like; or garments unclean, &c. And this impurity attached itself to the person so touching any thing of uncleanness, though it was done involuntarily, and himself unconscious of it. And the law which pointed to these acts of impurity, prescribed the modes of cleansing; some by bathing, others by sacrifice. No doubt many of these things had a gospel signification, and preached Christ the only laver and fountain for sin and for uncleanness. But what blessed views ought all true believers in Christ to have of these things, when reading at any time the law of Moses, in beholding the whole done away in the person, work, and finished salvation of Jesus. Think how dear, and endeared in every way, and by every means, is the Lord Jesus Christ when brought home to the heart, and formed "in the heart the hope of glory."

IMPUTE and IMPUTED. This word, and the sense of it, according to the gospel, forming so important an article in the faith of a believer, I have thought it highly proper that it should have a distinct place of attention in a work of this kind. To impute, is to charge a thing upon a person whether guilty or not, as the circumstances hereafter are proved, or not. Thus Shimei intreated David, that he would not "impute iniquity to him" for some former transaction. (2 Sam. xix. 19.) And the apostle Paul, (Rom. iv. 8.) declares them blessed to whom the Lord "will not impute sin." This is the general sense of imputation. But in the case of the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to his people, and their sins imputed to him; the sense of imputation goes farther, and ascribes to Christ, and to the sinner, that which each hath not, but by the very act of imputing it to them. Hence the apostle Paul explains it in the clearest manner in two Scriptures: the first, in 2 Cor.

v. 21, where speaking of this imputation of our sins to Christ, and his righteousness to us, he refers it into the sovereignty and good pleasure of God the Father. For speaking of Christ, it is used, "God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Here the doctrine of imputation is most plainly and fully stated. Christ is the imputed sinner, or rather sin itself in the total abstract, and in the very moment when he knew no sin. And the sinner is said to be righteous; yea, the righteousness of God in Christ; when in the same time he hath not a single portion of righteousness in himself, or in any of his doings. This is, therefore, to impute Christ's righteousness to his people, and their sins to him. The other Seripture that explains the doctrine is but in part, namely, respecting the imputation of sin. (Gal. iii. 13.). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." Here Christ stands with all the curse of a broken law charged upon him, as the sinner's Surety; yea, as the curse itself. And consequently, as in the doing of this, he takes it from his people; they are redeemed from it. The original debtor, and the Surety, who pays for that debtor, cannot both have the debt at the same time charged upon them. This, therefore, is the blessed doctrine of imputation. Our sins are imputed to Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us. And this by the authority and appointment of JEHOVAH; for without this authority and appointment of JEHOVAH, the transfer could not have taken place. For it would have been totally beyond our power to have made it. But surely not beyond the right and prerogative of God. And if God accepts such a ransom; yea, he himself appoints it: and if the sinner by

Christ's righteousness be made holy: and if the sins of the sinner be all done away by Christ's voluntary sufferings and death: if the law of God be thus honoured; the justice of God thus satisfied; all the divine perfections glorified by an equivalent; yea, more than an equivalent, inasmuch as Christ's obedience and death infinitely transcend in dignity and value the everlasting obedience of men and angels; surely, here is the fullest assurance of the truth of the doctrine of Christ's imputed righteousness, and the perfect approbation of JEHOVAH to the blessed plan of redemption. Well, therefore, might the apostle, when speaking of the faith of Abraham on this point, declare the cause of it: "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. Now (saith the apostle) it was not written for his sake that it was imputed to him: but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." (Rom, iv. throughout.)

If I have succeeded in thus stating the gospel sense of imputation, in the transfer of our sins unto the Lord Jesus, and the imputation of his righteousness to us nothing can be more blessed than the doctrine itself, and nothing more important than the cordial belief of it, to bring consolation and joy to the heart of every believer. IMRI. Son of Omri. (1 Chron. ix. 4.) There was another of this name in the church. (See Neh.iii. 2.) The name is from Marah, bitter.

INCENSE. In the old church we find great attention paid respecting the offerings of incense in the holy place. Aaron was enjoined to burn incense perpetually before the Lord. (Exod. xxx.

7, 8.) An awful judgment followed the sons of Aaron for offering strange fire before the Lord. (Lev. x. 1.) And the instance of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, is another proof of the Lord's jealousy concerning offerings made by fire and incense. (Num. xvi. throughout.) Through many parts of the Bible, we find the great regard had to the sacred nature of incense. And as the prophet Malachi was commissioned to tell the church, that in the days of the Lord Jesus, "incense should be offered unto the Lord from the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, with a pure offering" it appears, that the whole appointment of incense was intended as typical of Christ. Hence, the beloved apostle John, when he saw heaven opened, beheld the Lord Jesus beside the golden altar, with his golden censer, "to whom was given much incense, to offer with the prayers of all saints." (Rev. viii. 3, 4.) It is very blessed to consider how the intercession of the Lord Jesus, in his everlasting priesthood, was thus shadowed forth from the earliest ages of the church; and it is doubly blessed, when through the sweet influences of the Holy Ghost, the Lord's people are brought to live and act in all their approaches to the throne, under the censer of Christ's incense and righteous

ness.

See Heritage.

INHERITANCE.
INSTRUMENTS. See Music.
INTERCESSOR and

We

INTERCESSION. meet with but one passage in the Bible where the word Intercessor is used, namely, Isa. lix. 16. though by virtue of the office of interceding as our great high priest, it is a well known character of Christ. But though the name and title is but once mentioned, being implied in that of his priestly office, yet the Lord Jesus, in his sweet employment as

our Advocate with the Father, is held up to the view of the church in this most endearing character every where throughout the word of God. He is said "to make intercession for the transgressors when he was numbered with them and bare their sins." (Isa. liii. 12.) And the apostle Paul as blessedly points to Jesus in his priestly office, when he encourageth the poor sinner to come to him, because ❝he ever liveth to make intercession for them, and is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him." (Heb. vii. 25.) And God the Holy Ghost is careful to shew the church how the Lord Jesus carrieth on this gracious office. First by personally appearing, "in the presence of God for us." (Heb. ix. 24.) John saith, that he saw him in the midst of a throne as "a lamb that had been slain." (Rev. v. 6.) intimating, that his wounds still appeared fresh and flowing, to denote the everlasting efficacy of it. And secondly, the Lord Jesus carrieth on this high office not only by a naked appearance in the presence of, JEHOVAH for his people, but by pleading the merits and worth of his sacrifice and righteousness. Paul the apostle calls Christ's blood a speaking blood, (see Heb. xii. 24.) and so it certainly is; for if, as the Lord said to Cain, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground," (Gen. iv. 10.) what a voice must there be in Christ's blood, crying as it doth for mercy and salvation! Surely it speaks to God of God's faithfulness to his promises, and Christ's claim to his merits; and it speaks from God for our sure pardon, and all the blessings of redemption to JEHOVAH'S glory and Christ's and his church's triumph and happiness. Such are the blessed views of Christ in his intercessional character.

I would beg yet farther to observe, that this bless