking down on one ofthe most fertile valleys in Palestine, with its orchards andcorn-fields. On its eastern height is the spot which gives it to thisday perhaps its most sacred interest--the cave of Machpelah, where thedust of the patriarchs has reposed for four thousand years. It must havebeen outside its walls that the angels appeared to Abraham, when he wasseated at his tent door. The adjoining height is pointed out as theplace from which the patriarch saw the smoke of burning Sodom risingfrom its own deep valley. It was in Hebron David was anointed king overIsrael. It was amid its vineyards and mountain-slopes that John theBaptist grew up as a little boy, before he appeared in the wilderness ofJudea, to tell of One mightier than he, "whose shoe-latchet" he was"not worthy to unloose. "[33] What does the name HEBRON tell of Christ? In Hebrew it means "_fellowship_, " "_society_, " "_friendship_. " JESUShas brought guilty man into fellowship with God. On account of sin wehad forfeited this fellowship. We had made God not our friend, but ourenemy. We were cut off from communion with all that is holy and happy. Angels, in their errands of mercy through the universe, passed by ourworld; they could hold no intercourse with those who had rebelledagainst their Creator. Can none bridge this wide gulf which separatesbetween earth and heaven? Can no ladder be let down by which happyangels can descend once more on their visits of love, and fallen manonce more be raised up to hold "fellowship" with God and holy creatures? JESUS is the true HEBRON--the true ladder of Jacob let down from heavenand reaching to earth. Jesus has "reconciled things on earth and thingsin heaven, "[34] He hath "raised us up together, and made us sit togetherin heavenly places. "[35] We who were once "afar off" have been "broughtnigh by the blood of Christ. "[36] I trust many who read this will love often to visit in thought the oldcity of the patriarchs, and to dwell on its name and meaning, "_fellowship_. " Think of what _you_ would have been without Jesus, yourHebron-City of Refuge, --a poor outcast in creation, an alien from allthat is holy and happy. But by Jesus all is changed. God is yourFather--Christ is your elder Brother. In Him, God loves you, --angelsvisit you, --the Holy Spirit teaches you, --heaven is open for you. Youare enrolled as a citizen of the great _Hebron_ above--"the city whichhath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. " Christ has made youto be members of the great heavenly family; so that the little child wholoves Jesus, is brother or sister to the archangel before the throne!You may be deprived of human friendship and fellowship. The brother orsister, the father or mother, or friend you once dearly loved, may belaid in some earthly Machpelah--some silent grave. But rejoice! nothingcan separate you from a better friend and more lasting fellowship. Though all earthly joys were to perish, you can always rush within thegates of that mighty Hebron of refuge, and say, "_Truly our_'FELLOWSHIP' _is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ_. " "Earthly friends may pain and grieve me, One day kind, the next they leave me; But this Friend can ne'er deceive me-- Oh, how He loves!" [Illustration: Bezer] Fourth City--Bezer. BEZER was situated beyond the Jordan, in the tribe of Reuben. Althoughits precise site has not been discovered, we may infer that it wasperched on one of the many rocky heights among the mountains of_Abarim_, --perhaps a spur of the great mount Nebo, from whose summitMoses was permitted, before death, to get a view of the Land of Promise. The northern portion of the waters of the Dead Sea would be seen fromit, and the pastoral mountains of Judah in the distance. From its name, as well as from its being a border town, and subject to attack from thewarlike tribe of Moab, Bezer would probably be stronglyfortified, --similar, perhaps, in this respect to the towns in theneighbourhood, with which the Israelites were so struck on their firstapproach to Canaan, with "their walls great and high, reaching toheaven. " What does the name BEZER tell of Christ? It literally means "_stronghold_, " or Rock. Jesus is the believer'sBEZER. The sinner is in danger everywhere else, but in Jesus he is safe. He is invited to "turn to the STRONGHOLD" as a "prisoner of hope, " andonce within its gates, "though an host encamp against him, " he need"fear no evil. " What a mighty force _does_ encamp against him! There is _God's HolyLaw_, with all its terrible threatenings and curses. But sheltered inthe true BEZER he can triumphantly say, "It is God that justifieth: whois he that condemneth?"[37] There is _Satan_, with his artful wiles and countless temptations. Hewas once a bright angel himself. He knows what holiness and happinessare. But being now a wicked spirit, he would make others as wicked andunhappy as himself. He is spoken of in the Bible as "a strong manarmed. "[38] But Jesus is "stronger" than this strong man. If you havefled for refuge to this great gospel _Bezer_, seated within its securebulwarks you can joyfully exclaim, "_I will say of the Lord, He is myrock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whoseI will put my trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and myhigh tower. _"[39] There is your own _Wicked Heart_, with its sinful thoughts, and vainimaginations, and deep corruptions--for a man's worst foes are oftenthose of his own household. One of these heart-foes will tempt you totell a lie; another to swear; another to be dishonest; another to beselfish; another to be passionate; another to be unkind. But He that is_for_ you, is greater than they that are _against_ you. Safer than inany earthly castle, you can take up your warrior-song, "_The name of theLord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and issafe. _"[40] There are the _Trials and Sorrows and Distresses of this world_, --thosethings that cause sad hearts and tearful eyes. But that blessedSaviour--your Rock and Stronghold--"knows your sorrows, " for He feltthem. He marks your tears, for He shed the same himself. Fleeing to thistrue BEZER in the time of affliction, you can dry your tears and sing, "_God also will be a refuge for the distressed, a refuge in the time oftrouble; and they that know thy name shall put their trust inthee. _"[41] And there is _Death_, the last enemy of all. But even over this King ofterrors and Terror of kings, you can shout in triumph from your Divineshelter, "_O death, where is thy sting?. .. Thanks be to God, who givethme the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ. _"[42] And Jesus is a Stronghold for _all_. I have already spoken of the littlechildren of old rushing to its gates, --infants smiling fearless in theSaviour's arms. He combines the majesty of Deity with the tenderness ofman. If He had been the great God alone, you might have been awed at thethought of going to Him. But what says the prophet Isaiah of this trueBEZER?