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priest was offering up the incense in the temple, the people used to be at prayers without, hoping that the angel of the covenant, who had much incense given to him, to offer it up with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne, would make the smoke of the incense ascend up with their prayers before God. In this hope we find the whole multitude of the people (Luke, i. 10,) praying without at the time Zacharias was burning the incense in the temple of the Lord.

From the sense and meaning of the words as thus in part opened and explained, the following doctrine may be established. Upon the breach of the moral law the ceremonial law was instituted, to prefigure the promised Messiah, and his actions and sufferings, and to preach forgiveness of sins through him. Until the day of his coming in the flesh, the ceremonies served as shadows to raise ideas of him, and as means of grace to support the faith and hopes of his people: they were outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, in the very same manner as the sacraments are at present, signing and sealing to believers the benefits purchased by the obedience and sufferings of the lamb of God. This is the doctrine which I purposed under my second general head to establish.

The whole volume of scripture considers the ceremonial law in this same point of view. It was the scope and design of the Old Testament to reveal to sinners the covenant of grace, and to teach them how they might attain pardon for their breach of the moral law. Upon the first breach of it the Messiah was promised, and the rites and services of the ceremonial law were instituted to keep up faith and hopes in him, until his coming in the flesh for they showed what he was to be, and to do, and to suffer. The New Testament relates the accomplishment of the old, proving Jesus of Nazareth to be the promised Messiah, and declaring how he did and suffered every thing prefigured by the types, and foretold by the

prophets. Both testaments, therefore, treat of one and the same subject, namely, of the way and method by which the transgressors of the moral law may be delivered from the guilt and punishment which they have incurred. This is the opinion of our church in her sixth article: "The old testament is not contrary to the new, for both in the old and new testament everlasting life is offered to mankind, by Jesus Christ." The everlasting life forfeited by the breach of the moral law is offered to mankind in the old testament as well as in the new, and offered by the same Saviour Jesus Christ, and offered by the same gospel of the grace of God: "for unto us,” says the apostle, Heb. iv. 2, "was the gospel preached, as well as unto them." He is speaking of the Israelites, who, after their deliverance from Egypt, perished in the wilderness through unbelief, and he says, that what is preached unto us was preached unto them. They had the same gospel which Paul preached, and what it was he thus informs the Corinthians; "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures." This is our gospel, and it was theirs under the old testament dispensation. Believers then had the same faith that we have in the same Saviour. The gospel preached to them the coming of Christ, his sufferings and death for their sins, and his resurrection; they believed he would come, and we believe he is come. In this single circumstance their gospel differs from ours. Our reformers, in the second part of the homily upon faith, speaking of the fathers, martyrs, and other holy men, mentioned Heb. xi. have these remarkable words: "They did not only know God to be the Lord, maker, and governor of all men in the world, but also they had a special confidence and trust that he was, and would be, their God, their comforter, aider, helper, maintainer and defender. This is the Christian faith,

which these holy men had, and which we also ought to have, and although they were not named Christian men, yet was it a Christian faith that they had; for they looked for all benefits of God the Father through the merits of his Son Jesus Christ, as we do now. This difference is between them and us, that they looked when Christ should come, and we be in the time when he is come; therefore, saith St. Augustine, the time is altered and changed, but not the faith." Faith was always the same. Ever since the moral law was first broken, there has been but one gospel, which preached salvation by one Lord, and one faith.

If you ask, how was it preached to the holy men of old? It was revealed to them by many plain prophecies, ("for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,") and by many significant types and expressive ceremonies, under which Christ was as clearly preached as he is under the sacraments of the new testament: for all these were memorials, instituted on purpose to keep him in memory, and they were patterns serving as copies to convey ideas of their originals, according to what is written, Exod. xxv. 40. And look, says God to Moses, that thou make them, namely, the tabernacle and all its vessels, after the pattern which was showed thee in the mount : they were the patterns of heavenly things, as St. Paul, reasoning upon this passage, has assured us Heb. viii. 5; Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God, when he was about to make the tabernacle : for see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." Here is a plain description of the scope and design of the ceremonial law. An infallible interpreter assures us, that it served for an example and shadow of heavenly things. Its ceremonies were examples to set these heavenly things before men's eyes, and to raise ideas of them, and they were shadows to delineate them, and to give an outward sketch of them, and they were patterns, like a good plan or design, representing them

clearly and distinctly. This was the nature of the types; they were instituted to prefigure the heavenly things which were to be in Christ, and which were to be derived from him to believers.

In this sense Christ was present upon mount Moriah. He was there in the types and services. These were his representatives. They stood for him, and acted in his name, and by his authority were deputed to declare his gracious intentions towards the transgressors of the moral law: for they all preached Christ, and salvation through his infinitely meritorious sacrifice. The whole temple service represented him in this light: for the temple itself was the type and figure of his body. Our Lord himself calls it so; "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will build it up."-John, ii. 19. But he spake, says St. John, of the temple of his body, of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. And herein he spake agreeably to the well known usage of scripture, which calls the type and the thing typified by the same name. The temple was the type of his body, and every part of its furniture was a type and figure of what was to be in the humanity of the incarnate God. All its vessels were apt figures and beautiful pictures of those divine graces which were in him, and which believers were to receive out of his fulness. The holy place represented what he was to do upon earth; the holy of holies represented what he was to do in heaven for his people. At the entrance of the holy place stood the laver filled with water, with which the priests were to wash when they went in and came out of the temple. This was to set forth the infinitely purifying virtue which was in Christ, and with which he was to cleanse sinners from the pollution of sin, as he says in the prophet; "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you."-Ezek. xxxvi. 25. Next to the laver stood the altar of burnt offering, on which the blood of the sacrifice was offered: hereby

was represented the all-meritorious blood of the Lamb of God, which alone taketh away the guilt of sin. On one side of the holy place stood the candlestick, with its lamps always burning, to represent that divine light which came into the world, that he who followeth it should not walk in darkness, but should have the light of life. On the other hand stood the table of shew-bread, the figure of that bread of God which came down from heaven, and of which if any man eat, he shall live for ever. At the upper end of the holy place, next the veil, stood the altar of incense, to represent the sweet-smelling savour of Christ's sacrifice, the merits of which could reconcile God the Father to the transgressors of the moral law, and render them acceptable and well pleasing in his sight.

The most holy place, or the holy of holies, was the figure of heaven, and what was done in it once a year by the high priest, was to represent what our great high priest does in heaven for us and for our salvation. This doctrine is very clearly taught in several parts of the epistle to the Hebrews. Thus we read, that "into the second tabernacle went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people; the Holy Ghost thus signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing; which was a figure for the time then present."-Heb. ix. 7, 8, 9. And what the Holy Ghost signified by this service could not but be known, while the tabernacle and temple stood, because it was a figure for the time then present. The ninth chapter, and great part of the tenth, treat entirely of this subject. The high priest was the type of Christ, our great intercessor. His going in once a-year into the holy of holies was the figure of Christ's appearing once in the end of the world, and opening a new and living way for us into the holiest. His carrying blood to sprinkle upon the mercy seat, and incense to fume before the cherubim

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