The "Perfect Man," seen by John, was "clothed with a garment down to the Foot"; no elemental part of him was unclothed; but each

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had on his wedding garment, clean, and white, so that in this glorious Son of Man no nakedness could be discerned.

The next item that arrested John's attention in the glorious apparel of this royal and priestly man, was a Zone of Gold encircling his breast, or, in the words of the English Version, he was "girt about the paps with a golden girdle." This would answer to a breastband rather than to a girdle, which in the dress of the ancients belonged to the loins. But Josephus says that the priests wore the girdle upon their breasts, under their arms; that a kind of flower work was there represented, with threads of purple, scarlet, and hyacinth; that it went twice round the body, was tied before, and the ends hung down to the feet. When they were in the act of sacrificing, they threw this girdle over the left shoulder, that they might perform their office with the greater freedom. This, however, cannot have been the "embroidered girdle." This was attached to the Ephod's lower margin, and below the breastplate of judgment, and could not have been thrown over the left shoulder without removing the whole ephod and its appendages. What Josephus refers to must have been something else than "the girdle of the ephod." This was made of "gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen." These articles represented principles afterwards to be incarnated in the High Priest after the Order of Melchizedec. Aaron wore the representations upon his person; Jesus bore them in himself. The gold represents the wisdom of a tried and precious faith; blue, a cleansing principle; purple, the element of flesh; scarlet, the sin thereof; and fine, twined linen, righteousness. These principles were embodied in Jesus, as "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," as to character; yet "the likeness of sin's flesh, in whom sin was condemned" when crucified, as to nature; and the purifier unto righteousness of those who become the righteousness of the Deity in and through him. The gold and fine twined linen were embroidered through all the blue, purple, and scarlet, of this "curious" breastband with which the breasts were girded; so in the case of Jesus, though "made sin for us, he knew no sin," "yet was he tempted in all points like as we are, but without transgression"; wisdom and righteousness were intertwined in all his words and actions, according to the type. Thus "the body or substance is of Christ" (Exod. 28:2-21; Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 2:14; 4:15; Col. 2:17; 1 Pet. 2:24).

But when Jesus and his Brethren shall all have attained to the divine nature, even as Jesus hath already, the gold and the linen of the girdle will alone remain. The blue, the purple, and the scarlet, make no part of the garments for glory and for beauty of the Son of man, as beheld by John, because what John saw pertains not to the sufferings, but to

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the glory of the Christ, or Anointed Body. In regard to the girdle, Daniel tells us, that the Spirit-Man symbolized to him was "girded with fine gold of Uphaz." This Uphaz is the Ophir of other passages. In the days of the prophets it was the gold region of the earth, whence the most abundant supplies of the finest gold were obtained. The Mosaic "patterns of things in the heavens" were all of gold, or of precious woods overlaid with gold. Mere "wood, hay, or stubble" found no place there, any more than "in the heavens" themselves. The Cherubim, the Ark of the Testimony, the Mercy Seat, the Altar of Incense, the Seven-Branched Lampstand, the Table of Shew Bread, spoons, tongs, censers, hinges, staves, and so forth, were all of gold, or overlaid with gold. And beside all this, "the holy garments for glory and for beauty," worn by the High Priest, who officiated in this temple resplendent with gold, were brilliant with the shining metal and precious stones. Gold was chosen as the most precious of all known metals, to represent the most precious of "heavenly things" before the Eternal Spirit, namely, FAITH PERFECTED BY TRIAL, which is "much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be refined by fire"; and "without which it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6; James 2:22; 1 Pet. 1:7; 2 Pet. 1:1). It is the basis of righteousness unto life eternal; for "we are justified by faith"; the fine linen robe of righteousness is girded about the saints by the golden girdle of a tried faith. "When God hath tried me," saith Job, "I shall come forth as gold." Thus David, in celebrating the future glory of the New Order of Elohim, consisting of the King and his Brethren, styles the latter "the Queen," in Psalm 45:9, saying to His Majesty, "the Queen hath been placed at thy right in fine gold of Ophir." He then addresses the Consort of the Great King, who, being the Eternal Spirit manifested in David's Son, is both Father and Husband of the Bride, (thy maker is thine Husband; Yahweh Tz'vahoth is his name; the Elohim of the whole earth shall He be called -- Isai. 54:5), saying, "Hear, O Daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; and forget thy nation, and the house of thy father; and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty; for He is thy Lord, therefore do thou homage unto him. So the Daughter of Tyre with tribute, the rich of the people, shall supplicate thy favor. The daughter of the King is all glorious within; her clothing is of interweavings of gold; in embroideries she shall be conducted to thee; the Virgins, her companions, following her, shall be brought to thee. They shall be conducted with joyous shouts and exultation; they shall enter into the palace of the King."

Thus David sings of "the Spirit and the Bride," clothed in the holy garments of righteousness and of a tried and perfected faith, for glory

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and for beauty. They are apocalyptically represented as "like a Son of Man;" as "a great city," styled "the Holy City, New Jerusalem, having been prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband"; "a city of pure gold, like to transparent crystal"; "the precious sons of Zion," saith the prophet, "are comparable to fine gold;" for in their glory they are the Spirit-Incarnations of a tried and precious faith, which is the shining girdle of their ephod.

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