--"_A MAN shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covertfrom the tempest. _"[43] He Himself says in another scripture, "_I willturn mine hand upon the little ones. _"[44] In one of the great strongholds that were besieged in our last Indianrebellion, the Christian mothers were wont to hush their infants asleepby singing, "_God is our refuge and strength, a very present help introuble. _" My young friends, "_as one whom his mother comforteth_, " sois God willing to "_comfort you_;" and here is His word of comfort:"_The Lord is good, a STRONGHOLD in the day of trouble; and he knoweththem that trust in him. _"[45] In the old Cities of Refuge no weapons ofany kind were allowed to be made. Those who possessed them had tosurrender them. This is true in a nobler and better sense regarding theGospel Stronghold. There can be no deadly weapons forged there. Theiredge is blunted: "_There is now no condemnation to them that are inChrist Jesus. _"[46] Satan's armoury has been plundered; the "Strongerthan he" has "_taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted, anddivided the spoil_. "[47] I have said that the word BEZER means "_Rock_" as well as "stronghold. ""_Trust in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlastingstrength_, " or, (marginal reading, ) "THE ROCK OF AGES. "[48] May you notwell say, with your eye on this glorious "Refuge"-- "Dear NAME, the ROCK on which I build, My shield and _hiding-place_; My never-failing treasury, fill'd With boundless stores of grace!" "ROCK of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee!" [Illustration: Ramoth] Fifth City--Ramoth. RAMOTH was situated in Gilead, within the tribe of Gad, and somewherenear the banks of the brook Jabbok, where, you know, Jacob wrestled inprayer with the angel. It must have occupied a commanding position amongthe beautifully-wooded glens of Gilead, and, like Bezer, been stronglyfortified. We infer this latter from the many sieges it had undergone. Being not only, like the other, a border town of Palestine, but situatedin the direct route taken by the invading Syrian armies, it must havebeen constantly exposed to hostile attacks. You can think of Ramoth, then, among the hills and slopes on the otherside of the Jordan, with their forests of native oak, which the famous"_bulls_ of Bashan" (herds of wild cattle) roamed at large; while morepeaceful flocks browsed on the meadows which fringed themountain-streams. What does the name RAMOTH tell us regarding Christ? _Ramoth_ literally means EXALTATION. Jesus is the true _Ramoth_; He is"_exalted_ to be a Prince and a Saviour!" He was once lowly, despised, rejected, crucified, slain. He compares Himself to a poor outcast andexile amid these forests of Gilead: "_Many bulls have compassed me:strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me withtheir mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. _"[49] But having beenexalted on the cross as a _suffering_ Saviour, He is now exalted on thethrone as a _glorious_ King. "_God hath highly_ EXALTED_Him_;"[50]--angels exalt Him--seraphs adore Him--saints praise Him--theChurch on earth magnifies Him--the Church redeemed in heaven willmagnify and exalt Him for ever and ever! Young reader, delight often to walk around the walls of _Ramoth_, andthink of Jesus "exalted at God's right hand. " He is there pleading yourcause. Though exalted, He has not forgotten the lowliest or humblest ofHis people. He is the Greatest of all Beings, but He is the Kindest ofall too. The first time after His exaltation when He came down to earthto speak to the aged apostle John, John wondered if the glories ofheaven had altered His love and tenderness. He remembered how oftenbefore he used to lean on His bosom. When he looked, however, _now_, upon the glorious Being that stood before him in His lustrous garment, with "His eyes like a flame of fire, " "he fell down at His feet like onedead. " But the same gentle hand touched him, the same gentle voice hewas wont to hear so often in past years, said to him, "Fear not!" Howsweet for us to think that we have _exalted_ on the highest throne ofthe universe an unchanged and unchanging Saviour, an ever-living, never-dying Friend. "Though now ascended up on high, He bends on earth a brother's eye. " JESUS is exalted in heaven, and exalted by all the glorious family ofheaven. But, alas! there is one place where He is often _not_ exalted, but rather cast down, and that is the human heart. That heart has beentoo truly compared to the inn of Bethlehem, where there was room forevery guest but the Lord of glory! Ye of tender years, whom Christ lovedso much on earth--whom He fondled in His arms of mercy; see that it isnot so with you. "My son, " He says, "give me thine heart. " See that Heis enthroned there as Lord of all. Exalt Him in everything: in yourthoughts, in your words, in your deeds. Welcome Him, as the children ofthe temple welcomed Him to Jerusalem of old. Take up their song, andsing, "_Hosannah to the Son of David! hosannah in the highest!_" "When, His salvation bringing, To Zion Jesus came, The children follow'd singing Hosanna to His name. Nor was the Lord offended That children joined the throng; But smiled that they attended, And loved to hear their song. "And since the Lord retaineth His love for children still, Though now as King He reigneth On Zion's heavenly hill; We'll humbly come before Him To celebrate His praise, And while His saints adore Him, Our youthful voices raise. " [Illustration: Golan] Sixth City--Golan. GOLAN was situated in Bashan, in the tribe of Manasseh, among thepastoral hills north of the lake of Gennesaret. It formed the mostnortherly Refuge-Sanctuary on the east side of Jordan, as Kedesh did onthe west; but there are no particular events connected with it in Biblestory. What does the name of this last City of Refuge tell us regarding_Jesus_? _Golan_ literally signifies _Joy_. Jesus is truly the _Golan_ of Hispeople; they may have many others, but He is their "chief joy!" Well maythey call Him GOLAN; for not one joy could have ever visited them hadit not been for _Him_. The world would have been to them, from first tolast, a "valley of Baca, " (weeping, ) had not Jesus died for their sins, and saved their souls. Well might the angel say, when he came to theplains of Bethlehem to announce the Saviour's birth, "_Behold, I bringyou good tidings of_ GREAT JOY!" There is not one step the Christian takes but Jesus is GOLAN tohim--"joy. " He is straying, a lost sheep on the dark mountains, insearch of peace: Jesus meets him, and says, "_Your sins are all forgivenyou_;"--he is joyful at _that_. He is wandering a prodigal from hisFather's house: Jesus brings him to his lost home, and calls him Hisown child; and he is joyful at _that_. He has to travel a long anddreary journey ere he reaches his true home in heaven: Jesus gives himHis arm to lean upon; and he "goes on his way _rejoicing_. " He has manyfiery trials to try him: Jesus tells him not to think these "strange, "but rather to "_rejoice_, " inasmuch as He is "partaker with him in hissufferings. "[51] He has, at last, to walk through the dark Valley: Jesusmeets him there, and supports him there. He sees "the King in Hisbeauty, " and the land that is yet "afar off;" and, believing, "_herejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory_. "[52] When Jesusbeholds him from His throne in judgment, what are to be His blessedwords of