worthlessness of these ceremonies in themselves'. How could they reconcile this with the solemnity with which God established them, with the penalties which he denounced against those who should neglect the observance of them? May we not suppose that many a Jew, upon the view of all these considerations, was led to the conclusion which was maintained by St. Paul?" It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." He must be sensible too, that " every high priest taken from amongst men'," could have no merits of his own, nothing to offer God for the sins of others; that the mere ceremonies which he performed could not, considered in themselves, be rationally supposed to give him greater value and authority in the sight of God; so that he might not only procure the forgiveness of his own sins, but also, by his intercession, procure pardon for others.

P Isaiah i. 11, compared with the injunctions to the observance of these things, in Leviticus and elsewhere.

"Let us then ask, (exclaims Bishop Horne in his sublime discourse entitled, the "Prevailing Intercessor,") Was it for Aaron's sake that God spared the remnant of his people? Had Aaron any merit of his own, any superfluous righteousness, which might be imputed to them? Far from it; since, however comparatively holy and faithful he might be, yet was he a descendant of that Adam, of whose children it is testified,

These premises might lead him to the conclusion, that something was darkly figured beneath such institutions, that something was represented by this priest, and by this sacrifice, which he could not discover. I do not say, that this might lead him directly to our High Priest, who "ever liveth to make intercession for us;" "who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens ";" and "who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens." It might not lead him, at once to this High Priest, but it might cause him to see darkly, that some mystery was veiled beneath these things. Such a man might picture to his mind, the Almighty speaking as David has represented Him. "I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goat out of thy folds. that there is none that doeth good; no, not one.' He and

every high priest taken from among men,' were necessarily heirs of the universal corruption; they had their infirmities, as the Apostle argues, and were obliged to offer up sacrifices for their own sins, as well as for those of the people. Aaron, therefore, of himself, could make no atonement for them; and without an atonement, the justice of God could not let them escape. To account for this wonderful deliverance, we must carry on our thoughts farther; we must look to some higher atonement, some greater and more powerful intercessor and high priest; in whose name Aaron might act, and in virtue of whose merits, he might, as a representative, prevail with God to be gracious to his people."-Horne's Sermons, p. 359, 360. Heb. vii. 25. " Heb. vii. 26. * Heb. viii. 1.

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For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls upon the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine.' "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof! Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats"?" Sentiments similar to these respecting the ritual observances, we have reason to suppose, must have occurred to the more reflecting part of the Jewish nation; have become more extensively prevalent, in proportion as their prophets let in fresh gleams of light upon their minds, and gradually prepared the world for the rising of the "Sun of righteousness." Every such declaration as that which we have just read, and those, which we know, abound in the writings of the prophets, necessarily tended, to open their eyes to the nature of their ceremonies, and to shew, that intrinsically they could be of no value in the sight of God.

Z

With what joy and thankfulness, then, would pious men of those days, have received, and with what thankfulness ought we to receive, St. Paul's authenticated, and rational solution of this matter, that the law has the "shadow of good things to come." And

y Psalm 1. 9, &c. z Matt. xiii. 17. a Heb. x. 1.

that, "CHRIST being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater, and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 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."

Here, then, is the clue to all these mysteries, which guides us at once to the comprehension of the great and undeviating counsels of the All-wise, in the institution of these

" And here, there is but one person, upon whom all our thoughts must immediately be fixed, namely, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the great High Priest of our profession, the effectual intercessor for the salvation of sinners. Had we any doubt, whether Aaron, when officiating according to the law, represented Him, St. Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, has determined the point beyond all contradiction. He tells us, that the law had a shadow of good things to come, of which Christ and his heavenly truths were the body and substance; that Aaron, and all other High Priests were the representatives of him who is our gracious intercessor and High Priest for ever; that the holy of holies in the temple was the figure of heaven itself; that all which Aaron did there, foreshowed what our Lord did and does for us above; that the blood there offered by Aaron and his successors, under the law, pointed out the blood of Christ, by him offered to the Father in heaven; and the incense, which was fumed upon these occasions, to diffuse a grateful smell, denoted the merits of our blessed Redeemer, which appease the wrath of God, render all our prayers and oblations acceptable, and fill heaven and earth with the sweet-smelling savour of life, peace, and salvation."-Horne's Sermons, vol. i. p. 361.

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ceremonies. They were chiefly designed to be types, and prophetic representations of the character, the office, and the actions of our Redeemer. And it is only in virtue of their accomplishment in his person, that they could have any efficacy. Most truly, and completely, even with respect to the ceremonial law, did our Lord's declaration correspond with the fact; "Think not, that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil"." What, indeed, was the law without this fulfilment ? what was it but a shadow? What satisfactory explanation could be given of all its ritual institutions, without a reference to this ultimate and great object? But how is the whole character, and complexion of these things changed, when, in the person of the High Priest passing through the outer part of the tabernacle to the holy of holies, we discover the representative of our perfect High Priest passing" through all the courts of this world below "," to enter into the true Holy place, "into

d Matt. v. 17.

e "The Jews did all believe that the tabernacle did signify this world, and the holy of holies the highest heavens; wherefore as the High Priest did slay the sacrifice, and with the blood thereof did pass through the rest of the tabernacle, and with that blood enter into the holy of holies; so was the Messias here to offer up himself, and being slain, to pass