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with Moses, I will be with thee; I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and of good courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide this land for an inheritance, which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded. Turn not from it to the right hand, or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee, Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest ?"

"Accordingly when it came to pass, that he was by Jericho, the captain of the Lord's host met him. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See I have given unto thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour."

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I have just glanced on the foregoing passages, for the purpose of showing how the name of Joshua corresponded with his office; and both name and office with the character of which he was a luminous type. We have seen that the name Joshua is synonimous with Lord and Saviour; and that he was appointed to do that for the people, to which Moses was insufficient. Thus is the Redeemer called Jesus, or Joshua; for he shall save. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh; God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh; and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

Secondly, We will attend to the office. Jesus was ordained a priest forever. Amongst the people of God, priests were ordained by God, to teach the people, and to pray for them; and also to offer sacrifices for his own sins, and for those of the people.

But the high priest was distinguished by a privilege which appertained solely to himself, viz, that of entering once a year into the holiest of all, to make atonement for the sins of the people, of the whole people. To him also was committed the oracle of truth, so that when he was habited in the sacred garments, and with the urim and thummim, he, the high priest, gave the responses, because God discovered to him secret and future events.

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The Apostle observes, "that it became him who took upon hima the seed of Abraham, to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Again, "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house."

Again, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Again, "So also Christ glorified not himself to be made High Priest, but he that saith unto him thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, saith also in another place thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Again," But this Man because he continueth forever, hath an anchangable prisest-hood.

Again, "For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needed not daily, as the Jewish high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people; for once offering himself, this one sacrifice was a full and complete oblation, propitiation, and atonement for the sins of the whole world."

For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity ; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated forevermore.

The priests entered always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second the high priest entered alone, once every year, not without blood; which blood he offered for himself, and the errors of the people. The Holy Spirit intimating by this regulation, that the way into the holiest of all, was not yet manifest; while the first tabernacle (which was a figure ⚫ of the then present time) was standing.

But Christ Jesus having descended, an High Priest of good things to come, hath by his own blood once entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption; and for this cause he is the Mediator of the New-Testament.

But it is not necessary that Christ should often offer up himself a sacrifice as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others, for then must he often, have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto all men once to die, but after this the judgment ; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

But again; the law having only a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered, year by year, continually, make the comers thereunto perfect.

For then "would they not have ceased to be offered?" most undoubtedly they would; because that the worshippers once purged, should have no more conscience of sins.

But in these sacrifices, thus repeatedly offered, we observe a remembrance of sins every year; and therefore the sanctification of the people, which God willed should be effected by sacrifices, not being accomplished by all the sacrifices offered up under the law, and offered by children of error, it being impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin, or that imperfection should please God. In this distressing emergency, our sinless High Priest presented his sacred person, and by offering up once for all, his own immaculate body, completely effectuated every purpose.

Thus, while every high priest standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, without being able by all these sacrifices to take away sins. This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, having by this one offering forever perfected them that are sanctified, sat down on the right hand of God, in full expectation from thence forward, of making his enemies his foot stool.

Of these solemn, sacred, glorious truths, the Holy Ghost witnesseth to our souls, proving to every individual taught of God, that his thus taking away the sin of the world by the offering up of himself as a lamb without blemish, corresponds with the sacred affirmation, their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. It is in consequence of the perfection of this offering accomplishing that in fact, for all mankind, which the law of Moses directed the high

priest to do in figure for all the children of Israel, that God now requires no more offering for sin, and that we have therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and a living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, by his own flesh.

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Having then such an High Priest over the house of God, we can draw near with a true heart, in full assurance, having our hearts sprinkled, so that instead of an evil we have "the answer of a good conscience by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

This is that profession of faith, which from a full conviction of his faithfulness who hath promised, we are exhorted to hold fast without wavering.

First, The high priest was to be clothed with the garment ordained for his use; so also was Christ. Secondly, He was to be anointed with oil; and was not Jesus Christ anointed with oil? See Acts iv. 27. "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israelwere gathered together," Again, Psalm xlv. 7. "Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." And again, Hebrews i. 9. "Thou hast loved." righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." And this is spoken to that adorable character to whom in the eighth verse of this chapter he saith, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

This anointing was said to be an everlasting priesthood. Exodus xl. 15, "And thou shalt anoint them as thou didst anoint their Father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for • their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations." Thus is Emmanuel a priest forever, and of his sacerdotal office there shall be no end.

Thirdly, The high priest before he entered upon his office was washed with water, synonimous with being baptized; so was our Saviour. Listen to this sacred, this adorable High Priest, about to descend into the waters of Jordan. Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.

Fourthly, The Israelitish high priest, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and who was consecrated to put on the garments should not cover his head nor rent his clothes. Thus

Emmanuel, our great High Priest, him whose glory we behold as the glory of the Father, as his express image, must not cover his head, nor in his death were his garments without seam, rent, or divided. Blessed be God for the substance of this expressive figure; the garment belonging to our immaculate High-Priest, must not be, and was not rent. Thou shalt clothe thee with the people as with a garment, they shall not be separated from thee. Fifthly, The priests under the Mosaic dispensation offered the sacrifices which made peace for the offenders-Thus did our glo. rious High Priest, when he offered up himself a full and complete sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; and having made peace by the blood of his cross, he accomplished in perfection, this part of his priestly office.

Sixthly, The priest was to examine, judge and determine the situation of those afflicted by the plague of leprosy, and when on examination, the disease was found to have entered deep into the flesh, then the priest pronounced him utterly unclean; and the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering on his upper lip, and shall say unclean, unclean. So, exactly so, the great antitype of this figure having carefully examined our ruined nature, confirms the testimony of the prophet Isaiah, who pronounces in the sixty-fourth chapter and sixth verse of his prophecy, "That we are all as an unclean thing, and that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Our Saviour, I say, decidedly confirms this testimony, when he says, "There is none good but one, that is God."

Seventhly, The priest was to act the part of a physician in curing the leper-And is not the blessed Redeemer the physician of value? When the Pharisees murmured at his eating with publicans and sinners, he emphatically pronounces, They who are whole need not a physician, but they who are sick.

Eighthly, The priest in cleansing the leper was to go out of the camp, and he was commanded to take for him who was to be cleansed, two living birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop,. and the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel, over running water, and for the living bird he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them, and the living bird, in the blood of the bird killed over the running or living water, and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean.

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