welcome? "_Enter ye into the_ JOY _of your Lord_. "[53] Andwhen, as a ransomed one, he enters the streets of the New Jerusalem, atwhose feet is it that he is to cast, through all eternity, his crown?"In thy presence, " O Saviour God, is "fullness of JOY!" Young reader, love often to gaze on the walls of this City of Refuge. The sacred writer, in giving the list of these six cities, seems to havekept it to the last because it is a happy word, and speaks of the happyprospects of all those that love the Lord Jesus. Believe me, there is notrue _joy_ but in God. The joy of the wicked is like that of a noisystream--noisy because it is shallow. The joy, on the other hand, whichJesus gives, is like a great river, --deep, calm, ever-flowing, overflowing;--not full in winter and dry in summer, but full, and clear, and refreshing all the year long. It may be always truly said of Jesus, the great Gospel Refuge, and of those who have fled to Him, what wassaid of old about Samaria, "There was great JOY in that CITY. "[54] Itwas the object of all that Christ did and said on earth to give you thisjoy. "_These things have I spoken unto you_, " says He, "_that my_ JOY_might remain in you, and that your_ JOY _might be full_. "[55] Love Himnow, and serve Him now and follow Him now, that you may come at last tothe true Golan, in His glorious presence above, and "REJOICE_evermore_!" "Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing Thy power to save, When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave. "Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, Unworthy though I be, For me a blood-bought, free reward, A golden harp for me! "'Tis strung, and tuned, for endless years, And form'd, by power divine, To sound in God the Father's ears No other NAME but Thine!" III. THE GOSPEL REFUGE. "We have a strong consolation who have fled for Refuge. "--HEB. Vi. 18. III. And now, my young friends, we have finished the survey of ourpicture-gallery. We have wandered among these six cities in the old landof promise. I shall repeat their names once more, that you may rememberthem. KEDESH, _Holiness. _ SHECHEM, _Shoulder. _ HEBRON, _Fellowship. _ BEZER, _Stronghold. _ RAMOTH, _Exaltation. _ GOLAN, _Joy. _ What a complete Saviour! In Him "all fullness dwells. " In the case ofsome of these Hebrew cities, "not one stone has been left upon anotherthat has not been thrown down. " Owls are screaming amid their ruins, andjackals prowling for their prey. But not so with HIM of whom they weretypes. _Jesus_ ever lives! He never changes. Time and decay cannotcrumble the walls of the Gospel Refuge. He is "the same yesterday, andto-day, and for ever. "[56] I want, in this last chapter, to say one or two additional things to youabout the Cities of Refuge. Let me ask you to give me your earnestattention. The _first_ thing I wish you to remember is, _that all the preciousnessof that_ NAME _of Jesus, and all the security of the Gospel_ REFUGE, _is derived from the merits of His death for you upon the cross_. This is the truth of all truths, and one, too, strikingly taught inthese olden types. If you read the Bible account, you will find that themanslayer had his liberty restored to him _upon the death of the HighPriest_. [57] When the tidings of the decease of this great Head of theJewish nation reached these refuge towns, I daresay many of theircitizens would be heard, with wailing cry, mourning the loss of God'sfaithful servant. But the intelligence was very different to the captiveHebrew. It brought him joyful news! For that event enabled him to goforth from his banishment, and to terminate years of painful separationfrom all he loved on earth. The avenger could no longer injure him. Hecould return, happy and secure, to the comforts of his long-lost home. So, dear reader, it is the _death_ of _your_ great High Priest that haspurchased your release from spiritual captivity. The law can no longerhold you. Justice can no longer threaten you. You can go forth with theglorious liberty of a child of God, saying, "_Who_ is he thatcondemneth?--_It is Christ that died. _"[58] You can picture to yourselves, on the death of the Jewish High Priest, the Hebrew captive going forth from the city, within whose gloomy wallshe had long been enclosed. You can picture him, with merry heart, making the valleys through which he hurried to his native dwelling, echowith songs of joy! And shall not _you_, with happier heart and voice, sing this song as you journey on to your heavenly home, and see itgleaming in the distance, on the other side of Jordan-- "When from the dust of death I rise, To take my mansion in the skies, This all my hope--this all my plea, That _Jesus lived and died for me_!" The _second_ thing I want to say to you is, that _God has made thegospel City of Refuge easy of access, and has filled it with richprovision. _ He made the way as plain as possible to the manslayer of old. Thecities themselves were generally on a height, so as to be seen at a fardistance. The roads leading to them were carefully kept. They werebroader than others in Palestine, (sixteen yards wide. ) The Jewishmagistrates and judges went once every year to inspect them, and toorder repairs. Where streams occurred, there were bridges thrown across. Where there were angles or by-roads, posts with "_Refuge_" on them wereset up; and as there were no bridges across Jordan, three of the citieswere placed, as I have already mentioned, on one side of the river, andthree on the other; so that all might easily get at them, and none mighthave any excuse for not fleeing. The nearest city could always bereached by the manslayer in half a day. Moreover, we are informed therewere ample stores of provisions laid up in them. They were supplied withwells of water, and Levites were placed in turn as porters orgatekeepers, to be ready to welcome every fugitive into these homes ofsafety. So God has done everything for _you_, to make the Gospel Refugeaccessible. Your parents and ministers--your Bibles and churchesand good books--are all, just like these refuge signals, pointingaway from the cross-roads and by-roads of human reason, and humanerror, and self-righteousness, to the Lord Jesus Christ, andsaying, "Flee! flee! flee for refuge to lay _hold_ on the hopeset before you!" _Jesus_, too, the true Gospel Refuge, is full ofrich provision. "Ye are complete in Him. " He, as the true Joseph, gives forth out of the storehouses in His "treasure-cities, " toall His needy people. What are some of these provisions? There ispardon--peace--justification--adoption--sanctification, --strength forthe hour of weakness, --grace for the hour of temptation, --and the goodhope of everlasting life for the hour of death. No wonder that he saysto every poor sinner seeking admission within these gates, "_I am thebread of life: he that cometh unto me shall never hunger. _"[59] As in the cities of Canaan, so in this glorious Gospel-City of whichthey were types, there is a Well of living water. What is this? It isthe Holy Spirit. He is often in Scripture compared to water. "_If anyman thirst_, " said Jesus, "_let him come unto me, and drink. This spakehe of the Spirit_. "[60] This all-glorious well-spring, moreover, is notlike those of the Palestine cities, which were sometimes dried up inseasons of drought, but "springing up unto everlasting life. " Angels, too, are the porters, --the blessed warders that keep the gates of thisGospel-City. "_Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth tominister to them who are heirs of salvation?