in these words: " By him therefore," that is, by Chrift, who" fuffered without the gate," as our only atoning facrifice, "let us offer the facrifice "of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit "of our lips, giving thanks to his name h." This facrifice indeed, in its full extent, includes the offering of ourselves, of the whole man, of the body, not as a lifeless oblation, but as animated by a foul quickened by his Spirit, and washed in that meritorious blood in which is the life. Therefore faith the apostle Paul: "I beseech you bre"thren, by the mercies of God, that ye present 66 your bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable 66 unto God, which is your reasonable service." Thus, he "who hath loved us, and washed us "from our fins in his own blood," hath "made "us kings and priefts unto God and his Father k"? It is not, either as cleansed by our own fervices, or as washed in our own blood, but as purified by his, that we are admitted to this high honour. Every real believer, through his glorious High-Prieft, hath the fame dignity with the high-prieft under the law. His privilege indeed is unfpeakably greater. He was permitted to enter into the holy of holies; but it was only once a year and he could not, according to the nature of the difpenfation, do it without fear. But we, at all times, "have boldness to enter into the holieft by the "blood of Jefus." We are called to "come bold 66 The Ifraelites, in all their ritual worship, were confined to one altar m. To build another altar of burnt-offering, was rebellion against the LORD ". Few of that carnal people could understand the true reason of this reftriction. It was written efpecially for our fakes; and points out to us the unity of our gofpel-altar, the Lord Jefus Chrift. This is that altar which alone can "fanctify the gift;" that altar, from which those who adhere to the law are excluded. For "we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, "which ferve the tabernacle "." Hither must we bring all our fpiritual offerings. Here only can "the facrifice of praise be acceptable." And on this altar, which God by way of eminence calls his, even the offerings of poor finners of the Gentiles are accepted. For, concerning "the "fons of the ftrangers," he hath faid, "Their burnt-offerings and their facrifices fhall be accepted upon mine altar p.” 66 66 66 In a word, the people of God were ftill to worfhip towards the mercy-feat, or propitiatory 9. This was that covering of pure gold which was fpread over the ark, in which the two tables of the law were kept. The cloud of glory refted above it. Towards this, the Ifraelites, in all their difperfions, were still to prefent their fupplications". Need I fay that it was an illuftrious figure of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who intervenes between the majefty of God and his guilty people, covering from U 2 m Lev. xvii. 8, 9.; Deut. xii. 11.—14. o, Heb. xiii. 10. p Ifa. lvi. 7. n Josh. xxii. 16. r Kings viii. 29, 30. 35. from the eye of juftice all their tranfgreffions of his holy law. Therefore it is declared, that "he is our propitiations," and that he is "fet "forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare the righteousness of God in "the remiffion of finst. 66 The Government of the Ifraelites of divine origin.-God himself their Judge and King-ferufalem chofen as the Seat of Empire.-God's Deputies endued with his Spirit.—Bound to confult the LORD, and miraculously directed by him. -He protected and delivered them.-Went up before them to battle. Did not permit them to place confidence in an arm of flesh. VII. ISRAEL, as a nation, in respect of government, eminently prefigured the New-Teftament Church. This requires our particular attention, that we may know in what refpects the Ifraelites are exhibited to us as patterns; and, at the fame time, by duly adverting to the difference between the old and the new dispensation, may be able to "look to the end of that which is abolished.” When the children of Ifrael are called “ a king"dom of priefts, and an holy nation," in confequence of their being fet apart or confecrated to JEHOVAH; it is evident that this confecration respected them, not merely as a church but as a ftate. Therefore Therefore they are defcribed in terms expreffive of civil relations. Thefe very characters being by the Spirit transferred to the people of God under the New Teftament; it is no less evident that Ifrael, even in their national or political character, typified the Church of Chrift. Hence, we are not fo to diftinguish between the church and ftate of Ifrael, as to confider the one as a figure of the New-Teftament Church, and the other as a pattern for kingdoms or nations confifting of profeffing Christians; but to view that people in their collective capacity, both as a political and as an ecclefiaftical fociety, as one figure of the true Ifrael. 66 1. The government of Ifrael was wholly of divine origin. Its form, whether as civil or ecclefiaftical, and all its ordinances, were given immediately by God. He was their Lawgiver. He fpake with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good ftatutes "and commandments,-by the hand of Mofes "his fervant "." Nothing 'pertaining to their government was left to their own wisdom, or to the fpur of the occafion. They had not, like any other nation, a right to alter their form of government, in any inftance whatfoever. The care which God, in this refpect, exercised about Ifrael, was undoubtedly a figure of the divine origin of the New-Teftament Church, in her whole conftitution. Thus our Lord declares, U 3 with u Neh. ix. 13, 14. with respect to her frame and origin, "My king"dom is not of this world ;"-" my kingdom is "not from hence ".". Many good men have suppofed, that Chrift hath appointed no particular form of government for his Church under this difpenfation, but hath left this to be modelled by men, as it fhall be moft agreeable to their own ideas, or most suitable to particular times, and to the circumftances of her local fituation. But this fuppofition implies a manifeft abfurdity; nay, a multitude of abfurdities. Were this the cafe, Chrift would have a kingdom, but a kingdom without any definite form. God must have manifefted far more regard to "the patterns of heavenly things," than to these heavenly things themselves. Mofes muft have been more faithful as a fervant" in his Mafter's house, than Jefus as "a Son over his own houfe." The Church, it is granted, is " God's building." But, according to this fyftem, it must be a building without any regular plan, without any symmetry or order. It is fuppofed that God hath laid the foundation of this houfe, but that it is his pleafure that the whole fuperftructure fhould be the creature of human fancy. 66 66 2. According to the peculiar nature of the government given to the Ifraelites, God himself was their judge and king. Even in their political capacity, they fuftained a relation to him, to which there never was, and never will be, a pa rallel. v John xviii. 36. |
