to see how the idea could have been more strongly ex pressed, that Christ was actually to fulfil what the legal offerings were intrinsically incapable of accomplishing, and thus to supersede these sacrificial observances completely and for ever.

The prophet Daniel may also be adduced as a witness. His celebrated prediction, in the ninth chapter of his book, plainly teaches, that when Messiah the prince should be cut off, for the purpose of finishing transgression and bringing in everlasting righteousness, the sacrifice and the oblation, which had previously existed among the people. of Israel, should be abolished. From this it is a natural and irresistible inference, that the Jewish sacrifices were symbolical representations of the sacrifice of Christ. 'Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity........and after threescore and two weeks shall Messian be cut off, but not for himself........and he shall confirm the covenant with many, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.' "*

passage from which he quotes-that he quotes, not ad literam, but ad sensum. Now, this is frequently done: and it is not a little in favour of this view, that the two expressions are strictly the same in meaning. 'Mine ears thou hast opened,' whether referring to the ancient law respecting servants (Exod. xxi. 5), or to the common mode of expressing willing obedience (Is. 1. 5), denotes perfect submissiveness. And the other clause, ' A body hast thou prepared me,' means just the same thing; bodies being often used for servants or slaves, as in Rev. xviii. 13, where, in the inventory of Babylon's merchandise, we find 'horses, and chariots, and slaves, (owμara, bodies) and souls of men,' (See Schleusner in loco) The Messiah, as an obedient servant, devoted himself to the will and service of God.

4. It has been farther suggested, that an emendation of the Hebrew text might easily remove the difficulty. For mine ears, substitute, then a body. The letters in both cases bear a strong resemblance to each other; and it is not at all impossible, nor even improbable, that, in the course of transcription, the one might have been substituted for the other. This suggestion was first made by Dr. Kennicott, and is adopted by Owen, Pye Smith, and M'Lean; but we do not find it so much as alluded to by professor Stuart in his critical commentary on the Hebrews.

Those who wish to pursue this inquiry farther, may consult the authors just referred to, and also Carpenter's Scripture Difficulties, where they will find a learned dissertation on the passage; pp. 536

458.

* Dan. ix. 24-27.

If we turn to the New Testament, we shall find no lack of evidence to prove that the sacrifices of the legal dispensation had a designed reference to Christ. His person and his death are spoken of in such terms as to leave no room to doubt on the subject. John the baptist says, 'Behold the LAMB of God that taketh away the sin of the world.' ** Christ himself tells us, that the Son of Man came to give his life A RANSOM for many.'t Paul speaks of Christ having given himself for us AN OFFERING AND A SACRIFICE to God for a sweet-smelling savour. .'‡ Throughout the epistle to the Hebrews, this apostle speaks of Jesus as a priest-a high priest-a sacrifice; as offering himself to God,-bearing the sins of many-and of fering one sacrifice for sins. From such expressions the inference is plain-an inference which we are not left to draw of ourselves, the Spirit of God having given it in so many words, that CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW for righteousness, and the law a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. §

Indeed, the striking analogy subsisting betwixt the legal sacrifices and that of Christ, strongly corroborates the view that the latter is the substance, reality, and antitype of the former. With regard to sacrifices in general, the selection of the victim, the properties it required to possess, its substitution in room of the offerer, its death, and its presentation to God on the altar, are circumstances all of which are most exactly fulfilled in the eternal appointment, the spotless purity, the actual substitution, and the final crucifixion of the incarnate Redeemer. The minute distinctions that have been industriously traced between the sin-offerings of the law and the death of the Messiah, affect not in the least the inference deducible from the above analogy, as these differences arise solely from the necessary superiority of the antitype as compared with the type.-In the case of the annual expiation, the points of resemblance are still more numerous and striking. Here, the exclusive nature of Christ's office as our great High Priest, his mak ing atonement for the whole chosen of God, and his entrance into the highest heavens, not without blood, there to minister on their behalf in the immediate presence of the Most High, were distinctly shadowed forth.

* John i. 29. † Matt. xx. 28. Eph. v. 2. Rom. x. 4. Gal, iii. 24.

