2 meaning that Covenant which compre hends the Ages; and the Gospel is proclaimed everlafting (y) by the Angel. * To this daily feeding on the Flesh and Blood of the typical Lamb, our Lord refers, whenever he speaks of his own Flesh and Blood, which is from higher Principles than the Elements of this World: for he continually introduces the Language of the Law, and explains its glorious Senfe by himself, who is the Truth, the Life and Spirit to all the Shadows and Figures of Mofes and in this continual Ufe of the Terms and Expreffions of the Law, and of References to their typical Rites and Ceremonies, he is followed by his Apoftles; and by Paul, Peter, The Adjective loss, cannot bear any other Sense than the Subftantive alwv, from which it is derived and this laft, it is confeffed, fignifies Saculum, an Age, or a long Duration of Time. Ages under the Gospel have respect to the Types and Shadows of the seven Days, and new Moons, and fabbatical Years; and in regard to Chrift, they point out that Time, when he shall deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 27, 28, 29. (y) Rev. xiv. 6. Peter, and John, in a more close adherence to the legal Figures and Images. Now, no Words could be more explicit, both as to the Appointment of one Lamb, and as to the extent of Redemption by the Means of his moft precious Blood, than the prophetical Action and Rite of offering this Lamb without any Intermiffion, through every Day of that Difpenfation, to the End of all the Shadows which concluded in the great Year of Jubilé. And this will be fufficient to fhew the Reafon of one Lamb for the daily Oblation, and for the Food of Ifrael out of the perpetual Fire; from which the Lord did in a Figure represent his Manner of nourishing his People by the Flesh and Blood of himself. As Fire is the Principle and Root of all Life, Motion and Senfation; as even the most exalted Life of the Seraphim, or Angels of the Prefence of God, is denoted by an Hebrew Word which properly fignifies to burn: therefore the royal Prophet in fpeaking of the most excellent Beings about the Throne, explains the true Senfe of Seraphim; he (2) maketh his Angels Spirits, even his Minifters a Flame of Fire. Indeed in this Power, or Effence, the first Motion, the first Wheel of Life and Senfation begins in all living Creatures: it is the Sun and Monarchin every thing that hath breath; it burns, it fhines, it warms and impreg nates * all Bodies, or Vehicles, all Garments or Veffels, as long as thefe latter can endure its unwearied Operation, and felfmoving Activity. We fhall now, in the fecond Place, proceed to the Confideration of the Times of offering the Lamb, namely, in the Morning, and between the Evenings, as it is commanded in Exod. xxix. 39. One Lamb *When I speak of Fire, I mean that which never was feen, and whofe Power and Operation is only felt and known by Man: for that which is vifible, is only a Shadow, and the Body or Garment of the invifible; even in the Sun it is no more than the Tabernacle, or Garment of true Fire or Light. It cannot then be furprising, that this moft powerful Element, perpetual in Motion, and always active, dividing all Things, itfelf indivifible, attracting all Things into itself, and yet permitting no foreign Mixture, fhould be made the Figure and Symbol of the eternal Fire of God himfelf. Deut. iv. Vide Pymandrum Hermetis Trijmegifti Cum Commentariis Hann. Roffeli. Lib. 2. p. 190, 191. Lamb fhalt thou offer in the MORNING; and the fecond Lamb thou shalt offer between the EVENINGS. By this Inftitution of a Sacrifice for the Morning and Evening, is fhewn in the first and most obvious Senfe, the continual Supply of Flesh and Blood for Ifrael, as the Family of God under the Figure. But in the myftic Senfe, the Morning reprefents the Principle of Light, which is the Second Principle in every Creation, born and begotten from the Center, and ftinging Source of Darkness, called by the Cabalists the Aleph Tenebrofum; which, when feparated from Light, as it is in Satan, the (a) Prince of the Darkness of this World, is a Source of fharpest Anguish, and moft ftinging Pain; a fierce Defire, and raging Hunger for fomewhat which cannot be obtained: in the outward World, it is the Caufe of all Compaction, and Hardnefs; it is the strong Band of Cohefion, and has but one Property of fhutting up, and binding faft all Matter that it can reach. Darkness cedes the Birth of Light in Gen. c. i. v. 2. C 4 pre and (a) Eph. vi. 12. and the Evening is placed before the Morning in the Order of reftoring the Chaos, and regenerating it into some Harmony from the Confufion which Lucifer and his Hofts had broken their Kingdom and Principality into. Thirdly, in refpect of Man, who wants Redemption into a Spiritual Body, the Lamb offered in the Morning, fignifies Chrift, who is called (b) the true Light, and Light of Life, to distinguish him from the Sun, the Shadow only of true and living Light. This is he that lighteth every Man coming into the World: This is he who (c) shines into our Darkness, the first hungry Centre and Source of vehement Defire after Light, or the fecond Principle from the firft; which now catches hold of the folar Light, as its true Birth, and first-begotten, and feeding on the corruptible Elements, attracts a Body like the Beafts of the Field, and becomes a Prisoner in Mifrajim, the trait Land of Egypt, where Man is in Bondage to (b) John í. 9. (c) John i. 5. |