1. SunprRy things concerning the priesthood of Christ, and those the most material that relate thereunto, we have now passed through. But we know withal that although the foundations hereof were laid in the eternal counsels of God, and a revelation was made of them in the first promise, immediately upon the entrance of sin, yet
SECT. 1, 2.] AND SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. 237
the Son of God was not actually “manifested in the flesh,” for the exe- cution of those counsels and discharge of this office, until “ the fulness of time” came, after the expiration of a multitude of ages. In the meantime, there were certain prefigurations of it instituted of God in the church, to keep up and direct the faith of mankind unto what was to come, in sacrifices and a certain typical priesthood, with emanations from them into the practice of the nations of the world. Now, what is worth our inquiry into, with reference unto these pre- figurations of the priesthood of Christ, may be referred unto these four heads:—(1.) The state of things in general, with respect unto priesthood and sacrifices in the church, before the giving of the law. (2.) The peculiar priesthood of Melchizedek, which fell within that period of time. (3.) The institution of the Aaronical priesthood at Mount Sinai, with the nature and duration of that office, the gar- ments, sacrifices, laws, and succession, of the high priests in parti- cular. (4.) Therise, occasion, and usage, of a priesthood among the nations of the world. From all these we may learn both what God thought meet previously to instruct the church in concerning the future glories of the priesthood of Christ, and what presumptions there were in the light of nature concerning the substance of that work which he was to accomplish.
2. Our first inquiry will be as unto what monuments remain of either sacrifices or the order of priesthood, from and after the first promise and the institution of expiatory oblations, unto the solemn giving of the law in the wilderness, when all things were reduced into a methodical, instructive order.
The first institution of sacrifices, and revelation of an acceptable worship of God in and by them, I have declared before, and else- where discussed and proved at large. Hereupon, as is evident from many particular instances recorded in the Scripture, sacrifices were - offered before the law. It is highly probable that Adam himself, after he had received the promise, which gave life and efficacy unto that kind of sacred service, did offer sacrifices unto God. And this some do suppose, and that not unwarrantably, that he did with the beasts with whose skins he was clothed, and that by the immediate direction of God himself. Hereby the whole of those creatures were returned to God, and their carcasses not left to putrefy on the earth. And so the whole was an illustrious exemplification of the promise newly given, or a type and representation of Christ and his righte- ousness; for as he was to be our real sacrifice of atonement to ex- piate our sins, so are we said to put him on, or to be clothed with his righteousness. So typically was our first father, after his receiv- _ ing the promise, clothed with the skins of the beasts which were offered in sacrifice to make atonement; and therein was Christ a
238 PREFIGURATIONS OF THE PRIESTHOOD [EXERC. XXXIV.
“lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” And those beasts seem rather to have been sheep or goats than the greater cattle of the herd, their skins beg more meet for clothing. The Jews suppose that Adam sacrificed an ox or a bullock. So im the Targum on Ps. lxix. 32, wT ‘IP OI API WN ows Nn yo »-OIp *mby sawM ym_dnd yp ;—“ My prayer shall please God more than the fat and choice bullock, which Adam, the first man, offered, whose horns went before the dividing of the hoofs” To the same purpose Rashi com- ments on the place: 1ND\P3 NIIW WNIT DIN IprAY TW NIT ID Ww, etc. ;—“ This is the ox which Adam, the first man, offered, which was created in his full stature; and they called him 1), an ox or bullock, in the day wherein he was brought; and he was hike a bullock of three years old. And his horns went before his hoofs; for his head came first out of the earth when he was made, and his horns were seen before his hoofs.” It may be there is no more intended in this fable but an account of the order of these words, 5222 2, wherein the order of nature, the bringing forth of horns being placed before dividing of the hoofs, seems to be inverted, though nothing indeed be intended but the description of a bullock fit for sacrifice. ~ But the authors of the fable may yet have had a further reach. The psalmist in that place prefers the moral and spiritual duties ot obe- dience before sacrificing. This they will not allow to be spoken with reference unto the sacrifices of the law, and therefore put it off unto that of Adam, which they make their conjectures about. After this example Cain and Abel offered sacrifices, Gen. iv. 3, 4; and Noah, Gen. viii. 20; and Melchizedek, as we have showed, Gen. xiv. 20; and Abraham, Gen. xv. 9, 10, xxii. 13; and Isaac, Gen. xxvi 25; and Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 18, xxxv. 3, 7; and Job, chap. i. 5, xlii. 8, Express mention of more before the giving of the law I do not re- member. Not that I think these were all the sacrifices which were offered according to the mind of God in that space of time. I doubt not but all the persons mentioned and multitudes, besides did in those days offer sacrifices to God, thereby testifying their faith in the promise and expectation of the great expiatory sacrifice that was to come. Oblations were not yet, indeed, fixed unto times and seasons, as the most of them, especially the most solemn, were after- wards under the law; and therefore I suppose their offering was ~ occasional. Upon some appearance of God to them, on great mercies received, in times of great dangers, troubles, or perils, to themselves or families, when they were in doubts and perplexities about their affairs, and would inquire of God for direction, they betook them- selves unto this solemn service, as the instances on record do mani- fest. And the only solemn sacrifices we read of among the heathen, traduced by imitation from the patriarchs, were for a long season