But the Jewish rite which, above all, prefigured the sacrifice of Christ, is the passover. It has been questioned, indeed, whether the paschal lamb partook of the nature of a sacrifice at all: and others besides Socinians have held the opinion, that it was solely of a festal nature. Those who wish to examine the question minutely, can consult the document to which reference is made in the margin.* It may be sufficient here to observe, that there seems to be abundant reason to conclude, that the paschal lamb was a real sacrifice. Indeed, it is expressly so called, again and again :-'It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt--Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning-Thou shalt sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God-Thou mayest not sacri fice the passover within any of thy gates; but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even.'t Besides, priests were employed in slaying the paschal lamb: Moreover, Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Je rusalem, and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. And he set the PRIESTS in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord; and said unto the Levites-so kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren. So the service was prepared, and the PRIESTS stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment, and THEY KILLED THE PASSOVER,

AND THE PRIESTS SPRINKLED THE BLOOD FROM THEIR

HANDS.' The sprinkling of the blood by the priests is related elsewhere:-Then they killed the passover-the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites.'§ Moreover, the paschal lamb was to be offered only in the tabernacle or temple, the place appoint. ed for sacrifice: Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in.'|| On these

* Magee (v. i. pp. 297-321) maintains the sacrificial character of the paschal lamb. The opposite view is held by Mr. Orme in his treatise on the Lord's Supper, pp. 13, 14

+ Exod. xii. 27. xxxiv. 25. Deut. xvi. 2, 5, 6. + 2 Chron. XXXV. 1-11. § 2 Chron. xxx. 15, 16. Deut. xvi. 5, 6.

grounds do we regard ourselves as warranted to view the passover in the light of a true and proper sacrifice; and the analogy betwixt it and Christ is too marked and particular to admit of a doubt that the one was designed to prefigure the other.

6

The paschal lamb itself, both in its natural qualities and particular circumstances, strikingly portrayed the person of the Redeemer. The proverbial meekness and unresisting patience of the animal, rendered it a fit representative of Him who was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearers, so he opened not his mouth.' Its being without spot and blemish, pointed directly to him who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.' Its being taken out from the flock, agrees with his being chosen from among men, a possessor of the nature of those for whom he was to die. Its being set apart some time before, typified his eternal dedication in the covenant of peace. Not less striking is the analogy in the matter of its suffering and death. The roasting of the paschal lamb with fire, points not obscurely to the nature and intensity of those sufferings which the Son of God endured from men, and devils, and his heavenly Father, and which drew from him the agonizing complaint, My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.' Even the form in which it is said to have been roasted bore a striking resemblance to the death of the cross. Justin Martyr, who flourished in the beginning of the second century, tells us, in his conference with Trypho the Jew, that the animal was transfixed longitudinally with one spit, and horizontally with another which passed through the forelegs, thus giving it the exact form of a person under crucifixion. To some this may seem a trifling circumstance. But the fact at least, is abundantly singular: and, as it cannot be doubted, we are not at liberty to overlook so striking a coincidence, believing that nothing is unworthy of notice which it has seemed good to Him who is sovereign in all his ways to connect with the prefiguration of the death of his Son. The time, too, when the paschal offering was slain, namely, betwixt the evenings, corresponds to that when the crucifixion of Christ took place. And the advantages resulting from the one resemble the blessings connect. ed with the other ;-protection, redemption, and salva. tion. Considering this manifold analogy, we can no long.

er wonder that the apostle should have said, 'EVEN CHRIST

OUR PASSOVER IS SACRIFICED FOR US.

"*

The analogy in the case of the scape-goat is not less remarkable; but we shall not wait to specify the particulars. Enough has been adduced for the sake of our argument. There is only one circumstance to which we would advert here, namely, the memorable and undoubted fact, that immediately after the death of Christ the Jewish sacrifices were completely abolished, and have never been restored. In a short period, the Levitical genealogies fell into inextricable confusion, so that it became impossible for any one to substantiate his right to the sacerdotal office; and it was not long till the sacred structure, within whose precincts alone legitimate sacrifice could be offered, was irretriev ably demolished, and every attempt to rebuild it has been met with the frown of an incensed Providence. It is now impossible, without a miracle, to offer a single sacrifice agreeably to the prescriptions of the legal economy. The institution has fully answered its purpose in pointing for. ward to Christ, and, as has been well remarked, 'by the finger of Omnipotence its expiration is recorded on the everlasting columns of historic truth.'

To prevent cavil, it may be proper, before concluding this department, to take notice of some things that have been urged in opposition to the view on which the argument it contains is built. That the sacrifices of the law were de. signed to prefigure Christ is essential to this argument, and this, we think, has been proved in the foregoing pages. Yet it is fair to remark, that other views have been taken of the nature and design of these rites, which, if they could only be substantiated, would go far to overturn the above reasoning. It may help to strengthen our position, if we allow ourselves time to examine a little more closely these views.

It has been alleged by some that the legal sacrifices were appointed, simply in accommodation to the heathenish taste acquired by the Israelites while in Egypt. No supposition can be more repugnant to all right conceptions regarding the divine character. The inclinations of man are naturally corrupt; and to suppose them a rule of procedure to the Deity, or a standard to fix the forms of religious wor

* 1 Cor. v. 7.