414 A SHORT VIEW OF sciIp'reao nistoay. partake in eating of it Deut. xiv. 22, 23. though the bulk of it was to be given to the priests and levites; See Chapter VI. Question 15, 16. 113. Q. Was it not dangerous for them to leave their own dwellings in towns and villages which bordered on their enemies' country ? A. God promised them that when they should go up to appear before him thrice in the year, no man should desire their land ; Exod. xxxiv. 23, 24. which was a standing miracle during that dispensation. 114. Q. Having heard this account of holy persons and places, things and times, let us now enquire what were the holy actions ? A. All those actions may be called holy, which were appointed to be a part of this ceremonial worship ; but tiie actions relating to the natural worship of God, such as prayer and praise, are in themselves holy and religious. SECT. VI.The Use of Me Jewish Ceremonies. 115. Q. What were the chief uses of all these ceremonial commands ? A. These three : 1. To distinguish the Jews from all other people as a holy people, and God's peculiar visible church, who eminently bore up his name and honour in the world ; Lev. a ix. 22-26. 2. To employ that people who were so much given to idolatry, in many varieties of outward forms and rites of religion, lest they should be tempted to follow the superstition and idolatry of the nations round about them ; Deut. vi. 1, 2, 14, 17. Dent. xxix. 1, 9-18. 3. 'fo represent by types, figures and emblems many of the offices of Christ and the glories and blessings of his gospel. 116. Q. How does it appear that any of these Jewish cere- monies are emblems or types of Christ and his gospel ? A. 1. This appears from many places in the New Testament, where 'Jesus Christ and the blessings of the gospel are called by the saine names. So Christ is called our. high-priest ; Heb. iii. 1. and iv. 14. He is the lamb that was slain ; Rev. v. 6. 1 Pet. i. 19, 20.. Our passover; 1 Cor. v. 7. and sacrifice to take away sin ; lieb. ix. 26. The atonement or propitiation for sin ; Rom. iii. 25. 1 John ii. 2. His body is called the temple, because God dwelt in it as in the Jewish temple ; John ii. 19, 21. Col. ii. 9. 2. This appears yet further from the evident and intended resem- blance which the scripture represents between several of the Jewish ceremonies and the things of the gospel. The blood of Christ- obtained eternal' redemption for us, as the blood of bulls and goats cleansed and freed the Jews from ceremonial defile- ments ; Heb. ix. 12-14. His blood is called the blood of sprinkling ; Heb. xii. 24. to sprinkle or cleanse us from a guilty conscience, as the sprinkling of the blood of the Jewish sacrifices purified the people; lieb. ix. 20. and x. 22, The most holy pace where God dwelt of old on the mercy-seat is the figure of
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