guages, rendering books written in those languages intelligible; of the folution of ingenious riddles, 1 Cor. xiii. 12.; not to fpeak of ancient hieroglyphics, the true meaning of which might poffibly, in fome cafes, be capable of convincing proof. But one of the kinds of reasoning that feems to come neareft to that in view is, that which convinces us, in many cafes, that a picture, resembling to a certain degree a known original, muft have been defigned to reprefent that original.

The congruities of the ceremonial law to gospelmyfteries being insisted on at large in various useful treatises, it is sufficient in this summary to give the following hints.

The appointment of a tabernacle first, and afterwards of a magnificent temple, not merely as a fynagogue for public worship, but as the house or special refidence of the God of Ifrael, and fymbol of his gracious prefence among his people, tended to instruct the church in the most fundamental doctrines concerning our chief end and chief good; by shewing, that it is our chief good to draw near to God, and that our true happiness lies in communion with him: besides the fitness of this visible habitation of the invisible God, to typify the future incarnation of him who is called Immanuel, God with us, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, being to be made flesh, that he might dwell (or tabernacle) among us, John i.

The mercy-feat covering the ark in the most holy place, where were the tables of the moral law, being reprefented as the throne of God; this tended to give finners suitable views of the throne, or fovereign authority of God, as ruler, lawgiver, and fovereign judge of the world, of whom it is fo truly faid, that juftice and judgement are the habitation of his throne, Pfal. Ixxxix.; and to make fingers approach God, with penitential impreffions of their own fintulness, of his infinite holiness, his broken

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law, and offended justice. Such impreffions tended to produce that self-annihilation that becomes guilty finners in approaching fo great and fo holy a God. But this might produce terror and alienation from God, without some fuitable relief. The Levitical service showed that such relief was provi ded. The work belonging to the priesthood, taken complexly, had a fitness in it to teach finners, on the one hand, "That fin was the cause of distance " and feparation from God; that finners had no ac"cess to God immediately, or without the inter

position of a Mediator and his atonement;" and, on the other hand, "That through fuch interpo"fition the throne of God was acceffible to fin"ners." All the ceremonial purifications that were required in approaching to God, in his tabernacle or temple, shewed the need of applying to God for remiffion and fanctification, and the influence of the Mediator's atonement on both those parts of falvation.

As to more particular inftitutions, 1. The sacrifices were to be offered up without the fanctuary; they were to be fpotless; men were to offer the firftlings of their flocks, and heifers on whom no yoke had paffed. 2. The high prieft was to enter through the vail into the holiest of all, which was in a manner an invisible place; he was to fprinkle the blood of the facrifice towards the mercy-feat; he was to fill the holy place with incense; he was to appear there before God's throne, with the names of the tribes of Ifrael on his breastplate; he was alfo to fprinkle the blood of the facrifices on the people. As to what was required on their part, they were to lay their hands on the facrifices that were offered up for them; they were to perform worship towards the most holy place, and with a particular regard to the high prieft's making atonement * for

* See much more on this fubject in Witfius, De mysteriis taber

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them. With regard to that facerdotal action, they were in a special manner required to afflict their fouls for their sins. In feveral cafes they were admitted to feaft on the facrifices; and what was offered up for the people to God, was given back, as it were, by God, to the people to feast on.

These institutions had a manifeft fitness to reprefent the principal things which are in some meafure revealed in the Old Testament itself, concerning the Meffiah's priesthood; fuch as, his foul's being made a facrifice for fin, a facrifice without spot *; his being a woman's first-born †; the voluntariness of his oblation ; his making interceffion for tranfgreffors || at the right hand of God, or in heaven, which is called the high and holy place ; his applying purchased redemption, sprinkling many nations with his blood++; their acquiefcing in his substitution and mediation; their founding their hope and pleading on it; their performing acknowledgement of guilt, prayers for mercy, and all other parts of worship, with a due regard to it =; and their being abundantly fatisfied with the goodness of God's house, with the feaft of fat things made for all people **, in being filled with joy and peace in believing.

To all which we may add, that among other things in the holy place, either in the ark, or, as fome think, near it, was Aaron's rod blossoming; which being originally a divine attestation of Aaron's priesthood, was a very fit emblem of the Meffiah's future refurrection from the dead, as declarative of his divine miffion, and of his priesthood's being acceptable to God; nothing being more fit to represent one raised from the dead, than a dead branch, or a branch cut off from a tree, restored to

vegetable life, and made to bud and bloffom, and bring forth fruit, If. xxvii. 6. Ezek. xvii.

Though no regard were had to the declared experience of the most upright Chriftians in all ages, as to the advantages refulting from the most ancient representations of the Meffiah, illustrated by subsequent explications, and from the many lively expreffions in the prophecies applying the facrifical style to the Meffiah's work and office; it is evident from the nature of things, that vitible figns are ufeful means of ftrengthening mens impressions of the most important invisible objects; as it is evidently fuitable to the wisdom of him who is the author both of nature and grace, to have regard to the frame of our nature, in the way of promoting the purposes of his grace.

7. It is not only from other parts of the Old Teftament, but from the Mofaic revelation itself, that it can be proved, that making real atonement for fin was to be the peculiar work of the Meffiah. For feeing that revelation shews, that it was he that was to bruise the ferpent's head, or that was to be the great deliverer of mankind from fin, the redeemer from all evil, and the fource of the blessednefs of finners of all nations; all these things thew, that he was to be the author and purchafer of remiffion of fin, which is a chief effect of real atonement for it, a chief thing included in redemption from all evil, a chief part of the true bleffedness of finners, and neceffarily fuppofed in all the other parts of it.

To afcribe proper atonement to the blood of the Levitical facrifices, would infer, in effect, that it was that blood that was to bruise the ferpent's head, to redeem from all evil, and to bless all nations: fo that the grofs explication of the atoning efficacy of thefe facrifices, afcribes to them the very principal things that are exprefsly afcribed to the Meffiah *.

* See more on this fubject below, in applying to the Meffiah the 40th pralm.

VIII. Whereas

VIII. Whereas the famous passage in Job xxxiii. 23. 24. appears at first view involved in much obscurity, several things that have been already obferved from the books of Mofes and Job serve in fome good meafure to remove that obfcurity; and that whether we follow our present tranflation, or another which is very natural and literal, making the 24th verse to run thus, "And fupplicates for him, " and says, Deliver him;" and fo to express the intercessory prayer of him whom the former verse calls the interpreter and messenger.

The word rendered messenger is the fame that is fo oft rendered angel. The word rendered interpreter is the fame that is fo rendered Gen. xlii. 23. and ambaffador, 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. The expreffion One among a thousand naturally imports, the chief among a thousand; or a messenger, angel, and interpreter of extraordinary and fingular dignity. As to the words expreffing this interpreter's instructions, Shewing to man his uprightness," though they feem capable of different meanings, it is fufficient to the purpose in view, that all these meanings are applicable to the Meffiah. Whether these words be meant of the righteousness or juftice of God, the righteousness of the Meffiah, the afflicted penitent's own fincerity, evidencing his interest in God's covenant, or in general the right way of relief from fear and trouble; it belongs to the work of the Meffiah to shew all these things in that light that leads most effectually to the relief mentioned in the context.

All the characters contained in this passage are not only really applicable to the Meffiah, but more naturally applicable to him, and in a more eminent degree, than to any other whatever. He is called an Angel or Messenger in many fcriptures already cited. His being an interpreter, is implied in the Old-Teftament doctrine concerning his prophetic

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office; and particularly in the passages above cited