26, 27,

28.

Heb. vii. reasons: For such an high priest became us as is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's. For this he did once when he offered up himself; for the law maketh men high priests which have infirmities; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

On the same principles the Apostle reasons yet further to the Hebrews, that as the Christ was to offer a sacrifice, so he was to offer a better and a more perfect sacrifice than all the sacrifices of the law: Heb. ix. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

12.

In like manner our Apostle infers the greater avail and better effect of Christ's 13, 14. offering and sacrifice: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot unto God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

Again, from a more perfect sacrifice, Heb. vii. our Apostle argues a more powerful intercession: Wherefore He (Christ, our High

25.

Priest) is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

You observe, then, in the ritual a pattern, but an imperfect pattern, of the Mediator of the better covenant. You have an High Priest, but a greater high priest than the priests of the order of Aaron. You have a Sacrifice, but a more acceptable sacrifice, and of more efficacy, than all the sacrifices of the law. You have an Intercession, but a more powerful intercession, for much greater blessings and of everlasting continuance, as well as avail to obtain eternal redemption. These are well-known truths, of the better revelation of the better covenant, of which the Christ is Mediator. It will be of considerable use to observe the same truth taught in the ancient prophecies, and, to use the Apostle's expression, the Holy Ghost signifying Heb. ix. these things, by the ancient rites of the 8. Levitical law.

We are yet further to apply the Mosai- The rical ritual, as a figurative description of the tual a better and more perfect worship of the the more plan of Christian church in the days of Messiah, perfect as well as of his person and office as the worship.

Christ.

The times of the Messiah are so described in prophecy, as to show in general, that the state of the church and the worship of the church, were to be in those

се

Christian

times very different from the Hebrew ritual, and yet to be such as should answer the spiritual meaning of the ritual, or the moral doctrines and instructions taught by it.

Let it be remembered what was observed before, that the ritual taught, God was to be worshipped, that the best and most honourable worship of God did not consist in outward rites and ceremonies, but in inward temper, right and good afMicah,vi. fections, in doing justly, in loving mercy, in walking humbly with God.

8.

The whole meaning of the ritual concurred in teaching to fear, honour, and serve Jehovah, by gratitude for mercies received, hope of mercies to come, an hearty contrition for having offended God by any sin, or doing any thing evil in his sight. The Shechinah, the temple, the altar, all the sacrifices, you have seen, teach these truths; they taught that purity and holiness became the worshippers of a pure and holy God. Ritual purifications easily signified purity of mind; circumcision of the flesh, a circumcision of the heart. The many exhortations of the Prophets plainly teach this the meaning of the ritual, and recommend it as the spiritual and principal meaning of the ritual itself: so preferable is moral goodness to sacrifices, or to any other obedience to the ritual whatsoever.

All the promises of the Messiah en4

xxviii. 13.

couraged an hope that in him all the na- Genesis, tions of the earth shall be blessed so the xxii. 18. Genesis, promise to Abraham; so is the promise re- xxvi. 3,4. newed to Isaac; so again is the promise Genesis, repeated to Jacob: and when the promise is limited to the tribe of Judah, it declares, Unto him shall the gathering of the people Genesis, be. "Him shall the people obey, waiting xlix. 10. upon him, to observe what he shall "command them," as a learned interpreter Bishop explains it. This is a circumstance ob- Patrick servable in all these promises, how often place. soever repeated, to keep in perpetual remembrance, that in the days of Messiah the church of God should be catholic, into which all people should be gathered, and in which all nations of the earth should be blessed with the privileges of the true church of the living God.

In the intermediate times it was necessary to raise up a particular family and people, in which the true religion should be preserved from the general corruption, by separating it from the rest of the world by a peculiar ritual, that as a wall of separation should keep them from the danger of being corrupted by the idolatry of their neighbour nations. Hence may appear the great mistake of such as find fault with the Hebrew church and law, because it was a particular revelation and not catholic, when, agreeable to the design of it, and in the very nature of things, it could

on the

3.

not be catholic. When the means of preservation were a separation, is it not strange reasoning to make it an objection, that there was a separation? as if in a general plague, when some persons retired to keep themselves out of the way of infection, they should be censured for not bringing all the infected along with them.

The catholic state of religion in the days of Messiah, is in like manner taken notice of and foretold by the several ProIsaiah, lx. phets: thus by Isaiah, And the gentiles shall come to thy light. And by the ProMalachi, phet Malachi; For from the rising of the i 11. sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord.

It will be further proper, you should observe on this argument, that the state of the church in the days of Messiah was to be improved into a more spiritual worship; and this also the ritual taught, representing it in a figure: Christ therefore answers the question of the Samaritan woman, concerning the place of worship, a question of John, iv. great consequence during the ritual; The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. It seems by the an

23.