97 / 674
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 them
when
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
the
gospel;
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
bring
us
to
Christ.
They
were
but
a
shadow
of
things
to
come, whose
substance or body
is
Christ: They
served
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
stand
but
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
no
very
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