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saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. The heavenly substance of which this tabernacle was the shadow and pattern, is now exhibited to us under the gospel; and we may trace the lines of the true tabernacle if we attend to the form of that which represented it. The first part of the tabernacle, in which the daily ministrations were performed, was a figure of this world, in which temporary and mortal priests perform the services of God. Beyond the vail there was another tabernacle, called the holiest of all, or as the Hebrew speaks, the Holy of Holies. This sacred place was open only to the high priest, who entered into it with the blood of the yearly sacrifice. When Christ by his death, which rent the vail of the temple, had opened a way into the heavenly sanctuary, then was the truth of this yearly service accomplished, and he passed from officiating as a priest upon earth, to appear with the merits of his blood for us in heaven, before the presence of God. And thus the apostle explains it.Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. In which words it is plainly implied, that he did truly once for all, what

Aaron

Aaron the high priest did every year; therefore what Aaron did foreshewed what he should do; and if so, the person of Aaron was a figure of his person. That it was no more than a figure for the time then present, and that Aaron was not the true intercessor, which the people of God were taught to expect, was evident from the repetition of his sacrifices year by year; which shewed, that of themselves they were ineffectual: every succeeding yearly offering and atonement shewed the inefficacy of what had gone before. Supposing they had answered the end of propitiation, the apostle puts the question, would they not then have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins*, that is, they might have pleaded in the sight of God the effect of what had passed, if it had been effectual; but it was repeated continually; therefore it was not effectual; it was only descriptive or exhibitory of that sacrifice, which in the fulness of time should be effectual to the putting away of sin. And this reminds us of the difference between the high priest of the tabernacle, and the high priest of the true sanctuary; that the latter was both priest and sacrifice. And it was necessary he should be

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so; for the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sins: the cattle upon a thousand hills could not make an atonement for one sinner.

There is indeed no visible relation, in the eye of human reason, between the death of a sheep and the pardon of sin: but that Christ, a per fect man, the accepted and beloved son of God, should shed his blood to save our souls; in that there is so much sense, that it is the very and the power of God.

wisdom

It has been made a question, by those who question every thing, whether sacrifices were of divine institution. But sacrifices are descriptive z and as the thing described is the redemption of man by the shedding of the blood of Christ, which never could be known but by revelation; the supposition, that sacrifice could be of human invention, is an absurdity. It is as if we were to imagine, that words could be invented by those, who had no knowledge of things; or that signs could be brought into use without any prior idea of the things signified. The knowledge of a redeemer was first given to man; and the observation of sacrifice was the expression of that knowledge by a significant act. All mankind were derived from these to whom this knowledge was first given; and therefore all nations of the world, in all times of the world,

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did

did in some form or other retain the observation of sacrifice, for the putting away of sin.

The third character under which the Son of God was foreshewn to us under the law, is that of a conqueror. As Joshua, whose name is also Called Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ was to become the captain of our salvation; to subdue our spiritual enemies, and put us into possession of the heavenly Cannaan. The person of Joshua, and his acts, and the effects of his commission, are all descriptive of the things to be accomplished by the true Jesus.He was the successor of Moses, as the gospel cometh after the law; and carried into effect what the law could not accomplish, but only exhibited in prospect; as Moses died on Mount Nebo, with only a distant view of the Holy Land. After the death of Moses, a new generation of people, under the command of Joshua, were conducted to many signal victories, which opened a way to the promised inheritance, that* rest which was to put a period to their wanderings in the wilderness. As the Saviour of the Hebrews, he was honoured with that very name which was afterwards given to him, who came after Moses, to be the Saviour of the world. Joshua knew the excellence of that country

* Chap. iv. 8.

country to which he was leading the people, and encouraged them to press forward to the enjoyment of it, through all the dangers of which they were afraid. The land, says he, is an exceeding good land: if the Lord delight in us then he will bring us into this land and give. it us, a land which floweth with milk and honey -fear ye not the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. And so it came to pass; the mighty inhabitants of the land fled before them, and the walls of Jericho fell down flat, after the priests had encompassed it with the ark, and blown with the rams horns, as they had been commanded. All this was fulfilled at the wonderful propagation of the gospel under the conduct of Jesus Christ. The powers of the world were all against it; but the sound of the gospel from the mouths of the apostles prevailed against them all. Weak and contemptible as the means might appear which God had appointed, the end was answered. Idolatry was overpowered: Satan was cast out of his strong holds, which he had so long possessed in peace; and the kingdom of the world became the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

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Here it is a wonderful thing to consider, that

VOL. IV.

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the

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