_"[61] They love to watchby these gates, and to welcome every wanderer. How gladly they give theword, "_Open ye the gates, that the righteous_ (those made righteousthrough the righteousness of Jesus) _may enter in_!"[62] It is delightful, moreover, to think, that just as the Jewish citieswere easily got at from all parts of Palestine, so from all parts of theworld, may people go to the Greater and more Glorious Gospel Refuge. Poor Pagan of the far East! cast away your idols; the gates of theGospel-City stand ready to welcome _you_. Indian of the far West! castaside your warrior spear and your offerings of blood, and flee to theportals of mercy and to the blood which cleanseth from all sin. Laplander of the far North, amid your polar snows! Negro of Africa, amidyour burning sands! rush to the provided shelter. There is salvationthere for _you_. "The same Lord is rich to ALL that call upon Him. "Happy prospect!--the time will come when the whole world will be foundsinging together the same song and uttering the same prayer, "_Open untous the gates of righteousness, that we may enter into them, and praisethe Lord!_"[63] Will none of my young friends rejoice if they are able, by aiding thecause of missions abroad, to help putting this "new song" into the lipsof those who are still "wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way, and have NO CITY to dwell in?"[64] * * * * * The _third_ thing I want to say to you is, that _no_ OTHER _Refuge willdo but_ JESUS. I would like you to take as your motto the simple and beautiful wordswhich a Sabbath scholar, I knew well about, lately gone to glory, wroteto his minister. "I am sure I may be very thankful to God for His greatmercy toward me. .. . _I must just keep in mind that there is one Refugeto flee to, and that is Jesus. _" There are many other refuges people try to take shelter in. They thinkthey will be as safe in them as in the ONE of God's providing; butthese will never stand in that day which will try every refuge of whatsort it is. I have seen some making their _own goodness_ their refuge-city. Theyimagined they were not so bad as others. They trusted in the fallingSiloam-tower of their own righteousness! I have seen some making _God's goodness_ their refuge-city. They said tothemselves, "God is kind. He surely will not deal hardly with sinners atlast. Justice, the avenger, will not surely always pursue with herflaming sword. The love of God will surely get the better of hisjustice. " Don't let Satan deceive you. There are many of _his_ refuges which_appear_ to be safe enough, but on which God has written "_Refuges oflies_. " There were many other towns in Canaan of old which _appeared_ to be asgood and as safe as those I have been speaking of. But no city couldafford shelter to the manslayer, excepting one of the six God hadspecially appointed. What would have happened if the fugitive of old, in fleeing from theavenger, had said to himself, "What is the use of my going so far awayas to Hebron or Golan? I would rather flee to a nearer place. I will goto Jericho, the old city of palm-trees; or to Bethlehem, in the hills ofJudah; or, better still, I will go to Jerusalem, the capital of thenation, where the temple of Zion is, and the palace of the King. SurelyI shall be safer far within its lofty walls and bulwarks than in one ofthese little cities of the Levites. Is it not said that '_God is knownin all her Palaces for a Refuge?_'" If he had done so, he would undoubtedly have perished. Neither King norPriest, nor Golden gate nor Beautiful gate, nor wall nor bulwark, couldhave saved him from the avenger's sword. The refuge-towns appointed inthe olden time may have been "the least amid the cities of Judah. " Butthey were God's selection, God's ordering, and that was enough. In them, and in them only, was the manslayer safe from the avenger of blood. And so it is with our Gospel Refuge. "_Neither is there salvation in anyother. _" Rejecting Jesus, we are lost for ever. All other refuges, however good or great or strong they may _appear_ to be, will prove onlyBabel-towers, that will fall on the poor builders, and crush them intheir ruins. When God told the children of Israel to sprinkle their lintels anddoor-posts with blood, they might have been foolish enough to say, "No;we shall do better. We shall not be content with doing so trifling athing; we shall rather build up great walls around our houses, so thatthe destroying angel may not get in. " Do you think, if they had doneso, their first-born would have been saved? No; there would have beendeath in every such household; these high walls would have proveduseless. Nothing but the red mark on the doorway of the dwelling wouldbe of any avail in warding off the fell stroke. So it is with the sinner. All the walls which pride, andself-righteousness, and good works can rear, will do nothing to keep outthe sword of avenging Justice. But _the sprinkled blood of covenantmercy will_; for "_the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth_ (andalone cleanseth) _from_ ALL SIN!"[65] I remember, many years ago, attending the deathbed of a young man inE----. He told me, one day, he had dreamt of being in a shop in ----Street, which seemed to be hung round with armour and coats of mail. Anumber of people in the shop were girding these on; while a man wasstanding with a drawn sword in his hand outside the door, ready to slaythem as they passed into the open street. One after another he cutdown;--the armour was no protection to them--their bodies were lyingdead and wounded on the pavement. In great fear and terror, the youngman said, his turn seemed at last to come, when he, too, must try tocover himself with the same armour, and rush out by the fatal door. Heknew not what to do. In looking around him, he observed, in theuppermost shelf, something resembling a web of coarse linen, lyingapparently neglected. He resolved to take it down, and wrap himself in aportion of it, instead of the unavailing sheaths of iron and steal. Covering his head and body, he darted out, following the footsteps ofthe others. The sword descended; but it bounded back again. It wasunable to pierce the linen covering. He alone was safe in that crowd ofdead and dying. Beautifully did this youthful dreamer apply his own "vision of thenight. " It was:--How vain are all the boasted sheathings of the armourof self-righteousness; and how safe and glorious is that "white linen"covering of the righteousness of Jesus! To the eye of reason, thepanoply of iron and steel seems the best, and strongest, and securest. Many will not "submit themselves to the righteousness of God, " andpersist in using the others. But they will be a poor protection againstthe sword of God's avenging justice. Happy are those who have been ledto look _above_ for another righteousness, and who have listened to theDivine injunction, "_Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ!