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people, Num. vi. 22-27. Having by his priestly services with God secured the honourable bestowment of the divine blessing, he was authorized to pronounce it. But still his doing so was of the nature of intercession, by which he commended the people unto God. When the high priest was in the sanctuary, the Israelites without were waiting his return, Luke i. 21; and in like manner, since Jesus has gone into Heaven, his people are represented as looking and waiting for his second advent, when he will bless them with complete salvation, Heb. ix. 28. Having, by his atonement and intercession, procured, as a priest, the honourable bestowment of the blessings of mercy, he will come forth as a sacred king to confer them on the objects of his priestly care. Even already, indeed, are they blessed by him; but he will come again in glorious majesty, to bless them with the full enjoyment of his everlasting kingdom. The appearance of the high priest, when he came out of the sanctuary, clothed with his highest pontifical attire, must have been impressively grand; but infinitely more glorious will be the appearance of the Saviour, when at last he shall come forth arrayed in all the splendour of celestial majesty. Then will he bless his people with the whole mercies of the everlasting covenant; for to them he will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

It was not possible, in the nature of things, that the type should in every particular resemble the antitype; and the Scriptures, therefore, illustrate

the subject by contrast, as well as by comparison. Aaron, for instance, when he returned from the sanctuary, had to offer two additional victims, one for himself and another for the people. This marked at once the guilt of his personal character, and the imperfection of his sacrifices in behalf of the Israelites. But we have an high priest who never needed to offer up sacrifice for sins of his own; and whose sacrifice in behalf of transgressors can never require to be repeated. And hence, when he comes again it will not be with a sin-offering; but to complete the salvation of his expecting people, by redeeming their bodies from the grave, and conducting them in a body to the celestial country.

His priesthood is connected with his character as the captain of salvation; for, like the priests of old, he goes before his people in their spiritual conflicts, encourages them in their warfare, and secures to them the victory, Deut. xx. 2-4; 2 Chron. xiii. 12; Heb. ii. 10. The armies of Israel were "the host of the Lord," Joshua v. 14. And the conflicts to which they were called were denominated "the wars of the Lord." And the warfare to which believers are called, is also of a sacred character. And through him who sits a priest upon his throne, they shall be made more than conquerors, Rom. viii. 34, 37. Yes, and as Melchizedec met Abraham on his return from the field of triumph and blessed him, so Jesus will come forth to his redeemed, when their warfare is accomplished, and will bless them with inconceivable glory. And then will he invite them to that fulness of joy, and to that feast of "plea

sures for evermore," which is in the presence and at the right hand of God. Blessed, indeed, will they be who overcome in the holy warfare; for to them shall it be given to eat of the hidden manna; and "the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

It merits our attention that the view which has been given of the consecration of the heavenly sanctuary serves to illustrate the bearings of the gospel on the world at large. In consequence of sin, all men are by nature, or according to their desert, under a sentence of exclusion from the house or the presence of God. This was signified by the law, which required that, on the annual day of atonement, no man should enter the sanctuary till the high priest had finished the propitiatory services. But as, after these were accomplished, the sanctuary was open to all, so, in consequence of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, the very holiest of all is laid open to every individual of mankind who chooses to enter in his name. The vail is rent from the top to the bottom, and there is nothing to exclude any one from the most free admission. It follows, that, as far as the sentence of exclusion is concerned, every barrier has already been removed. If a man does not believe the gospel testimony concerning this, he will refuse to enter in the name of Christ, but the way remains open to him and to all. But the faith of this will have its immediate issue in coming to Him who is now within the vail, and thus is

obtained an actual and full personal pardon, and the enjoyment of all the blessings connected with it.

SECTION VI.

OF THE LEVITICAL SACRIFICES.

THE whole burnt-offering was the most ancient of all the sacrifices. Such were the offerings of Abel, Noah, and Job, Gen. iv. 4; viii. 20; Job i. 5. It respected the general character of man as a sinner, and was denoted by a word which signifies ascension; because the whole sacrifice, the skin excepted, ascended by fire from the altar. This sacrifice was, therefore, a very expressive figure of the offering up of the body of Christ, and of his thus giving himself for us. Hence, he is introduced saying: "A body hast thou prepared me." And we are said to be sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all, Heb. x. 5, 10. The slaying of an animal devoted to God, after confessing over it the sins of the offerer, thus laying them upon it, and putting it to death as loaded with guilt, was a very solemn manner of showing the evil and the dismal desert of transgression, and the necessity of a suitable atonement, in order to deliver the offender from the death to which he was condemned. It at the same time taught that a substitutionary sacrifice would be provided and accepted; and it thus led the worshipper forward to the appearance of one, who

should offer himself unto God for transgressors, and the acceptance of whose sacrifice, was signified by completely consuming the victim on the altar.

But, while the burnt-offering signified the offering up of the Redeemer; yet as it was wholly consumed upon the altar, it could not exhibit at the same time, the fellowship which Jesus, as a priest, has with his Father, in feasting, as it were, on his own sacrifice. Provision was, therefore, made for a representation of this, by the law of the sin-offering, which was appointed for particular transgressions. In order to exhibit this fellowship, the Levitical priests were allowed to eat of certain of the sin-offerings, and also of certain of the trespass-offerings, Lev. vi. 26. They were not allowed to eat of any sin-offering which had been offered for themselves; but in regard to certain of the sacrifices offered in behalf of the people, they were to eat of them as a token of their being accepted of God, and of their having obtained the object designed by them. Hence the words of Moses to the sons of Aaron: "Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it to you (to eat, it being the offering appointed) to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?" Lev. x. 17. The eating of such sacrifices, and of the trespass-offerings, was an act of fellowship with the God of the altar. The part of the victim which was consumed on the altar was considered as received by God, and the part which remained, belonged to the priest, and in eating it, he sat, as it were, with God at his table and

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