EERrd. xxxv.]. THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 77 To distinguish the nation of' Israel from the gentile world, and to keep them in subjection to God, who was their political head or king, as well as their God, to preserve them as a, nation in his favour, and restore themwhen they had offended him as their governor and king : But a few considerations will give us sufficient .evidence, that these are mere subordinate designs of God in the Jew- ish law, and especially in his institution of the ceremo- nies of atonement and priesthood. First Consideration---The Jewish ceremonies are of- ten represented as types or figures of gospel-blessings by the apostle Paul; 2 Cor. iii. Gal. vi. Col. ii. Heb. vii, viii, ix, x. The levitical ceremonial rites were but the letter, 'ofwhich the gospel of Christ is the spirit or mean- ing: Those were but as a veil to cover the good things of thegospel; they were but weak and poor rudiments or elements of learning! to lead us-into the knowledge of gospel-blessings. The law was our school- master to bringus to Christ. They were but a shadow of things to come, whose substance or body is Christ: Theyserved but to the example and shadow of heavenly things that is, the things of :the gospel : They were a figure for the time present; a shadow of those good things to come, which the Holy Ghost signified by them. The great end of these Jewish ceremonial appointments, in the sense of this inspired writer, . was, that they should standbut as' types and figures of things under the gospel ; as emblems of the various offices of the Messiah that was to come, and eminently of his priesthood and propitiation. Now the substance is superior to the shadow. Second Consideration. ---This is more evident still, 'if we consider that many of the defilements which were to be removed by these sacrifices and purifications, were of an external and corporeal nature, which, considered in themselves, were generally innocent as to moral guilt,' and did not want such sort of bloody purgations*. *;it ma ' be worthy our notice here, that blood is novery proper liquid for purification of any defilements, unless it be, as it represents death t9 b , an atonement for the guilt of sin; which is a moral defilement of the soul. And yet, lieb. ix. 22. " Almost all things under the law, are purged by blood :" One would think water should be much better cleanser: But we find this purging or cleansing signifies atonement for sin, when the very next words gives us the reason why blóol is appointed, viz. because par n
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