_"[66] Reader, let me ask, is this your case? Don't think, because you areyoung, and have committed few sins, that you are safer than those whohave committed many, and that you have not the same urgent need to fleeto Jesus for refuge. In Canaan of old, the manslayer was in danger ofhis life, whether he had killed one or several. One single life, likeone single sin, exposed him to the fury of the avenger. Nay, more. The Hebrew fugitive _might elude_ his avenger! He mightmanage, for days, or weeks, or years, to screen himself from his wrath. He might go, as David did to avoid Saul, to some cave of Adullam; hemight hide in the gloomy recesses of some forest;--amid the oaks ofBashan, or the rocky gorges of the Jordan, or amid the cedar-heights ofLebanon;--in the words of Ezekiel, "dwelling safely in the wilderness, and sleeping in the woods. "[67] But it is different with the sinner and_his_ Avenger:--"_Vengeance is mine; and I_ WILL _repay, saith theLord_. "[68] Who can escape _His_ glance? Who can hide from _His_all-seeing eye? "If I should find some cave unknown, Where human foot had never trod, Even there I could not be alone-- On every side there would be GOD. "He smiles in heaven, He frowns in hell, He fills the air, the earth, the sea; I _must_ within His presence dwell, I cannot from His anger flee. " The _fourth_ thing I want to say to you is:--That _many young and old_HAVE _fled to Jesus, the Gospel City of Refuge, and have foundthemselves safe and happy there_. How delightful it is, year by year, to trace the footsteps of those, whether young or old, rich or poor, who have repaired to that blessedshelter! I shall close this little volume by telling you of _two_ such, now inhabitants of the better _celestial City_. Very different they werein years, in country, in outward position. But they were alike inthis, --that they fled in life to the gates of the Gospel Refuge; and toboth _the_ NAME _of_ JESUS was specially precious. The one was C---- T----, a little girl thirteen years old--the age, Idaresay, of some whose eyes are falling on these pages. I saw her whenshe was bright and happy in her adopted home in England--a sweet spot inthe county of Kent, on one of those wooded heights or uplands whichcommand an extensive prospect of the Thames, as he winds along, hearingon his lordly bosom the commerce of the world. Little did any thendream, that that little life, so full of promise, was to be earlytaken--her sun going down before it was "yet day!" So, however, the willof God was; her summons came suddenly, unexpectedly. Her disconsolateparents saw "the desire of their eyes taken away by a stroke. " The dearchild herself was naturally of a timid, reserved disposition; she feltmore than she said. Her kind, unselfish heart delighted in devisingplans of usefulness and carrying them out. The entire of herpocket-money was latterly spent in the purchase of little books for theinfant-school children--all of whom loved her much--or in publicationsfor loan among the elder Sunday class. She won the affections of old aswell as young. "The little lady who used to speak so prettily to us, "was the description given, with full eyes, by more than one of thevillagers who had known her loving ways, and heard her loving voice. Inanother neighbourhood still more familiar to her, she used to go to thecottages with her Bible, and offer to read to the inmates who mostneeded it; always putting her little hands together first, to ask forGod's blessing, and then making some simple remarks she thought might beof use. Those whose hearts most sorely mourned her, had the fullestassurance that the grace of God had been early poured into their dearchild's heart. But on thinking, too, on the past, they began at times towonder whether these pleasing traits of character and efforts to dogood, were really prompted by love to Jesus, or whether they might berather the effect of habit and the imitation of others. They anxiouslysearched among her little books and desk-treasures to see if they couldfind anything to confirm their fondest thoughts regarding this. Ibelieve it was even made the subject of earnest prayer to God, that somesuch precious testimony might be found. After all her other books hadbeen examined in vain, imagine what were the feelings of delight andthankfulness, when, as one day she who loved her best was taking thecover off her Bible, the two following letters dropped from it on theground:-- "B. PARSONAGE, _August. _ "MY DEAREST PAPA AND MAMMA, --I am going to write this in case I should go to that _happy_ land where sorrow is not known, suddenly; and that you may have _no_ fears about my soul. I know my state, and that my _precious_ Saviour has called me, and I humbly accept this _glorious_ invitation as a poor WRETCHED sinner. I _strive_ not to expect redemption by my own poor merits. I have no comparative fear of death, but as a passage from a wicked world to a happy, happy home. Though I am by nature very wicked, it is all washed away by my Saviour's blood. The Holy Spirit has taught me what to pray for, and how to pray. I hope all my dear friends will forgive me if I have been angry when they have spoken to me about my faults. I should like, dearest parents, whatever little money and things I have, to be given to the Church Missionary Society and the Bible Society. My dear Saviour has forgiven me all my INNUMERABLE sins, and so, dear parents, you need not fear about my soul. I believe my Saviour will _not_ forsake me if I trust in Him, and I know that all my righteousness is as filthy rags. --I remain, dearest parents, " &c. , &c. , &c. , "C. M. T. " The other paper that was found, was probably intended for her brothersand sisters. It is as follows:-- "When you are in trouble, go to God and tell Him all about it. TheSaviour who called little children to come to Him will listen to you, nomatter what the subjects be, if you be but in earnest and need His help. If you have a difficult lesson to learn, a hasty spirit to subdue, anunkind word to bear, a proud spirit to humble--whatever your difficulty, take it to God in the name of Jesus, and He _will_ help you. If even we, who see so little beneath the surface, are not pleased with outwardappearances without good qualities within, how much less is the greatGod who searches the inmost recesses of the heart? 