In that prayer, therefore, of our Saviour, John xvii, do I place the beginning and entrance of the exercise of his priestly office. Whatever he did after this unto the moment of his death belonged principally thereunto. Sundry things, I confess, fell in occasionally afterwards, wherein he aeted his prophetical office in bearing witness unto the truth; but the scope of all his ensuing actions and pas- sions respect his priestly office only: for although his sacrifice, pre- cisely considered, consisted in his actual offering of himself on the cross, yet his sacerdotal actings with reference unto it are not to be confined thereunto. And what these actings were, without an in-
1 Vols. iii. iv. of this edition of works.
SECT. 9.] EXPLAINED AND VINDICATED. 155
quiry into the nature of his sacrifice, which I have designed for the subject of another discourse, I shall briefly recount.
Sundry things were considerable in the sacrifices of old, which, although they did not all belong unto the essence of them, yet they did unto their completeness and perfection, being all types and re- semblances of what was- afterwards to be done by Christ himself. Some of these we shall call over, to give an illustration thereunto:—
9. First, There was required thereunto the adduction of the sac- rifice, or of the beast to be sacrificed, unto the priest, or the priest’s provision of it, which was incumbent on him with respect to the 2H, or daily sacrifice in the temple. This belonged unto the sacrifice, and is expressed by a sacred word, Lev. i. 2, 27'S DIN iF. The bringing or adduction of it made it a “corban,” a gift brought, sacred, dedicated to God. For there was in it,—(1.) “Animus offerentis,’ the mind and intention of the offerer to devote it unto God; which was the foundation, and gave life to the sacrifice. Hence it was a principle even among the heathen that no sacrifice was accepted that proceeded not “a libenti animo,” “from a willing mind.” And this the apostle seems to allude unto, 2 Cor. viii. 12, Ei yap 4 xpobuwin xpéxeirous, “ If there be a free determination or pur- pose of mind,” namely, in offering any thing to God, xad édy tn ric, elapbodenros, ob xabd ox tyes, “it is accepted according to what aman hath, and not according to what he hath not.” It is the mind, and not the matter, that gives measure and acceptance unto an offering. (2.) There was in it loss and damage in the charge of it. The offerer parted with it “e peculio suo.” He gave it up to make expiation for his sin. (3.) The care of providing it according to the law belonged also hereunto. The offerer was to take care that it was of clean beasts, a male or female, as the law required, with- out blemish. It is true, the priest was also to make judgment hereof after its bringing unto him; but he that brought it was to use his utmost skill and diligence in the choice of a meat-offering out of his flock, or he fell under the curse of the deceiver, Mal. i. 13,14. (4) The act of adduction itself belonged unto the holy service, with a testification of a desire, in a way of faith and obe- dience, to have it offered unto God. These things, indeed, were no essential parts of the sacrifice, but they were necessarily antecedent unto it and preparatory for it. And all these things, in some cases, were left unto the people, although they signified what was to be don@ by Christ in his sacrifice, to manifest the imperfection of the Leyitical priesthood, which could not comprise nor answer all that was to be prefigured by sacrifices.
Secondly, There was mactation, or the killing of the beast by the priests at the altar. And herein consisted the essence, all that
156 TRUE NATURE OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST [EXERC. XXXI.
followed being instituted in testification of its direction and dedica- tion unto God. Hence to slay and to sacrifice in this matter are the same.
“Et nigram mactabis ovem, lucumque revises.’’—Virg. Georg. iy. 546.
See our second* Exercitation for the confirmation hereof. And the substance of the sacrifice is to be thought principally to consist herein, though the offering of it was also necessary to its complete- ness and perfection ; for,—
(1.) Herein the intention of the sacrificer and sacrificed, in that solemn formula which was understood in all expiatory sacrifices, “ Quod in ejus caput sit,” was effected or accomplished. And as the common sense of all nations agreed in a commutation in such sacrifices, as I have proved elsewhere, so we are plainly taught it in the Scripture; for besides that this is the open sense and meaning of all institutions about them, so the especial rite of confessing sin over the head of the scape-goat, thereby laying it on him, yea, and the command that he who brought his sin or trespass-offering should therewithal confess his own guilt, do make it evident. Now this, as is manifest, was accomplished only in the mactation and death of the sacrifice.
(2.) It was the blood whereby atonement was made, and that as it was the life of the creature; and the reason why it was given to make atonement was, because the life was in it. Wherefore that act whereby the blood of the creature was so taken away as that thereby the life of it was destroyed, was the principal thing in the sacrifice itself. It is true, atonement on the altar was to be made with the blood after the effusion of it; but it was with it whilst it was yet warm, before the animal spirits were utterly departed from it, and that because its virtue for expiation depended on its being poured out in death. And no blood could have been offered but that which was taken away in the mactation or total destruction of the life of the sacrifice. And the pouring of the blood at the altar, with the sprinkling of it variously, belonged unto the appropriation of the sacrifice to God, unto whose sanctified altar it was brought.