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as an intercessor entering w ithin th e veil and th e refugee safe beneath th e protection of his prayers. The death of our High P rie st Jesu s Christ was an en tering w ithin th e veil which gives protection to all who tak e refuge in th e place God appointed. C h rist O ur Refuge. There is a strong resemblance between th e city of refuge and th e gos pel way of salvation. They both tell of shelter from th e fatal stroke of the avenger; both are a place of refuge for th e most guilty. Jesus Christ came into th is world to be our City of Refuge— a Refuge from all dangers and th e conse quence of our own acts. The Cities of refuge were easy of access,. no p a rt of th e country being more th a n a half day’s jo u rn ey , Christ is in our m idst. No tim e is needed to reach Him. The h e a rt can su rrend er in an in stan t and safety resu lt. The refugee Was lo st unless he entered th e city; Christ, our Refuge m ust be en tered to secure safety. You may be inclined tow ard Christianity and you may know th e tru th of it, b u t th a t is not enough. As th e fugitive m ust enter th e city to be safe, so m ust th e sinner be in Christ. Rom. 8:1. The Cities of Refuge were available for every in h a b ita n t in th e land— strang ers and sojourners as well as th e residents. God is no respecter of persons. He gave Jesus Christ th a t “whosoever believeth on Him— m ight have everlasting life.” The gates of the cities were always open and th e way to them plainly shown. Jesus ever liveth to make intercession and th e way has been made plain and easy for anyone who believes him self to be a sinner. “ Believe on th e Lord Jesus Christ and thou sh a lt be saved.” There was no specially appointed tim e for entrance to th e city. The need of a hiding place indicated th e time. A re you outside th e shelter of Jesus Christ? “ Behold, now is th e accepted
Separated' from us by so many cen tu ries, w ith m anners and customs so different from our own, th e affairs of th e Children of Israel p resen t a peculiar fascination for us. I t MY CLASS is in teresting to note OF GIRLS i the way in which they C lara Sffliman dealt w ith th e prob lems of th e ir day— problem s no t unlike ours in character b u t in mode of trea tm e n t widely differ ing. We study today abou t th e cities of refuge which God provided for th e protection of those who h ad tak en life unintentionally. The Avenger of Blood. F rom th e earliest tim es, th e re was no general government to enforce the law among th e trib es and to exact ju s tice when men comm itted crimes again st each other, and so th e re grew up a custom of blood revenge. When blood was shed, blood was to be shed. Death was th e penalty w hether th e act was in ten tional or accidental, and the nearest relative of th e in ju red person was th e one whose duty it was to settle th e account. The Six Cities of Refuge. Even in th e d ark e st hour, God sends some ray of light. A t His command six cities, conveniently placed in different p arts of th e country so they could be easily reached, were appointed as a pro tection for any slayer till he was de clared guilty or not. You see vengeance had to be under th e direction of th e law. God regard s hum an life as a sacred th ing and any attem p t to ta k e it a most serious crime. If th e m u rder was accidental, th e slayer was en titled to a dwelling place in th e city, having its protection, though confined as a prisoner a t large. If he left th e city, he n atu ra lly lost protection. H ere he was to rem ain for life unless perhaps th e H igh P rie st died before he did, in which case he m ight re tu rn to his own city as a free man. The H igh P rie st was to be though t of
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