'The Lord seeth notas man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lordlooketh on the heart. ' What we require is a new heart cleansed by theHoly Spirit, full of all the graces mentioned in St. Paul's Epistle tothe Galatians, (chap. V. 22. ) Oh! go then to JESUS and ask of Him inearnest prayer to pardon your sins, and to confer upon you the blessedgift of a new heart. " My young friends, have _you_ fled like C---- T---- to an all-graciousSaviour? Is the "_name_ of Jesus, " so sweet to _her_, equally preciousto you? Does it "soothe your sorrows, " "heal your wounds, " and driveyour tears and fears all away? Can you say, in the spirit of herbeautiful and comforting letter, -- "Till then I shall His love proclaim With every fleeting breath; And may the music of His _NAME_ Refresh my soul in death. " Having told you of one recently "fallen asleep in Jesus, " who had earlyrepaired to the shelter of the Gospel Refuge, I shall now tell you of anaged servant of Jesus who has, more recently still, entered on herglorious rest. She was a former parishioner of mine. Her home was a lowly cottage inone of the loveliest villages of Scotland. Poor in this world, and analmost constant sufferer, she was rich in faith, --one of "Christ'sjewels;"--her life was "hid with Christ in God. " If I could venture toname two peculiarities in her spiritual being which distinguished hermore than others, it would be these: Love for _the_ NAME _of_ JESUS, and a _Life of_ PRAYER. "His _name_, " to her, was "like ointment pouredforth. "[69] Often have I delighted to sit with her in her cottage, withher Bible on her knee, and hear her speak of "the _name_ which is aboveevery name;" walking about these six Refuge-Cities, "telling all thetowers, marking the bulwarks, and considering the palaces. " She hadherself long before, in early life, fled to the Gospel stronghold. Ithink her favourite city would have been GOLAN, "Joy. " Her heart seemedever to be filled with "peace and _joy_ in believing. " Doubtless much of this calm serenity and joy she derived from her lifeof _prayer_. It is no small matter for the writer of these pages toknow, that there was not a day for upwards of sixteen years in which hewas not personally and specially remembered by this lowly saint at athrone of grace. One forenoon during this past year, she had entered her cottage, carrying a pitcher of water down from the well in her garden. It was thelast time she crossed her threshold. When her door was opened, she was_found alone on her knees_; BUT _her spirit had fled_! PRAYER, as it hadbeen her ever fond delight in life, had been her solace and comfort indeath. Her last act was drawing water out of the better "_wells ofsalvation_. " She began with _prayer_, but ended in _praise_! She beganher prayer on earth, and "finished it with the angels!" Reader! when you come to die, could _you_ be equally happy, equallysafe? Would you be able thus to rejoice and triumph in the _name ofJesus_? Could you declare, with either of these two glorified spirits, before God "took" them, "_We_ HAVE _a strong city; salvation hath Godappointed for walls and for bulwarks_?"[70] Has the Holy Spirit taughtyou, as it taught them, that you are sinners by nature, and in a stateof condemnation? Have you heard God's voice behind you, declaring that"He can by no means clear the guilty?"[71] And are you able nowjoyfully to say, "I heard Thy voice, and I was afraid, because I wasnaked, and _I hid myself_?" Are you, like them, really "hid" _within_ the gates? The manslayer ofold required to be _within_ the refuge-city. Even if he were but onefootstep without, the avenger of blood could cut him down. It did notmatter _how_ near he was, if he was not _inside_ the portals! And so it will avail you nothing to know about Christ, and hear aboutChrist;--to survey the strength of the city's walls, the glory of itsbattlements, and the beauty of its palaces. It is "_the righteous who_RUNNETH _into it_, " who alone is "_safe_. " What more, in closing, have I to say, but to repeat the solemn word, "_Haste thee, flee for thy life_!" Every hour you put off, the time isshorter; the avenger is nearer; the chances of escape are fewer. Thereis no time for delay. I say this to the very youngest. I say more. Asyoung feet can run fastest, so it is with young souls. You will never goto Jesus so easily as now. Let nothing keep you back. It is said that ondigging up the ruins of Herculaneum, (the city that was buried under thelava of Mount Vesuvius, ) the body of a man was found in an uprightposture, in the act of running out of the door of his house to escapedestruction. He had a bag of gold in his hand. Others had escaped insafety. But this miser loved his gold more than his life. He hadreturned to fetch it, thinking he would have time enough to escape theterrible doom; but the burning stream overtook him. He was encased in aliving sepulchre. It was one, too, of the saddest incidents connected with these Cities ofRefuge of old, when some poor, breathless, panting fugitive--just whenhe was in sight of the city--when he had almost reached the gate, sankexhausted. Or perhaps the case of some other who had lain down weary tosleep, but who had been startled by the avenger at his side, and thedrawn sword gleaming before his eyes;--years after, the pile of stonesmarking the spot where his blood had been shed. But, oh, sadder, sadder far, for any, young or old, to perish withinsight of Christ! To suffer the love of sin, or the love of pleasure, orthe love of the world, to make them "too late!" To be _almost_, but not_altogether_ saved! To be cut down by the sword of wrath, or overtakenby the fiery stream, with heaven in view! God grant that this may not be the case with any one of _you_! I shall conclude with a happier picture:--The citizens in theseRefuge-cities of old, were sometimes seen clustered on the top of thewalls, watching the approach of the manslayer, and cheering him on whenfaint and exhausted. So, think of the happy citizens of the NewJerusalem: Patriarchs, prophets, saints, departed friends, who are nowsafe within its gates, watching you from these glorious heights, beckoning to you not to tarry, but to be "followers of them who, throughfaith and patience, are inheriting the promises. " "Verily I say untoyou, There is joy in heaven among the angels of God over every sinnerthat repenteth. " We have been speaking of the "_name_ of JESUS. " Read the motto over the gateway of all these six cities. Read the mottoover the door of the Gospel Refuge:--"_Neither is there salvation inany other: for there is none other_ NAME given under heaven among menby which the sinner can be saved, but _the_ NAME of JESUS. " _Jesus, my Refuge_! look on me: When weak and weary, worn, opprest: I cast my every care on Thee-- Thou art my _Rest_. _Jesus my Refuge_! guide my way, Dispel the gloomy shades of night, Oh, shine Thou forth with cheering ray!-- Thou art my _Light_. _Jesus, my Refuge_! storms may rise, Affliction sweep with tempest-shock, My spirit to Thy shelter flies, Thou art my _Rock_. _Jesus my Refuge_! legion-foes May seek to drive me from the field, But in Thy strength I shell repose-- Thou art my _Shield_. _Jesus, my Refuge_! Thou in store Hast happiness without alloy, Pleasures unmingled, evermore-- Thou art my _Joy_. _Jesus, my Refuge_! on the brink Of Jordan, in my latest strife, Thou wilt not suffer me to sink-- Thou art my _Life_. _Jesus, my Refuge_! oh, supply My every want, whate'er befall; Through life, in death, eternally, Thou art my _ALL_! ANON. THE ROCK OF CASTELLO. The Rock of Castello. As I was walking on a bright summer evening, among the Italian Alps, Icame to one of the lovely valleys of the Waldenses. These, perhaps Ishould tell my young readers, are a pious race of Christians, who have, age after age, boldly "contended for the faith once delivered to thesaints, " and kept the lamp of truth brightly burning, when all aroundwas darkness. This beautiful spot is surrounded by very lofty mountains, whose topsare almost lost in the clouds, while the little stream that