200 THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST MANIFESTED. [DISC. VI. him, and his glory in all ages to come. There is an en- quiry ; Rev. vii. 13. " What are these which are ar- rayed in white robes, and whence came they ?" To this we answer, as in that text, ver. 14. " These are they which came out of great tribulation." Or we may give the same answer as Zeba and Zalmunna answered to Gideon, when they were asked ; Judges viii. 18, 19. " What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabòr?" And they answered, " As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. And he said, they were my brethren, even the sons of my mother." Each of them are the brethren of our Lord Jesus Christ, born of women, and exppseél to great tribulations ;" but " they have all washed their robes, . and made them white, in the blood of the lamb : And therefore they are like the angels of heaven, who stand round the throne," in the glorious services for which they are prepared, in the court of our blessed Re- deemer, each of them the image of the first born Son of God, and reconciled to God the Father by his blood, and shall dwell there for ever with him. A glorious re- conciler, and a divine atonement, and happy souls who are partakers of it ! 2d Lesson. The Lamb as it had been slain, appears there as a divine Mediator, and is a memorial of the everlasting virtue, and constant efficacy of the atoning sacrifice of . Christ ; whichwas typified of old by the con- stant sacrifices morning and evening. The priests on earth stood daily ministring, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices ; whichcould never effectually take away sin ; " But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God.-- For by one offering he has for ever perfected them that are sanctified ; Heb. x. 12, 14. These repeated sacri-' fices, were designed as a type to remove the continual guilt ofreturning sins amongst the Saints : morning-sins, and evening-sins, sins in the beginning of life, sins in the middle state oflife, and sins of old age ; sins of public life, and private sins, known and unknown, secret and public. The priests were daily employed in continuing these typical sacrifices, through all the Levitical dispen- sation. And let it be observed ; Acts iii. 1. this was called the hour of prayer; and that the people wçrç ap-
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