murmursbelow has its banks covered with vines and mulberry trees, rich cornfields, and happy villages. When I first entered it by the Alpine passof La Croix, the whole valley was shrouded in a dense fog, with theexception of one bold and very remarkable Rock, which towered insolitary grandeur above the sea of mist, and seemed from its height likean island suspended in mid-air! Upon inquiring what this Rock was, I was informed it is a place famousin the history of the Valley. When the poor peasants were persecuted bytheir foes, their cottages and hamlets plundered, their lovedsanctuaries burnt with fire, and "all their pleasant things laidwaste, " they would retire with their wives and little ones up to thisrocky citadel, which the God of nature seemed to have reared as ashelter for His defenceless people. Within this Rock that same God had wonderfully provided for their safetyand comfort. It contains a large cavern, capable of holding many at atime; and in the very centre of this cave is a fountain of water, whichyields a never-failing supply. When driven thither by the storms ofpersecution, the exiles provided themselves with food, from theplentiful wild fruits of the adjoining mountain, so that the Biblepromise was made good to them, "Their bread shall be given them, andtheir water shall be sure!" Swords and cannon and other means ofdefense they had none, but a single man, stationed at the mouth of thecave, was enough to defy hundreds of armed soldiers. He had only to hurlfragments of loose stones (which were supplied from the sides of thecavern) down upon the foe, and they were instantly beaten back, thusfulfilling God's words to Israel, "Five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight. " Often, often, then, when the wintry tempests and Alpine storms, anddrifting snows, were raging fiercely around, adding to the terrors ofthe enemy, did these peasant warriors find in the Rock of Castello asecure shelter and retreat. With their fountain and blazing fire, theirBibles and their God, they would make the rocky cavern ring with praise. They "feared the Lord, " and had no other fear. He had "given his angelscharge over them;" and they could boldly make the challenge, "God is forus, who can be against us?" * * * * * When I heard about this Rock, which the "God of _Nature_" had uprearedas a citadel for his oppressed people, it reminded me of a better ROCK, which "the God of _Grace_" has provided for perishing sinners! Dear Children!--You are all, by nature, like these poor Christians ofthe Alps, the inhabitants of a Valley. It is called "_The Valley ofTears!_" Like theirs, too, it is a lovely valley, far too lovely forsinful man; but though lovely, its name tells you it is a _Valley ofWeeping_. Sin has made it so. And more than this, it is a _Valley ofDanger_, a _Valley of Death_! It is full of _Enemies_. I can not tell you them all, "their name isLegion, for they are many. " There are: THE WORLD. Ungodly men, bad companions, tempting you to sin, and trying to keep you back from fleeing to Jesus! YOUR OWN The enemy within, the worstHEARTS. Of all, because the most deceitful of all! SATAN. The great enemy, who goeth about seeking whom he may devour. DEATH. The last enemy, a sudden enemy, but oh! remember, a _sure_ enemy; other enemies _may_ come, He _must_ come, and the time of his coming is generally "at _midnight_, " when you least look for him! Methinks I hear my young readers exclaiming, If my enemies are so many, if my danger is so great, is there no place I can flee to? "What must Ido to be saved" from those enemies in this _Valley of Tears_? Oh!whither shall I flee from the "wrath to come?" Hear the voice of God:--He is pointing to a Rock rising from the midstof the Valley, and is calling aloud to you, "Flee to this Stronghold, yeprisoners of Hope!" Do you ask--When shall I flee? He answers, "_Now_ is the day ofsalvation!" Do you ask--May I not _wait_ a few years? I am yet a young inhabitant ofthe Valley. Death, if he be the _surest_ enemy, is the _last_ enemy;have I not yet time enough? God answers--TO-DAY! while it is calledto-day! "Verily, there may be but a step between thee and Death!" "Hastethee; flee for thy life. " Do you ask--But must I leave all the pleasures of sin, and so much thatI love in this valley of tears? God answers, "What is a man profited, ifhe should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Do you ask--But is there no _other_ refuge than this, no other means ofsafety but, amid storm and tempest, to climb to this Rock? God answers, "Neither is there salvation in any other! For there is none other namegiven under heaven, by which a sinner can be saved, but the name ofJesus. " Dear children, let this be _your_ prayer: "Lord, lead me unto this ROCK, that is higher than I!" Oh! with what delight does that Great God look upon children, such asyou, when they "flee for refuge to lay hold on this hope set beforethem;" and when they join their hearts and their voices together, saying, "Oh! come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noiseunto the ROCK OF OUR SALVATION!" But I would like to tell my Young Readers something more about thisGreat "Refuge from the storm"--this Great "Covert from the tempest. " Letus seat ourselves for a little in the Alpine valley, under the brow ofthe Rock of Castello; it may help us to some thoughts of the better"Rock of Ages!" I dare say many a poor Waldensian, when taking shelterin this earthly refuge, would be often reminded by it of the ROCK thatcan never be shaken! _First_, The Rock of Castello _is very High_. So is _Jesus_; so High, that He is called _the Son of the Highest_--"The Ancient of Days!"--"Godover all. " "The heaven of heavens can not contain Him!" _Second_, The Rock of Castello _rises from the Valley_: so Jesus rosefrom poor parents in this valley of tears. He "humbled Himself, " to takeupon Him our nature; so that "although he be HIGH, He might have respectunto the _lowly_!" _Third_, The Rock of Castello _was quite close at hand_; though lofty, it was always near for fleeing to: so is Jesus, the "Rock of Ages. " Wehave not to say, "Who shall ascend into Heaven to bring Christ down?""He is not far from any one of us. " Indeed, He is so very near, and sovery accessible, that the only wonder is that there should be any foundwho do not "flee to Him for refuge!" _Fourth_, The Rock of Castello _was wont to shelter many children andhelpless infants_; many poor mothers, driven from their homes, carriedtheir babes thither in their arms. Jesus, the living Rock, does thesame. He delighted, when on earth, to fold children to his bosom, andsay, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not!" Itwas neither His nor His "Father's will" that so much as "one of theselittle ones should perish. " He was so HIGH that angels adored Him; someek and lowly, that infants smiled in his arms! _Fifth_, The Rock of Castello _has a large cleft or opening in it, whichadmits into the cavern_. Jesus is a _rent_ and _smitten_ Rock! You canenter by faith _into_ Him only through His opened side. Oh! what asmiting that was, by the rod of God's justice! and yet, had there beenno such smiting, you and I, Dear Children, must have _perished_! _Sixth_, The Rock of Castello _was a Secure Hiding Place_. No other spotin all the valley could have afforded shelter but this. On any of thesurrounding mountains there would have been certain destruction to theexiles, from the Alpine snows, and fierce hurricanes and storms. Buthere, in their cavern, nothing could touch them, and if the storm raged, it spent its fury on the Rock! Jesus is, indeed, a _safe Shelter_, while every other refuge will prove"a refuge of lies!" The tempest of God's wrath, and the curses of God'slaw, are still raging fiercely all around. But what matters it? They cannot touch _You_, my Young Friends, _if sheltered in the Rock_! Upon thatROCK, eighteen hundred years ago, they exhausted all their fury. Jesusshelters and delivers you from that fearful storm of Law-curses, byhimself being "made a curse for you!" The tempest may smite _Jesus theRock_, but it can not touch those who have "won Him, and are FOUND INHIM. " _Seventh_, The Rock of Castello _has a Fountain in it_. Jesus, theLiving Rock, has opened a Fountain not only "for Sin, " but "forUncleanness. " He does not wish only to _justify_ you, by sheltering youfrom the Storms of the Law, --but He wishes also to _sanctify_ you, andfit you for glory. He does not only wish to make you _Safe_, but to makeyou _Holy_. The HOLY SPIRIT is this _Fountain_ in the Rock. Oh! DearChildren, bless God for this "Well of Water, springing up untoeverlasting life. " It washes, and cleanses, and refreshes you. Withoutit, your naturally _unholy_ hearts could never be fitted for the holy, happy heaven, of a Holy, Happy God. _Eighth_, The Rock of Castello _remains as it was to this hour_, whileall its brave inmates of past generations are no more. Jesus is an_Everlasting_ Rock, unchanged and unchangeable. This is still "His name, and still His memorial, " "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, andfor ever!" For six thousand years, sinners have been crowding in, and"still there is room!" _Ninth_, The Rock of Castello _was only a safe retreat so long as thosewho fled for refuge remained within its cave_. The enemy werecontinually on the watch, and to venture out, would be to _perish_!Jesus, the "Rock of Ages, " thus speaks to you, "Abide in me!" "Out ofme, ye can do nothing. " It is only "the Righteous who runneth _into_ Himthat is _safe_! To _abide_ in Jesus is to be secure from every danger, to _leave_ Him is _destruction_!" _Tenth_, The Rock of Castello _had to be fled to in the first moment ofdanger_. The only safety of the persecuted was in _instant flight_. Onthe first tidings of the enemy, houses, and lands, and vineyards, andall they possessed, had to be left, and, "forgetting the things thatwere behind, they pressed forward" to their Rock! Jesus tells _you_, dear children, your only safety consists in _immediate_ flight toHimself, the Rock of Ages! Delay may be fatal! The storm-blast isgathering, the sky is darkening, there is the distant muttering of thethunder. The enemy is on the march--Satan is watching--Death isapproaching. Already he may have strung his arrow. "Flee to thestronghold, ye prisoners of Hope, -- TO-DAY. " Oh! forbid that this should be _your_ history now, and your historythrough eternity (How awful are the words!)-- "They lightly esteemed the _Rock of their Salvation_!" * * * * * Reader!--Have _you_ fled to this Living "Rock of Ages?"--Have you madeit your prayer, "Jesus! Refuge of my Soul! Let me to Thy bosom fly?" And in _that_ bosom, and _that_ refuge, are you hiding yourself untilall Earth's "calamities be overpast?" The deeper you hide yourself inthe clefts of the smitten Rock, the safer you are. Oh! do you ever pauseand think that there is a day coming, when this Valley of Tears "and allthe works that are therein, shall be burned up?" When "God shall arisein the glory of His Majesty, to shake terribly the Earth. " When everymountain peak shall be black with tempest--and the whole valley shall bea sheet of living fire! Then (as I saw on the evening I entered thisAlpine valley), there shall be but ONE ROCK seen rising far above themist, and thunderings, and lightnings, and tempest! JESUS CHRIST, theRock of Ages! the Sinner's Refuge! and the Sinner's Friend! Many voicesshall be heard beneath in the valley, calling upon _other Rocks_, but itwill be to hide them from the "_wrath of the Lamb_!" The loose fragmentsof stone thrown down from the Rock of Castello crushed hundreds: "Onwhomsoever THIS STONE shall fall, it will _grind them to powder_!" Oh, when the voice of the Great Judge shall resound through the dens andcaves of the Earth with the Question, --"_Sinner, where are thou?_"--Howblessed if you shall be able, from your safe shelter, to reply, "Heream I, Lord! I heard Thy voice, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself!" Hid yourself! where? Hid myself in "THE ROCK OF AGES. " JESUS, MY ROCK. When the storm and the tempest are raging around me, Oh! where shall I flee to be safe from their shock? There are walls which no mortal hands built to surround me, A Refuge Eternal, --'Tis JESUS MY ROCK! When my heart is all sorrow, and trials aggrieve me, To whom can I safely my secrets unlock? No bosom (save one) has the power to relieve me, The bosom which bled for me, JESUS MY ROCK! When Life's gloomy curtain, at last, shall close o'er me, And the chill hand of death unexpectedly knock, I will look up to HIM who hath felt it before me, And cleave all the closer to JESUS MY ROCK! Companions may smile, and the world may deride me, And with the cold finger of ridicule mock; But no trial, nor coldness, nor death shall divide me, From the Shelter of Ages!--from JESUS MY ROCK! O Thou! who on earth, in the days of thy sorrow, Didst fold to thy bosom the Lambs of thy Flock, Prevent me (though young) putting off till to-morrow, In fleeing for refuge to--JESUS MY ROCK! FOOTNOTES: [1] Job. Ii. 4. [2] Psalm ix. 6. [3] Ezek. Xviii. 4. [4] Prov. Xi. 21. [5] Rom. Iii. 23. [6] Gen xix. 17. [7] Rom. Viii. 35. [8] Rev. Iii. 7. [9] Matt. Xix. 14. [10] Psalm viii. 2. [11] Psalm xxxi. 21. [12] Isa. Vi. 3. [13] Mark i. 24. [14] Ex. Xii. 5. [15] Jer. Xxiii. 5. [16] Heb. Vii. 26. [17] John viii. 46. [18] Rev. Iii. 7. [19] Acts iv. 27. [20] Luke ii. 52. [21] "The Land and the Book. " [22] Gen. Xii. 8. [23] John iv. 14. [24] Isa. Liii. 4. [25] Heb. Vii. 25. [26] Isa. Xxviii. 16. [27] Isa. Ix. 6. [28] Deut. I. 31. [29] Psalm xl. 17. [30] Luke xv. 5. [31] Psalm iv. 8. [32] John x. 28. [33] Mark i. 7. [34] Col. I. 20. [35] Eph. Ii. 6. [36] Eph. Ii. 13. [37] Rom. Viii. 83. [38] Luke xi. 21. [39] Psalm xviii. 2. [40] Prov. Xviii. 10. [41] Psalm ix. 9, 10. [42] 1 Cor. Xv. 55. [43] Isa. Xxxii. 2. [44] Zech. Xiii. 7. [45] Nahum i. 7. [46] Rom. Viii. 1. [47] Luke xi. 22. [48] Isa. Xxvi. 4. [49] Psalm xxii. 12, 13. [50] Phil. Ii. 9. [51] 1 Pet. Iv. 12, 13. [52] 1 Pet. I. 8. [53] Matt. Xxv. 21. [54] Acts viii. 8. [55] John xv. 11. [56] Heb. Xiii. 8. [57] Num. Xxxv. 25. [58] Rom. Viii. 34. [59] John vi. 35. [60] John vii. 37. [61] Heb. I. 14. [62] Isaiah xxvi. 2. [63] Psalm cxviii. 19. [64] Psalm cvii. 4. [65] 1 John i. 7. [66] Rom. Xiii. 14. [67] Ezek. Xxxiv. 25. [68] Rom. Xii. 19. [69] Sol. Song i. 3. [70] Isaiah xxvi. 1. [71] Exod. Xxxiv. 7.